Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: The 2017 regular season comes to a close for Lourdes on Tuesday evening.  The Gray Wolves host UC Merced at the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center before heading west for the NAIA Independent Group tournament April 7-8.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his sixth season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 108-49 (.688) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He was named to the MAMVIC East Coach of the Year in 2012 and the Great Lakes Conference Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015 while earning Mideast Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2016.  Reitz is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes and UC Merced will be meeting on the volleyball court for the first time ever on Tuesday evening.
 
Wrapping Up Last Week (Or Two Weeks Ago): Lourdes snapped a three-match losing skid on March 17, sweeping Saint Xavier at home 25-19, 25-12, 25-9.  Evan Gebert tallied 11 kills while Ryan Ferkel had a double-double in the Senior Day victory.  The Gray Wolves followed that win up with a 25-13, 25-6, 25-15 triumph over Calumet College of Saint Joseph on March 18 at the Ebeid Rec Center.  Ryan Maune had eight kills in the win.

Scouting UC Merced: The Bobcats have won four of their last six matches after defeating Cincinnati Christian on the road in four sets on Sunday afternoon.  UC Merced travels to Lawrence Tech on Monday evening before heading to Lourdes on Tuesday.  Cole Smith leads the Bobcats with 107 kills on the season and is hitting .247.  Matt Pelfini has handed out 334 assists while also leading the squad with 57 digs.  Jacob Shelton leads UC Merced with 36 blocks.

Sharing Playing Time: In the win over Calumet, a season-high 12 players saw the floor during the match for the Gray Wolves.  

Making the Most of Opportunities: Jaryn Kuhaulua-Feiteira entered Friday's match against Saint Xavier with just six kills on the season and 43 over his first three years in a Gray Wolf uniform.  The junior put down a season-high seven kills in the win over the Cougars while adding two blocks and three digs defensively.

Hitting Percentage a Key to Success: Lourdes has not won a match this season when hitting a lower percentage offensively than its opponents.  The Gray Wolves' .260 hitting mark as a team ranks eighth nationally.

Winning the Service Battle: Lourdes recorded 14 total service aces in the two matches last week while surrendering just one ace to the opposition in the wins.

Nearing 1,000: CJ Rilveria enters the week needing just 60 more digs for 1,000 over his four-year career.  With 295 digs this season, he leads all of NAIA men's volleyball averaging 3.73 digs per set in 2017.

Ferkel Reaches 2,000: Ryan Ferkel surpassed the 2,000-assist mark for his career last Saturday against Calumet.  The senior, who enters play this week with 2,008 career helpers, surpassed the milestone early in the third set against the Crimson Wave.

Home Court Advantage: Lourdes has posted an 8-1 record inside its new home, the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center, this season.  All-time, the Gray Wolves are 42-10 in "home" contests.  The Ebeid Rec Center has proven to be a tough place for visitors to win in volleyball, as the men's and women's teams are a combined 19-1 inside of the facility after the women went a perfect 11-0 during the fall of 2016.

Swinging With Authority: Ryan Maune has hit .400 or higher in 16 of the Gray Wolves' 22 matches this season. His .429 hitting percentage overall ranks sixth among all NAIA players. Maune leads Lourdes with 221 kills on the year (2.82/set).

Double-Doubles: Ryan Ferkel registered his team-leading third double-double of the season in the three-set victory over Saint Xavier.  The senior setter handed out 27 assists while also tallying a match-high 12 digs against the Cougars. Ferkel also had a double-double with assists and digs earlier this year versus Warner and Fort Wayne.  As a team, Lourdes players have recorded a total of nine double-doubles in 2017.

Shifting Conferences: NAIA has reshuffled its conferences yet again heading into 2017. The Gray Wolves will play a double round-robin slate against Lawrence Tech, and Siena Heights as part of a divided independent group.  The top two teams from the three Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference schools will advance to the conference tournament against the top two teams among Benedictine at Mesa, Hope International, and UC Merced, which comprise the other half of the independent group.  This year's event will be hosted by Benedictine at Mesa in Chandler, Ariz.

This and That: Ryan Maune is the lone Gray Wolf to appear in all 80 sets this season ... Lourdes has not won a five-set match since at Missouri Valley on Feb. 26, 2016 ... Zachary Hawkins is nine kills shy of 500 for his career at Lourdes ... Hawkins recorded his 100th career block in the win over Calumet ... Maune needs 16 kills to reach 500.