Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Sixth-ranked Lourdes enters the NAIA National Invitational having won six straight matches, all via sweeps, after earning the automatic bid from the Independent Group after capturing the tournament title.  The Gray Wolves will face seventh-ranked Cardinal Stritch in the opening round, looking to advance to pool play.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his sixth season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 112-49 (.696) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He has earned conference or group Coach of the Year honors five times during his career.  Reitz is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes holds a 7-6 all-time advantage against Cardinal Stritch in a series that dates back to Jan. 27, 2012.  The Gray Wolves have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools, including a 3-0 sweep at the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center earlier this season on Feb. 24.  Cardinal Stritch won the only previous neutral site match, a 3-1 decision on March 28, 2015 in the championship match of the Great Lakes Conference tournament held in Cincinnati, Ohio.
 
Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes swept through the Independent Group double elimination tournament held in Chandler, Ariz.  The Gray Wolves defeated UC Merced in the opening round 25-16, 25-16, 25-19 behind Ryan Maune's 10 kills and .600 hitting percentage as the Gray Wolves hit .396 as a team.  In the winner's bracket final against Siena Heights, Lourdes scored a 25-23, 25-21, 27-25 victory.  Evan Gebert had 13 kills and 10 digs.  In the rematch against the Saints in the championship, Lourdes hit .488 on the way to a 25-23, 25-22, 25-14 victory.  Gebert hit .545 with 14 kills while Eric Ubior hit .500 with 13 kills.

Scouting Cardinal Stritch: The Wolves enter the National Invitational having won nine straight matches after defeating Robert Morris (Ill.) in straight sets to win the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament title.  Joao Neto Sales leads Cardinal Stritch with 252 kills and is hitting .313 this season while Joe Duda has handed out 1,129 assists.  Connor O'Ryan has a team-high 32 service aces and 136 blocks while Chris Sorenson leads the way with 258 digs.  

Lourdes at the National Tournament: The Gray Wolves are making their third national tournament appearance, and second at the NAIA National Invitational.  In 2014, Lourdes fell in four sets to both Grand View and Clarke in pool play.  Last year Lourdes defeated Park in straight sets in the Opening Round before falling in five sets to Missouri Baptist and three sets to Grand View in pool play.

Looking to Advance: Should the Gray Wolves defeat Cardinal Stritch in the Opening Round, Lourdes would advance to Pool A.  Lourdes would face top-seeded Grand View at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday and No. 3 Park at the same time on Friday.  The national semifinals are Friday evening, with the championship slated for 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday.

Postseason Honors: Ryan Maune was named the All-Independent Group Player of the Year after hitting .441 while leading the Gray Wolves with 258 total kills (2.80/set).  CJ Rilveria earned Libero of the Year honors after tallying 338 total digs, and average of 3.71 per set.  Both Maune and Rilveria also earned First Team honors while Ryan Ferkel was named to the group's Second Team.  Ferkel tallied 763 assists (9.08/set) and had 135 digs (1.61/set).

Quite a Stretch: Lourdes has won 18 consecutive sets dating back to the March 17 match against Saint Xavier.  The streak is the longest for the Gray Wolves since winning 38 consecutive sets from March 4-April 21, 2016.

Looking for 20th Win: Not only is Lourdes looking to advance in the NAIA National Invitational against Cardinal Stritch, but a victory would give the Gray Wolves their 20th win of the season for the third straight year.  Last year Lourdes set a school record for victories with 25.

Closing in on 1,000: CJ Rilveria enters the National Invitational needing just 17 more digs for 1,000 over his four-year career.  With 338 digs this season, he leads all of NAIA men's volleyball averaging 3.71 digs per set in 2017.  He is 14 digs shy of matching his career high of 352 digs set last season.

Swinging With Authority: Ryan Maune has hit .400 or higher in 20 of the Gray Wolves' 26 matches this season. His .441 hitting percentage overall ranks fourth among all NAIA players.

Perfection Against Non-Ranked Foes: Lourdes has not dropped a match in the last two seasons against a team that has not been ranked in the NAIA top-10 poll.  In fact, the Gray Wolves' last defeat to an unranked opponent was in the Great Lakes Conference tournament championship match against Cardinal Stritch on March 28, 2015.

Playing on the Road or at Neutral Sites: Lourdes has had success away from home throughout the years.  The Gray Wolves are 29-21 all-time in neutral site matches, including 5-2 against this year.  The Gray Wolves have been even better all-time in true road matches, going 41-18 in program history.

This and That: Ryan Maune is the lone Gray Wolf to appear in all 92 sets this season ... Lourdes has not won a five-set match since at Missouri Valley on Feb. 26, 2016 ... Zachary Hawkins and Ryan Maune both surpassed 500 career kills in the Independent Group tournament, and now have 514 and 521 respectively.