Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: The 2017 women's volleyball campaign opens for Lourdes University this weekend as the Gray Wolves travel to the Lancer Classic.  Lourdes will face tournament hosts Grace along with Silver Lake on Friday to begin the program's eighth season before battling Cincinnati Christian and Indiana-Kokomo on Saturday.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his eighth season on the Lourdes bench, Greg Reitz has a 145-94 (.607) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his ninth season overall as a women's head coach, Reitz has a 165-129 (.561) career mark.  He is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history and was named WHAC Coach of the Year in 2015.

Series Notes: Lourdes dropped its only previous meeting against Grace in straight sets on Aug. 23, 2013 in Dearborn, Mich.  The Gray Wolves and Silver Lake have never met in women's volleyball.  Cincinnati Christian won the only previous meeting between the two schools, a 3-0 victory on Sept. 1, 2012 in Rio Grande, Ohio.  Lourdes and Indiana-Kokomo have never met on the volleyball court.

Wrapping Up 2016: Lourdes finished the 2016 season winning its second straight Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles while earning a second consecutive trip to pool play at the NAIA National Championship.  The Gray Wolves posted a 27-7 record overall and a 15-1 mark in the WHAC, finishing the year ranked 18th in the final NAIA national poll.

Scouting Grace: The Lancers opened the season last weekend, winning their final three matches at the Huntington Tournament.  Kelsee Zuidema led Grace with 59 kills and hit .321 while Alexa Hill handed out 145 assists.  Caylie Teel recorded a team-high 50 digs and Kari Feddema registered 10 blocks for the Lancers.

Scouting Silver Lake: The Lakers open their 2017 season this weekend as well at the Lancer Classic.  Silver Lake posted a 7-23 record in 2016.  This season marks the first year that the Lakers are a full active member of the NAIA and eligible for postseason competition.

Scouting Cincinnati Christian: The Eagles open their 2017 season this weekend at the Lancer Classic.  Last year Cincinnati Christian posted a 20-13 record overall, including a 9-7 mark in the River Stats Conference.  The Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the RSC tournament.

Scouting Indiana-Kokomo: The Cougars opened the season last weekend, splitting four matches at the Lindsey Wilson Tournament.  Indiana-Kokomo dropped their second straight match on Wednesday night at home, falling to Marian in four sets.  Lindi Thomas is averaging 3.05 kills per set on the young season while Nyssa Baker is hitting .269 with a team-high 22 blocks.  Maddison Taylor has registered 79 digs while Casey Colgate has handed out 102 assists.

Lourdes in Season Openers: Lourdes is 5-2 all-time in season-opening matches.  After winning their first four season openers, the Gray Wolves have fallen in two of the last three years.  Last season Lourdes suffered a three-set sweep at the hands of Doane in the Red Raider Classic to begin the campaign.  

Honors to Replace: Lourdes looks to replace three players who earned NAIA All-America honors last year as seniors.  Molly Shonk and Ave Stout both were Third Team All-America honorees while Meghan Birr garnered Honorable Mention All-America accolades.

Lots of New Faces: Of the 20 players on this year's roster, nine are in their first season with the program.  The newcomers include five freshmen and four transfers.  In addition, Lourdes has five players on the roster who did not see action during the 2016 season.
 
In the Record Books: Genessee Tate is the only current Gray Wolf ranked among the top-10 in Lourdes' career record book.  She ranks seventh in attack percentage (minimum 200 attempts), swinging at a .214 career clip with the Gray Wolves entering her senior season.

Nearing the Top-10: Angelica Dippold enters the 2017 season after tallying 451 digs during her freshman season.  She is just 25 digs away from earning a spot in the career top-10 for the Gray Wolves.

Home Sweet Home: Lourdes has yet to drop a match inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.  The Gray Wolves posted a perfect 11-0 record in home matches last season, losing just one set.  Lourdes has won 27 consecutive home contests, last falling on its home floor against Northwestern Ohio in five sets on Nov. 1, 2014 at Tam-o-Shanter.

This and That: This marks the first time since 2011 (at Marygrove) that Lourdes opens the season with a true road match ... Genessee Tate and Lauren Norman are the only seniors on this year's squad ... Lourdes has posted at least a .500 record in every "in-season" tournament since the season opener at Rio Grande in 2014.