Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: After last weekend's cancellations, Lourdes University tries for the second time to open the 2018 season this weekend as the Gray Wolves host the Lourdes Invitational.  The Gray Wolves will entertain Culver-Stockton and Saint Ambrose on Friday for the tournament's opening day before hosting Missouri Baptist on Saturday to close out the action.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his seventh season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 113-51 (.689) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He has earned five conference Coach of the Year honors during his first six seasons at Lourdes.  He is the only head coach in program history.

Series Notes: Lourdes is 3-0 all-time against Culver-Stockton in a series that dates back to March 11, 2014.  Last season the Gray Wolves recorded a 3-1 victory over the Wildcats at the Grand View Moulten Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa.  Saint Ambrose holds an 8-2 series edge against Lourdes dating back to Jan. 17, 2012.  The Gray Wolves have won the last two meetings between the schools though, including a 3-0 sweep of the Fighting Bees last season in Davenport, Iowa.  Missouri Baptist holds a 6-0 series advantage against Lourdes dating back to March 2, 2013.  Last year the Spartans won a five-set match in Des Moines, Iowa as part of the Grand View Moulten Invitational before sweeping the Gray Wolves in Saint Louis, Mo.
 
Wrapping Up Last Week: The Gray Wolves were slated to travel to Cardinal Stritch and Clarke, but icy and snowy road conditions forced the cancellation of the matches.  Neither contest will be rescheduled.

Scouting Culver-Stockton: The Wildcats opened their season last Saturday, falling in four sets on the road at Quincy after finishing last season 15-17 overall.  Ammuniki Wood led Culver-Stockton with 11 kills and hit .217 while James Heisse handed out 32 assists.  Heisse also had 10 digs.

Scouting Saint Ambrose: The Fighting Bees posted a 17-12 record in 2017 and open 2018 at the Lourdes Invitational.  Scott MacGillis led Saint Ambrose with 326 kills last season while Austin Royer handed out 959 assists.  Defensively, Robby Hoffman had a team-high 208 digs and Zach Schmidt registered 67 blocks.

Scouting Missouri Baptist: The Spartans finished 2017 with a 28-2 overall record, falling in the semifinals at the NAIA National Invitational.  Luka Cajic led Missouri Baptist with 257 kills while Cameron Hibbler hit .486 with 107 blocks defensively.  Kyle Foley handed out 1,090 assists.

Lourdes in Season Openers: The Gray Wolves are 5-1 all-time in their season openers.  Lourdes lost its inaugural match of the 2012 season 3-0 to #1 Saint Ambrose, but has won five straight, four via sweeps, to open seasons.  Last year the Gray Wolves posted a 3-0 triumph at Lawrence Tech.

Gray Wolves in Home Openers: Lourdes is also 5-1 all-time in home openers, with the lone defeat coming in their inaugural match in 2012 against Saint Ambrose.  Last season the Gray Wolves defeated Siena Heights 3-1 to open the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center, extending the home-opening win streak to five.

Facing Ranked Opponents: Lourdes is 15-45 all-time against teams ranked in the top-10.  Last season the Gray Wolves posted a 4-9 mark against ranked foes.  Lourdes defeated #8 Saint Ambrose, #8 Missouri Valley, #5 Robert Morris (Ill.), and #7 Cardinal Stritch last season.  The Gray Wolves have never defeated a team ranked higher than #5 in program history.

Highest Ranking Ever: Lourdes preseason ranking of fourth in the NAIA matches the highest the Gray Wolves have ever reached.  Lourdes was also fourth in the preseason poll in 2016.  Last year the Gray Wolves finished the year ranked fifth nationally.

Independent Group Returns: NAIA has kept its conference grouping the same heading into 2018. 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, Menlo, and UC Merced, which comprise the other half of the independent group.  A WHAC team will host this year's postseason event.

New Faces: Lourdes has nine players on its roster that will be making their Gray Wolf debut this season.  Fred Miller and Isaiah Williams both sat out last season as redshirts while Hugh Flores, Henrique Gehrke, Matheus Andrade, and Jeff Lam are all true freshmen.  Collin Holt, Ricardo Gehrke, and Stefan Albrecht arrive at Lourdes as transfers.

This and That: Ryan Maune is the team's active kill leader with 541 while hitting at a .439 clip ... Ian Fields' 316 career assists are most on the current roster ... Eric Ubior's 380 career digs are most on the 2018 roster ... Maune's 219 career blocks are most among returnees.