Eighth-ranked Lourdes knocked off the top-ranked team in the country for the first time in program history on Wednesday evening, defeating Grand View 17-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 inside the Johnson Wellness Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
The Gray Wolves hit a blistering .421 for the match, to offset the Vikings' .398 clip, and registered six service aces on the evening while surrendering just one.
 
"This was a great win for the team," head coach Greg Reitz said following the match.  "It was a very well-played volleyball match with both teams hitting and blocking well.  We were able to keep pressuring them as the match progressed, which allowed for a few points at crucial times.  We served very well and, while our passing was rough to start, it steadied out as the match went along and was the key to our victory."
 
Lourdes struggled offensively in the opening set, tallying just nine kills while hitting .107.  Grand View, which hit .367 in the stanza, went on a 12-5 run to close the set after leading just 13-12. 
 
The Gray Wolves never trailed in the second, swinging at a .462 clip.  Lourdes scored five straight points to push its lead to 17-9, and never looked back in evening the match.
 
The offense was even better in the third, as the two teams combined for just five attack errors.  Lourdes hit .667 with 20 kills while Grand View connected at a .519 clip with 17 kills.  Again the Gray Wolves never trailed in the set, slowly extending its lead throughout.
 
Lourdes connected at a .462 clip with 16 kills in the fourth, and used an 8-1 run to take control, building a 12-6 lead.  The Vikings would not get closer than three the rest of the way.
 
Matheus Andrade (Coronel Fabriciano, Brazil/Alberto Giovannini H.S.) led the way for Lourdes with 14 kills and eight digs, while Jeff Lam (Richmond, B.C./Hugh McRoberts H.S.) added 11 kills.  Brendan Brown (Pittsburg, Pa./North Allegheny H.S.) swung at a .692 clip with 10 kills while adding five blocks, and Matt Mittry (Tustin, Calif./Calvary Chapel H.S.) hit .727, putting down eight kills on just 11 swings.
 
Ian Fields (Phoenix, Ariz./Sandra Day O'Connor H.S.) handed out 29 assists and Henrique Gehrke (Blumenau, Brazil/Escola Barao Do Rio Branco) added 20 as the duo quarterbacked the Gray Wolf offense.
 
John Chamone led Grand View (14-3) with 17 kills and hit .419 while Tim Johnson Jr. added 14 kills and swung at a .458 rate.  Brandon Anderson had a match-high 10 digs for the Vikings.
 
Lourdes (16-5) continues its road trip on Thursday afternoon, traveling to Lamoni, Iowa to face Graceland.  First serve is set for 4 p.m. EST inside the Closon Center.