Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: The 2018 women's volleyball campaign opens for Lourdes University as the terra cotta and black host the Gray Wolf Invitational.  Lourdes will face Taylor on Friday evening to begin the program's ninth season before battling Indiana-South Bend and Coastal Georgia on Saturday to wrap up the event.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his eighth season on the Lourdes bench, Greg Reitz has a 169-108 (.610) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his ninth season overall as a women's head coach, Reitz has a 187-143 (.567) 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 is 2-1 all-time against Taylor in a series that began Aug. 22, 2014.  The Gray Wolves have won each of the last two meetings between the two schools, including a 3-0 sweep in Marion, Ind. in 2017.  This is the Trojans' first trip to Lourdes.  The Gray Wolves are 1-1 all-time against Indiana-South Bend.  The Titans won the first meeting on Aug. 25, 2012 in Dearborn, Mich. before Lourdes posted a three-set victory last year at the Ebeid Rec Center.  Lourdes and Coastal Georgia will be meeting for the first time on Saturday.

Wrapping Up 2017: Lourdes finished the 2017 earning a third consecutive trip to pool play at the NAIA National Championship.  The Gray Wolves posted a 22-14 record overall and a 10-5 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, finishing in a tie for second in the West Division.  Lourdes advanced to the WHAC tournament championship match.

Scouting Taylor: The Trojans open their 2018 season on Friday against Lourdes.  Taylor went 20-16 in 2017, including a 10-8 mark in the Crossroads League, tying for fourth place.  The Trojans fell to Saint Francis (Ind.) in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League tournament.  

Scouting Indiana-South Bend: The Titans opened their 2018 season on Tuesday evening with a four-set victory at home against Bethel (Ind.).  Sarah Allison led Indiana-South Bend with 15 kills while McKenzie Powell hit .478 with 11 kills while handing out 23 assists.  Robbie Berg had a team-high 13 digs and Sydney Lubinski tallied seven blocks.  Indiana-South Bend posted a 14-16 record one season ago, including an 11-6 mark in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, placing fifth.  

Scouting Coastal Georgia: The Mariners opened their season last weekend with a 3-1 record in their own tournament.  Kyra White hit .345 with 53 kills for Coastal Georgia while adding 10 blocks defensively.  Ashley Kot handed out a team-high 176 assists while Yorelis Rios Gonzalez served up nine aces and led the team with 65 digs.  Last season the Mariners posted a 11-14 record overall and a 9-7 mark in The Sun Conference, finishing in fourth place.

Lourdes in Season Openers: Lourdes is 5-3 all-time in season-opening matches.  After winning their first four season openers, the Gray Wolves have fallen in three of the last four years.  Last season Lourdes suffered a four-set sweep at the hands of Grace in the Lancer Classic to begin the campaign.

Gray Wolves in Home Openers: Lourdes is 7-1 all-time in home openers. The only defeat for the Gray Wolves to open a home campaign came in 2012, a 3-0 setback to 17th-ranked Madonna.  Last year Lourdes downed Indiana-South Bend in straight sets to improve to 2-0 in home openers inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.

Returning Award Winners: Angelica Dippold returns for her junior season after earning First Team All-WHAC honors last season as a libero after averaging 5.24 digs per set (597 total dis).  Emily Arnold is set for her senior campaign after garnering Second Team All-WHAC accolades in 2017.  She hit a team-leading .277 while tallying 151 blocks (1.19/set).

Lots of New Faces: Of the 18 players on this year's roster, nine are in their first season with the program.  The newcomers include four freshmen and five transfers.  Lourdes lost nine players that appeared in at least one match from last season.
 
In the Record Books: Lourdes has several players who rank among the top-10 all-time in program history in various statistical categories.  Angelica Dippold is second all-time with 1,048 career digs and is tied for ninth all-time with 232 sets played.  Emily Arnold is currently second in school history with a .277 career hitting percentage and ranks third with 151 total blocks.  Jami Markus is fifth with 844 career assists while Sarah Wisser is eighth in the same category with 275 helpers.

Hosting Tournaments: Lourdes is hosting the Gray Wolf Invitational for the first time since 2012.  The event was held in each of the programs' first three seasons.  All-time, Lourdes is 6-4 in matches held during the event.

This and That: Lourdes is opening a season at home for the first time in program history ... The Gray Wolves have posted winning records in five straight seasons and are 167-108 all-time in program history ... Lourdes is 20-2 all-time inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.