Second-ranked Lourdes won its fifth straight match on Friday evening, as the Gray Wolves swept 10^th-ranked Saint Xavier 25-20, 25-19, 25-20 inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
"I thought we played pretty consistently all night against a very good team," head coach Greg Reitz said afterwards.  "We didn't serve great to start, but improved and served tougher as the night went along while hitting efficiently throughout the match."
 
Evan Gebert (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider H.S.) hit .440 with a match-high 14 kills for the Gray Wolves while adding eight digs on the defensive end of the floor.  Ricardo Gehrke (Blumenau, Brazil/Escola Barao Do Rio Brando H.S.) added 12 kills and four blocks while Henrique Gehrke (Blumenau, Brazil/Escola Barao Do Rio Brando H.S.) handed out 33 assists for an offense that hit .287 on the night.
 
Defensively, Matheus Andrade (Coronel Fabriciano, Brazil/Alberto Giovanni H.S.) recorded 11 digs to lead all players in the match as the Gray Wolves outdug the Cougars 35-34.  Lourdes has outdug all 11 opponents this season.
 
Lourdes limited Saint Xavier to just .080 hitting in the opening set while swinging at a .308 clip.  An 8-2 run early in set two put the Gray Wolves in front for good, 14-8, while in the third stanza Lourdes hit .324 with 14 kills.
 
Ben Gabor led Saint Xavier (10-3) with 14 kills while Kyle Springer added 10 more.  Jake Olson and Aaron Kummer each had eight digs for the Cougars.
 
Lourdes (9-2) returns to the road and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play on Wednesday evening, traveling to Adrian, Mich. to battle Siena Heights.  First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside the SHU Fieldhouse.