Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Fourth-ranked Lourdes returns to the Central time zone this weekend to conclude its five-match road trip with a pair of contests.  The Gray Wolves head to Iowa to battle 10th-ranked Clarke on Friday evening before heading to Wisconsin for a matinee at Cardinal Stritch on Saturday.
 
Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his eighth season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 141-61 (.698) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He has earned five conference Coach of the Year honors during his first seven seasons at Lourdes.  He is the only head coach in program history.

Series Notes: Clarke holds a 7-3 all-time series advantage over Lourdes dating back to Feb. 17, 2012.  Lourdes won last year's contest in straight sets against the Pride on Feb. 24, 2018 inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  All-time, Clarke is 3-1 against the Gray Wolves in Dubuque, Iowa.  Lourdes is 9-6 all-time against Cardinal Stritch in a series that began Jan. 27, 2012.  The Gray Wolves have won the last five meetings against the Wolves, including a four-set triumph on Feb. 23, 2018 inside the Ebeid Rec Center in last year's only contest between the two schools.  Lourdes is 3-1 against Cardinal Stritch all-time in Milwaukee, Wis.
 
Wrapping Up Last Week: The Gray Wolves began the week with their Wednesday match at Cincinnati Christian cancelled due to inclement weather in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Lourdes headed to the Lindenwood Invitational for the weekend, posting a 1-2 record.  Friday, the Gray Wolves fell 19-25, 28-26, 25-16, 25-15 to McKendree despite 13 kills from Evan Gebert and 15 digs from Matheus Andrade.  Saturday, Lourdes dropped a 25-22, 25-15, 18-25, 25-18 decision to the host Lions.  Jeff Lam hit .300 with 15 kills to lead the offense while Andrade registered 14 digs.  In Sunday's tournament finale, Ricardo Gehrke put down 16 kills, hit .481, and recorded 10 digs in Lourdes 25-20, 22-25, 35-33, 25-13 victory over Quincy.

Scouting Clarke: The Pride have won two straight matches after a five-set victory at Briar Cliff on Saturday afternoon.  Clarke's match at Culver-Stockton on Tuesday was postponed.  Bryant Ekstein leads the Pride with 61 kills this season while Alex Pasek is hitting .257.  Jake Lauger has handed out 226 assists while registering a team-high seven service aces.  Defensively, Derek Gascon has posted a team-leading 40 digs for the Pride while Florian Janssen has registered 19 total blocks.

Scouting Cardinal Stritch: The Wolves enter the weekend having dropped their final two matches at the Grand View Tournament last weekend, falling in four sets to both the host Vikings and Ottawa (Kan.).  Trent Sellers leads Cardinal Stritch with 58 kills while Blake Janz has handed out 110 assists.  Trent Sellars leads the Wolves with 12 service aces.  Defensively, Zach Bohmann has notched 47 digs while Felipe Mello Oliveira has recorded 14 blocks.

Andrade Earns National and WHAC Honors: Matheus Andrade was named both the WHAC and NAIA National Defender of the Week for his efforts on the court last weekend at the Lindenwood Invitational.  The sophomore posted double figure dig totals in all three matches, averaging 3.25 digs per set.  He had a season-high 15 digs against McKendree.

Facing Another Ranked Opponent: Lourdes will battle its second NAIA Top-10 foe of the season on Friday when the Gray Wolves travel to 10th-ranked Clarke.  Lourdes downed then 10th-ranked Saint Andrews in straight sets on Jan. 25 in its first ranked contest of the year.  All-time, Lourdes is 23-48 against Top-10 opponents, and has won eight of its last 10 against ranked foes.

Quarterbacking the Offense: Henrique Gehrke ranks second in the NAIA handing out 11.16 assists per set this season.  The Gray Wolves' sophomore setter has led Lourdes to a .298 hitting percentage as a team, a mark that ranks fourth nationally.

Putting Balls on the Floor: Lourdes ranks fourth as a team nationally averaging 12.8 kills per set.  Evan Gebert has led the Gray Wolves this year with 94 total kills, an average of 3.76 per stanza, a mark that ranks sixth in the NAIA.  Ricardo Gehrke also ranks in the top-20 (17th) nationally with his 3.36 kills per set average.

Double the Effort: Brothers Ricardo Gehrke and Henique Gehrke both registered double-doubles for the Gray Wolves in Sunday's victory over Quincy.  Ricardo had 16 kills and 10 digs for his second double-double of the year while Henrique handed out 51 assists and tallied 11 digs for his first double-double of the season.

Playing Defense as Well: Lourdes has outdug all seven of its opponents thus far this season, holding a 249-193 overall edge in that statistical category.  The Gray Wolves' 9.96 digs per set ranks ninth in the NAIA this season.  Matheus Andrade ranks seventh nationally on an individual level with his 2.8 digs per set.

This and That: Lourdes has not been swept in a match since Feb. 23, 2018 against UC Merced, a span of 23 matches ... Lance Blough leads the Gray Wolves in both hitting percentage (.426) and blocks (20) during his senior season ... the Gray Wolves have added a match to their schedule on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at home against Saint Xavier.