The Gray Wolf men's volleyball team picked up a huge 3-1 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference victory over No. 6-ranked and previously undefeated Aquinas on Friday night inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
"I think we were able to set the tone early tonight," said head coach Greg Reitz following the victory. "For u to come out the way we did in the first set and hit .478 is very pleasing. We followed that set with a bad second set but we didn't let that affect us overall. We maintained our composure and continued to play at a high level. I think we were able to figure things out over the first two sets and settle in. You have to give Aquinas credit. They deserve that ranking and are a very good team. I'm looking forward to another fun matchup with them in a few weeks."
 
Lourdes remains unblemished at friendly confines this season and remain unbeaten in WHAC playing, taking over sole possession of the top spot in the standings.
 
Evan Gebert (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider) paced Lourdes offensively with 17 kills. He also added seven digs to his resume. Ricardo Gehrke (Blumenau, Brazil/Escola Barao Do Rio Branco) added 15 kills and seven digs for Lourdes.
 
Henrique Gehrke (Blumenau, Brazil/Escola Barao Do Rio Branco) handed out 47 assists, while teammate Matheus Andrade (Coronel Fabriciano, Brazil/Alberto Giovannini) recorded a game-high 15 digs.
 
The Gray Wolves came out swinging in the opening set, hitting at a blistering .478 clip. The first set stayed tight early, but three straight attack errors by Aquinas (18-1, 4-1 WHAC) allowed Lourdes to stretch its lead to 16-10.
 
The Saints pulled within 21-17, but Ricardo Gehrke and Gebert combined for three kills and a Saint miscue allowed Lourdes to seal the set one victory.
 
Aquinas dominated the second set, stretching its lead to as many as 23-12 late in the set. Lourdes scored three straight from there, but Aquinas was able to take the second set.
 
In the third set, Lourdes was able to respond to regain momentum and a one-set lead. Leading 19-16 late in the set, Gebert, Brady Boyle (Alpharetta, Ga./Chattahoochee) and Ricardo Gehrke laid down three straight kills to push the lead to 22-16. Lourdes would go on to win the set 25-19.
 
Aquinas had Lourdes on its heels in the final set, leading 5-4, but the Gray Wolves responded with five straight points capped by a Ricardo Gehrke kill to regain a 9-5 lead.
 
Holding onto a 17-16 lead midway through the set, Gebert came up huge for Lourdes, serving the Gray Wolves to eight straight points to help Lourdes seal the 3-1 victory and end the Saints unbeaten streak.
 
Zane Moothart led the way for Aquinas with 12 kills, while Colby Elder handed out a team-best 32 assists.
 
The Gray Wolves (11-2, 4-0 WHAC) return to the court on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. as they travel to Southfield, Mich. to take on Lawrence Tech in a WHAC matchup.