Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes begins the 10th season of intercollegiate volleyball this weekend as the Gray Wolves open the 2019 season at the GoSarpy.com Labor Day Classic.  The Gray Wolves play a pair of ranked teams, beginning with a match against 22nd-ranked, and tournament host Bellevue, to begin the year on Thursday.  Lourdes then faces 25th-ranked Ottawa (Kan.) and Morningside on Friday before closing the event by battling Evangel on Saturday.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 10th season on the Lourdes bench, Greg Reitz has a 184-117 (.611) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his 11th season overall as a women's head coach, Reitz has a 204-152 (.573) 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: Bellevue won the only previous match against Lourdes, a 3-0 victory on Nov. 30, 2017 at the NAIA National Championships.  The Gray Wolves defeated Morningside in the only previous contest, a five-set triumph, on Nov. 30, 2016 at the NAIA National Championships.  Lourdes will be meeting Ottawa (Kan.) and Evangel for the first time this weekend.

Wrapping Up 2018: Lourdes finished the 2018 season with a 17-9 record overall and a 14-6 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.  The Gray Wolves tied for third place in the regular season, but were eliminated in the WHAC tournament quarterfinals by Madonna.

Scouting Bellevue: The Bruins went 1-2 last weekend at the Bill Marshall Classic, downing host #14 Hastings while falling to #3 Grand View and #10 Eastern Oregon.  Sierra Athen leads the team with 78 kills while Olivia Galas has handed out 257 assists.  Madi Evans has recorded 95 digs while Coree Lipovsky has notched a team-high 15 blocks.

Scouting Ottawa (Kan.): The Braves defeated Texas Wesleyan and Graceland before falling to Morningside to open their season at the KCAC Fall Fling.  Ayona Tharps had 27 kills while Allison Thornton handed out 48 assists on the opening weekend to pace Ottawa.  Defensively, Heather Huesman tallied 37 digs and Makayla Aspegren registered 18 blocks.  

Scouting Morningside: The Mustangs opened the season with four victories last weekend at the KCAC Fall Fling.  Three of the wins were via sweeps, including a triumph over 25th-ranked Ottawa (Kan.).  Krista Zenk has put down 42 kills and hit .252 while Callie Alberico has handed out 134 assists.  Kayla Harris has notched 64 digs while Emma Gerber and Brittni Olson each had 13 blocks.

Scouting Evangel: The Crusaders had their six-match season-opening win streak snapped on Tuesday evening with a five-set loss at College of the Ozarks.  Daisy Eklund has recorded 93 kills and is hitting .308 to lead the offense while Jordan Stacey has handed out 153 assists.  On defense, Eryn Russell has 155 digs while Bridget Petersen has 29 blocks.  

Lourdes in Season Openers: Lourdes is 6-3 all-time in season-opening matches.  The Gray Wolves snapped a two-match season-opening losing streak last year with a four-set victory over Taylor at home in the Gray Wolf Invitational.  Lourdes is 2-1 in season openers in true road matches, having defeated Concordia (Mich.) in 2010 and Marygrove in 2011 while falling at Grace in 2017.

Facing Ranked Foes: Lourdes is 15-32 all-time against NAIA top-25 opponents and will face two this weekend.  Last year, the Gray Wolves won their only match against a ranked foe, a four-set victory over 23rd-ranked Madonna on the road.

2018 Award Winners: Niki Polce was named a Second Team All Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference selection last season and is the only returning award winner this year.  The Gray Wolves lost three other award winners from last season in First Team All-WHAC honoree Monique Oliveira along with Second Team All-WHAC selections Carol Goncalves and Tylar Roberson.

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 1,297 career digs and is sixth in both matches played (86) and sets played (301).  Sarah Wisser enters the season ranked ninth all-time with 315 career assists.

A Constant on the Court: Niki Polce was the only Gray Wolf to see action in all 101 sets for the Gray Wolves last season.  The junior led Lourdes with 444 digs on the year.

Lots of New Faces: Of the 20 players on this year's roster, 13 are in their first season with the program.  The newcomers include nine freshmen along with transfers Kennedy Ames and Michaela Eisenhauer from Owens Community College and Rafa Borges and Yasmin Assis from Indian Hills Community College.
 
This and That: Lourdes is 59-43 all-time on the road and 41-47 all-time in neutral site matches ... The Gray Wolves have posted winning records in six straight seasons and are 184-117 all-time in program history.