Seventh-ranked Lourdes snapped its two-match losing skid on Wednesday evening, as the Gray Wolves defeated Mount Mercy 25-23, 26-24, 18-25, 25-23 inside of Hennessey Recreation Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
"This was a pretty solid match for us," head coach Greg Reitz said.  "It wasn't our best volleyball, but we were able to keep fighting until we earned the win."
 
Ricardo Gehrke (Blumenau, Brazil/Escola Barao Do Rio Branco H.S.) tallied 18 kills and Brady Boyle (Alpharetta, Ga./Chattahoochee H.S.) registered a double-double with 44 assists and 16 digs.  Guga Heidrich (Braco do Norte, Brazil/Colegio Unificado H.S.) recorded 27 digs.
 
Lourdes fell behind early in the opening set, but rallied with a 5-0 run late in the stanza to earn the first set win.  Mount Mercy (16-6) again jumped in front early in set two, leading 13-6, before the Gray Wolves fought back to tie the set at 18.  There ended up being 12 ties in the stanza before Lourdes scored two advantage of a pair of errors by the Mustangs to secure the win.
 
Mount Mercy never trailed in the third set, and took advantage of nine Lourdes attack errors, on the way to extending the match.  Four straight points allowed the Mustangs to pull away, building a 17-11 lead.  Mount Mercy also scored the first four points in set four before Lourdes battled back to take a 12-10 lead.  The set was tied 13 times, many down the stretch, before the Gray Wolves pulled out the match with the final two points.
 
Lourdes hit just .173 for the match, with Evan Gebert (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider H.S.) also finishing in double figures with 13 kills.  Harrison McBean (Melbourne, Australia/Northern College of the Arts) added six kills, hitting .545 for the match.
 
Defensively, Jeff Lam (Richmond, B.C./Hugh McRoberts H.S.) tallied 10 digs while Fred Miller (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy H.S.) tallied six blocks.
 
Julian Armendano led Mount Mercy with 14 kills and 13 digs while Ben Ruggles had 37 assists and 15 digs.  The Mustangs hit .175 for the match as a team.
 
Lourdes (17-4) is scheduled return to Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action next Wednesday, March 18, as the Gray Wolves travel to Adrian, Mich. to battle Siena Heights.  First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside the SHU Fieldhouse.