Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes University, ranked sixth in the preseason NAIA Coaches' Top-15 poll, opens its 10th season of men's collegiate volleyball on Thursday afternoon.  The Gray Wolves will entertain NCAA Division II foe Queens (N.C.) in the season opener.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 10th season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 177-68 (.722) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He has earned six conference Coach of the Year honors during his first nine seasons at Lourdes, including the WHAC Coach of the Year in 2018.  He is the only head coach in program history.

Series Notes: Lourdes is meeting Queens (N.C.) on the volleyball court for the first time in program history.  In fact, it is the first meeting between the Gray Wolves and the Royals in any sport.

Wrapping Up 2020: The Gray Wolves finished the 2020 campaign with a 17-4 record overall, and a 5-1 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference before the season was abruptly ended due to COVID-19.  The Gray Wolves were in first place in the WHAC when the season came to a close.  

Scouting Queens (N.C.): The Royals split a pair of matches at home last weekend against Saint Francis (Pa.), defeating the Red Flash in five sets before falling in four stanzas.  Nic Cavallaro tallied 29 kills in the two contests, swinging at a .302 clip.  He also had five service aces.  Brandon Grabow handed out 40 assists while Guillermo Jordan leads the team with 15 digs.  At the net, JP Payne registered 12 blocks on the opening weekend, including five of the solo variety.

Lourdes in Season Openers: The Gray Wolves are 7-2 all-time in their season openers and have won two straight.  Lourdes opened the 2020 season with a 3-1 victory over Judson as part of the Phoenix Classic hosted by Cumberland (Tenn.).  Lourdes is 2-2 in season openers at home, most recently falling in four sets to Culver-Stockton to begin the 2018 campaign.

Gray Wolves in Home Openers: Lourdes is 7-2 in home openers during the first nine seasons of the program's existence.  Last year the Gray Wolves began the home slate with a three-set sweep of Lawrence Tech in a match that also served as the team's WHAC opener.

All-Americans Return: Lourdes had three players earn All-America accolades last season, two of whom return this year.  Jeff Lam was a Second Team NAIA All-American in 2020 after earning First Team honors in 2019.  In addition Henrique Gehrke was an Honorable Mention All-America selection last year after earning First Team honors in 2019.  The only departing All-American from last year's squad was Evan Gebert, who was an Honorable Mention honoree.

More Award Winners: Lourdes had three players earn First Team All-WHAC accolades last season.  Ricardo Gehrke and Jeff Lam both return this year while Evan Gebert also earned the honor.  In addition, Harrison McBean and Sawyer Schafer were both voted to the WHAC All-Freshman Team.

Record Setter Returns: Henrique Gehrke returns for his fourth season at Lourdes already holding the school's career assist record with 2,376.  Gehrke has 94 more than current assistant coach Ryan Ferkel (2014-2017), who is second on the list.  

Nearing the School Record: Jeff Lam enters the season second in program history with 76 service aces.  He is just 11 aces shy of the school record holder, Evan Gebert (2017-2020), who tallied 87 during his four years at Lourdes.

Record Watch: Jeff Lam and Ricardo Gehrke rank fourth and fifth respectively in career kills.  Lam enters the year with 746, seven shy of Nick DiMarco's (2012-2013) third place total of 753 while Gehrke is one spot behind Lam in the list with 684 career kills.  Henrique Gehrke begins the year ranked sixth all-time at Lourdes with 471 career digs, 91 behind fifth place Matheus Andrade (2018-2019).

Welcome Back Ian: Ian Fields rejoins the Lourdes volleyball program for his fifth collegiate season after two years away.  Fields played for the Gray Wolves in 2017 and 2018, amassing 895 assists, fifth most in program history.  He transferred to Ottawa (Ariz.) for the last two years before returning to Lourdes as a grad student for this season.

New Faces: Lourdes has added three new players to its roster for the upcoming season.  Ben Mormile is the lone freshman on the squad.  Bryant Herrera arrives at Lourdes as a sophomore from Webber International while Zach Haube has been away from the game since 2016 when he played at Siena Heights.  In addition, Tios Perdikis will look for his first collegiate action after sitting out the 2020 campaign while with the Gray Wolves.

An Expanded WHAC: The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference has added a pair of new teams for the upcoming 2021 men's volleyball season.  Cornerstone has added the sport for the first time while affiliate member Mount Vernon Nazarene has also joined the league.  The WHAC has eight members for the upcoming campaign.

This and That: Lourdes has posted winning records in all nine previous seasons, recording at least 15 victories per year ... the Gray Wolves are 37-6 all-time at home inside the Ebeid Rec Center ... Lourdes had its first three matches of the season cancelled due to COVID-19.