Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action begins for Lourdes University this Friday as the Gray Wolves travel to Grand Rapids, Mich. for a battle with Cornerstone.  Lourdes will play six of its next eight matches away from home.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 11th season on the Lourdes bench, Greg Reitz has a 198-134 (.596) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his 11th season overall as a women's head coach, Reitz has a 218-169 (.563) 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: Cornerstone leads the all-time series against Lourdes 11-7 dating back to Oct. 8, 2011.  The Golden Eagles have won the last three meetings between the two schools after sweeping last season's contests, both in four sets.  Cornerstone has won all six previous meetings between the two schools inside of Mol Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes pushed Saint Xavier to five sets in the season opener on Saturday (Jan. 23), but the Cougars prevailed 25-12, 23-25, 25-20, 16-25, 15-12 inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  McKenna Hall and Kortney Ellison each tallied 10 kills to pace the Gray Wolves offensively while Alli Plasencio tallied 16 digs on the defensive end.  

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles have opened their season with four consecutive 3-0 sweeps after downing Trinity Christian on the road Tuesday evening.  Bailey Cummings leads Cornerstone with 36 kills and is hitting .245 while Brooke Nicholson is swinging at a .385 clip.  Kayla Clark has handed out 121 assists in the four matches while Cummings and Rylie Walters have registered eight service aces each.  Defensively, Patsy Morris has recorded 63 digs while Alexis Angus has registered 11 blocks, including six of the solo variety.

Gray Wolves in WHAC Openers: Lourdes is 4-5 all-time in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference openers.  The Gray Wolves opened league play in 2019 with a five-set loss at Indiana Tech.  Lourdes is 1-5 in WHAC openers when beginning conference action on the road.  The Gray Wolves last began league play away from home in 2017, a 3-0 setback at Siena Heights.

Lourdes on the Road: Lourdes is 66-49 all-time in true road games over the first 10 years of the program's history.  The Gray Wolves went 7-6 in true road matches in 2019 and have finished the year with a winning record away from home every season beginning in 2014.  

Newcomers Make an Impact: All four newcomers to the roster saw action in the season opener and make significant contributions.  McKenna Hall, a transfer from Indiana State, and freshman Kortney Ellison led the team with 10 kills each. Hall also added two digs.  Quinn Yondo tallied 11 digs defensively while Kaitlyn Rhoades started and had two digs.

In the Record Books: Alli Plasencio enters the week ranked sixth in program history with 709 career digs.  She is just one dig behind Jordan Kerr (2010-2011) for fifth all-time and 14 in back of Hannah Thompson (2010-2011) for fourth on the all-time charts.  Yasmin Assis ranks 10th in Gray Wolf history with 422 career assists.  She trails Sarah Wisser (2016-2019) by 48 for ninth on the all-time charts.  

Nearing 200: Lourdes is just two victories shy of 200 in the program's history.  Head coach Greg Reitz has been a part of all 198 wins today for the Gray Wolves.  Lourdes enters the weekend with a 198-133 all-time record.

A Big Block: Michaela Eisenhauer was involved in four of Lourdes' five blocks in the season opener against Saint Xavier, including registering one solo rejection.  She now has 45 career blocks, second most of any Gray Wolf on the roster, trailing only Cammy Smith's 50 rejections.

Serving Up Aces: Lourdes registered nine service aces in the season opener, with five different Gray Wolves recording at least one.  The 1.80 aces per set currently ranks 43rd among all NAIA programs.  The Gray Wolves are on pace with last season, when Lourdes tallied 1.85 aces per stanza.

Lourdes Picked Sixth in WHAC Preseason Poll: Lourdes was projected to finish in sixth place in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference this season in a preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches last fall.  Madonna was picked to win the regular title with Aquinas tabbed runner-up.

A Different Look This Season: Due to COVID-19, only four schools in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference played league matches during the fall.  Indiana Tech, Concordia (Mich.), Lawrence Tech, and Rochester (Mich.) each have either four or five WHAC contests under their belt while the remaining schools will join the four in competition this spring.  The WHAC tournament and NAIA National Championships will also take place this spring.
 
This and That: Lourdes dropped its season opener in five sets after going the distance six times (3-3) in 2019 ... Lourdes will not return home until Feb. 16 when Madonna visits Sylvania ... the Gray Wolves have won five straight matches against WHAC opponents on the road dating back to last season.