Fifth-ranked Lourdes dialed up 10 service aces and registered 11 blocks on Thursday evening as the Gray Wolves swept Mount Vernon Nazarene 25-19, 25-11, 25-21 in the season opener inside of Ariel Arena in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
 
Sawyer Schafer (Monroeville, Ohio/Monroeville H.S.), making his first career start at setter, dished out 31 assists and directed an offense that hit .225 for the match.  Eduardo Ayala (Curitiba, Brazil/Colegio Dom Bosco), making his Gray Wolf debut, put down a match-high 15 kills while swinging at a .538 clip.  Ayala also tallied four aces at the service line.
 
"This was a good start for us," head coach Greg Reitz said after the victory.  "We were able to get the win and also identify some things that we need to focus on for continued improvement."
 
Five straight points early in the opening set put Lourdes in front 6-2, a lead the Gray Wolves would not relinquish the remainder of the stanza.  Another 8-3 run later pushed the advantage to 17-10 on the way to the win.
 
Lourdes limited the Cougars to -.182 hitting in the second, as Mount Vernon Nazarene registered just four kills while committing 10 attack errors.  Trailing 8-7, the Gray Wolves scored the next six points on the way to ending the set on an 18-3 run to build a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Mount Vernon Nazarene looked to extend the match in the third, jumping out to a quick 8-2 lead before the Gray Wolves recovered.  A 6-1 run pulled Lourdes to within one, 13-12, but the Cougars would maintain the lead late into the set.  Trailing 18-17, the Gray Wolves scored four straight points to take their first lead of the frame, beginning a 6-1 run that allowed the visitors to complete the sweep.
 
Jeff Lam (Richmond, B.C./Hugh McRoberts H.S.) added eight kills for the Gray Wolves offensively while Guga Heidrich (Braco do Norte, Brazil/Colegio Unificado) led the defense with 10 digs.  Harrison McBean (Melbourne, Australia/Northern College of the Arts) was in on four blocks.
 
Spencer Stanley led Mount Vernon Nazarene (0-3, 0-1) with nine kills while adding six digs.  The Cougars finished the night hitting -.041.
 
Lourdes (1-0, 1-0) will open the home portion of its schedule on Saturday evening as the Gray Wolves host Lawrence Tech.  First serve is set for 7 p.m. inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
"We are looking forward to a chance to compete at home on Saturday," Reitz concluded.