Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: The second round of Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play begins this week as Lourdes plays three matches.  The Gray Wolves head to Concordia (Mich.) on Wednesday evening before playing host to Aquinas and Cornerstone on Friday and Saturday respectively.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 13th season on the Lourdes bench, Greg Reitz has a 222-176 (.558) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his 15th season overall as a women's head coach, Reitz has a 242-212 (.533) 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: Lourdes holds an 18-5 all-time advantage against Concordia (Mich.) in a series that began Aug. 20, 2010.  The Gray Wolves snapped a four-match series losing skid to the Cardinals earlier this season on Sept. 7 with a straight sets victory inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  Lourdes is 8-3 against Concordia in Ann Arbor, Mich.  Aquinas is 14-9 all-time against Lourdes in a series that dates back to Oct. 7, 2011.  The Saints won this year's first meeting on Sept. 17 in five sets in Grand Rapids, Mich. for their fifth straight win in the series.  The Gray Wolves are 4-3 against the Saints inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  Cornerstone leads the all-time series against Lourdes 16-8 dating back to Oct. 8, 2011.  The Golden Eagles swept the Gray Wolves in Grand Rapids on Sept. 16 for their third straight win in the series.  Lourdes is 4-3 against Cornerstone all-time inside the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes fell in a neutral site match against Trinity International 25-16, 25-17, 25-8 on Saturday.  The Gray Wolves managed just 13 kills and hit -.074 for the match.  Alli Plasencio led the defense with 10 digs in the loss.  The Gray Wolves then dropped a 25-16, 25-17, 25-21 decision to host Mount Vernon Nazarene in the second match of the day.  Abby Gentile and Macey Zinser had eight kills each while Plasencio tallied 18 digs.

Scouting Concordia (Mich.): The Cardinals had their three-match win streak snapped on Saturday with a four-set setback to Saint Francis (Ill.).  Claudia Grepke leads Concordia with 232 kills and is hitting .247 while Abigail Austin has a team-high 378 assists.  Madeline Vnuk has recorded 28 service aces.  Defensively, McKenzie Peters has registered 305 digs while Jessalyn Peavyhouse has recorded 49 blocks.

Scouting Aquinas: The Saints have won two straight matches after downing Lawrence Tech in five sets last Wednesday (Oct. 5).  Abbi Perkins has a team-high 223 kills while Brooke Nicholson is hitting .239.  Cassie Sustrich has handed out 668 assists on the year while Jennifer Johnson paces Aquinas with 41 service aces.  Defensively, Johnson has a team-high 233 digs while Nicholson has been involved in 110 blocks.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles enter the week having won 19 straight matches after defeating Michigan-Dearborn in straight sets last Wednesday (Oct. 5).  Cornerstone hosts Lawrence Tech and travels to Siena Heights prior to facing Lourdes.  Olivia Keelean leads Cornerstone with 233 kills while Kaylee Dykema is hitting .261.  Aubrey Lenz has handed out 880 assists and leads the Golden Eagles with 41 aces.  On defense, Patsy Morris has registered 469 digs while Dykema has 82 blocks, including 17 of the solo variety.

A Bunched WHAC Standings: At the midway point of the WHAC season, just one match separates fifth place from 10th place in the standings.  The Gray Wolves are 3-7 and tied for eighth, but will face two teams, Concordia and Aquinas, just one match ahead of them in the standings as soon as league play resumes next week.

Facing Ranked Foes: Lourdes is 16-37 all-time against NAIA top-25 opponents after falling to #23 Cornerstone earlier this season.  The Gray Wolves last downed a top-25 foe on Feb. 24, 2021, defeating 19th-ranked Madonna in five sets.

Keeping the Streak Alive: Alli Plasencio has tallied double figure dig totals in all 19 matches thus far this season, averaging 5.04 digs per set, third most in the WHAC this year.  The fifth-year senior has tallied 10 or more digs in 40 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Plasencio All Over the Record Books: Alli Plasencio has moved into second place all-time in program history with 1,892 career digs.  She trails school record-holder Michi Jimenez's (2012-2015) 2,143 digs by 251.  Plasencio also ranks second all-time with 111 service aces, trailing just Lexie Curtis' (2013-2016) 164 on the chart.  Plasencio ranks third in school history having appeared in 444 sets all-time, 16 behind Stef Comte's (2013-2016) second place total.  Plasencio is also third having played in 123 career matches, nine appearances shy of Jimenez for second all-time in a Lourdes uniform.

Also in the Record Books: Kylee McBride has moved into eighth all-time at Lourdes with 584 career kills.  She needs 14 more to move into seventh place and match Katie McKenty's (2012-2014) total.  Cammy Smith has climbed into fourth place on the blocks list with 154, trailing Ave Stout (2015-2016) by 40 for third place.  Katey Stakolich is fifth in school history with 993 career assists, needing 127 more to match Lexie Curtis (2013-2016) for fourth place.

This and That: Lourdes has 105 service aces against just 92 service errors on the year ... Alli Plasencio is the lone Gray Wolf to appear in all 63 sets this season with no other player appearing in more than 56 ... Lourdes has more aces (111) than service errors (101).