Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes is set for a busy week on the court with four matches on the slate.  The Gray Wolves host Lawrence Tech on Tuesday for the home and WHAC opener before traveling to Midway on Friday night.  Saturday, Lourdes faces eighth-ranked Menlo in a neutral site match before playing sixth-ranked Georgetown (Ky.) on its home floor.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 12th season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 208-79 (.725) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He has earned six conference Coach of the Year honors during his first 11 seasons at Lourdes, including the WHAC Coach of the Year honors in 2019.  He is the only head coach in program history.

Series Notes: Lourdes is 15-0 all-time against Lawrence Tech dating back to Jan. 20, 2016.  The Gray Wolves have swept the last five meetings between the two schools, including both last season.  Lourdes is 6-0 against the Blue Devils in the Ebeid Rec Center.  The Gray Wolves will meet Midway on the volleyball court for the first time Friday.  Lourdes won the only previous meeting against Menlo, a four-set decision, on a neutral floor in Elgin, Ill. on Jan. 26, 2018.  The Gray Wolves also won their only previous contest against Georgetown (Ky.), defeating the Tigers in five sets in the Ebeid Rec Center on Feb. 18, 2022.

Wrapping Up Last Week: The Gray Wolves opened the season Thursday falling in four sets to top-ranked Grand View 25-27, 25-12, 25-20, 25-17.  Eduardo Ayala led Lourdes with 12 kills while Sawyer Schafer recorded 13 digs.  On Friday, Lourdes downed fifth-ranked William Penn 25-22, 25-23, 26-24.  Ayala had 13 kills while Reshawn Allen hit .786 with 11 kills.  Defensively, Schafer tallied 10 digs for the Gray Wolves.

Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils opened the season with back-to-back victories over Bethel (Ind.) and Goshen last weekend.  Jeffry Fuhrmann led Lawrence Tech with 42 kills while Akram Askoul hit .323.  Simon Phillip handed out 86 assists and Matheus Andrade recorded four service aces.  Gustavo Heidrich led the Blue Devil defense with 27 digs while Askoul was involved in 10 blocks on opening weekend.

Scouting Midway: The Eagles have opened the season with three consecutive sweeps, including a 3-0 triumph at Milligan on Sunday.  Joey Boujaoude leads the way with 25 kills while Jai'Den Chinnis hit .586 in the three matches.  Daniel Cogo has handed out 78 assists while Jonathan McGuyer registered eight service aces.  Defensively, Cogo has a team-high 17 digs while Chinnis posted seven blocks.

Scouting Menlo: The Oaks recorded a pair of 3-0 sweeps to begin the season, downing Simpson and UC-Merced on Saturday.  Menlo faces Georgetown (Ky.) on Friday before battling Lourdes.  Edin Ibrahimovic put down a team-high 25 kills while Konrad Stoklosinski has hit .375 this year.  Lucas Larson handed out 58 assists while Ibrahimovic and Stoklosinski each notched four service aces.  On defense, Larson has a team-high 12 digs while Chase Direito and Gabriel Knittel have both been in on four blocks each.

Scouting Georgetown (Ky.): The Tigers have swept three matches to begin the year, including a win over Warner on Saturday.  Georgetown travels to Cumberland (Tenn.) on Wednesday and hosts Menlo on Friday before facing Lourdes.  Liam Morrissey leads the team with 17 kills while Tyler Chavez is hitting .636.  Finn Heinemann has handed out 49 assists while registering a team-high four aces.  On defense, CJ Bride has tallied 16 digs while Tyree Wesley has been involved in 10 blocks, including four of the solo variety.

Gray Wolves in Home Openers: Lourdes is 9-2 in home openers during the first 11 seasons of the program's existence.  Last year the Gray Wolves began the home slate with a three-set win over Cornerstone for the team's fourth straight home-opening win.

Beginning WHAC Play: The Gray Wolves are 3-0 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference openers after downing Mount Vernon Nazarene in straight sets to begin league play in 2022.   

Facing Ranked Opponents: Battling NAIA ranked opponents is becoming common place for the Gray Wolves as Lourdes opens the year with four ranked opponents in its first six matches.  All-time, Lourdes is 40-60 against ranked teams.  The Gray Wolves went 2-4 against the NAIA top-15 in 2022 and is already 1-1 this season.

Moving Up the Career Charts: Just two matches into his second season at Lourdes, Eduardo Ayala has already moved into seventh place on the career service aces list with 47.  Ayala is just one ace shy of Nick DiMarco (2012-2023) for sixth on the all-time charts and needs just three aces to move into the top-five all-time in a Gray Wolf uniform.

This and That: Lourdes has posted winning records in all 11 previous seasons, recording at least 15 victories per year ... Reshawn Allen hit .643 with 19 kills and just one error over his first collegiate weekend ... eight players made their Gray Wolf debut during the first weekend of action ... Lourdes is 54-9 all-time inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.