Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes begins its 14th season of intercollegiate volleyball this week with a pair of non-conference matches.  The Gray Wolves will travel to Spring Arbor on Wednesday for the season opener before returning home to the Ebeid Rec Center on Saturday afternoon to entertain Saint Xavier.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 14th season on the Lourdes bench, Greg Reitz has a 228-181 (.557) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his 16th season overall as a women's head coach, Reitz has a 248-216 (.534) 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 leads the all-time series with Spring Arbor 5-0 dating back to Oct. 3, 2012.  The Gray Wolves and Cougars have not met since Sept. 5, 2015 when Lourdes scored a 3-0 win over Spring Arbor at Tam-o-Shanter.  The Gray Wolves are 2-0 all-time against the Cougars in Spring Arbor, Mich.  Saint Xavier holds a 5-2 edge against Lourdes in a series that began Sept. 21, 2013.  The Cougars have won four straight meetings against the Gray Wolves following a straight sets victory in the Ebeid Rec Center Aug. 27, 2022.  Saint Xavier is 3-0 against Lourdes inside the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wrapping Up 2022: Lourdes finished the 2022 season with a 13-17 record overall and 9-11 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.  The Gray Wolves finished sixth in the regular season standings before falling in five sets at Indiana Tech in the WHAC tournament quarterfinals.

Scouting Spring Arbor: The Cougars enter the match following a Saturday split at the Big Dogs Classic hosted by Saint Francis (Ill.) in which Spring Arbor fell to 15th-ranked Montana Tech in straight sets before rebounding with a four-set triumph over the host Fighting Saints.  Kendall Bollenbacher leads the team this season with 104 kills while Keely Hinzman is hitting .307.  Hayden Fortress has handed out 164 assists while Frances Churchwell has 12 service aces.  Defensively, Churchwell leads Spring Arbor with 146 digs while Hinzman has been involved in 32 blocks, including 13 of the solo variety through eight matches.  

Scouting Saint Xavier: The Cougars are still looking for their first win in 2023 after falling in four sets to Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday.  Saint Xavier travels to Cornerstone on Tuesday and hosts Indiana-South Bend on Thursday before visiting Lourdes.  Abby Gentile has put down 35 kills and is hitting a team-high .184 for the Cougars while Abbey Opilka has handed out 69 assists.  Kaleigh Ritter had four aces.  On defense, Ritter leads the team with 54 digs while Courtney Hunter has 10 blocks, including three solos.

Lourdes in Season Openers: Lourdes is 7-6 all-time in season-opening matches.  The Gray Wolves snapped a three-match losing skid in openers last season with a straight sets triumph at home against Bluefield.  Lourdes is 2-3 all-time in openers on the road, with the last win coming at Marygrove Aug. 24, 2011.  The Gray Wolves last opened a season with a true road match in 2021, falling in straight sets at Saint Xavier.

Gray Wolves in Home Openers: Lourdes is 11-2 all-time in home openers, including 6-1 inside the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center. The Gray Wolves have won two straight home openers after defeating Bluefield in straight sets to begin the 2022 season in the Ebeid Rec Center.

Returning 2022 Award Winners: McKenna Hall earned Second Team All Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference honors for the second straight time last season.  Hall had a team-leading 2.86 kills per set (280 total) and hit .178 while also adding 2.95 digs per set (289 total).  Jolie Sobb was named to the WHAC All-Newcomer Team after posting 2.11 kills per set (137 total) while adding 2.77 digs per set (180 total).

Looking to Move Into Second All-Time: Katey Stakolich enters the season ranked third in program history with 1,383 career assists.  She needs just 68 more to match Hannah Thompson's total of 1,451 for second place all-time at Lourdes.

McBride in the Record Books: Kylee McBride enters her fifth season with the Gray Wolves ranked eighth in program history with 593 total kills.  She needs just five more to match Katie McKenty's (2012-2014) seventh place total of 623 kills.  In addition, McBride is sixth all-time with 2,012 career attempts.  She also ranks ninth in program history playing in 244 career sets.

Hall Also on the All-Time Charts: McKenna Hall is just behind Kylee McBride in ninth place on the all-time kills list with 576 entering her fourth season.  Hall is also ninth all-time with 1,917 career attempts and ranks ninth with 576 career digs.  Her 90 blocks are 10th most in program history.

This and That: The Gray Wolves enter the season 228-181 all-time in program history ... Lourdes is 54-30 all-time inside the Ebeid Rec Center ... the Gray Wolves have six newcomers on the roster in 2023 to go along with 15 returnees.