Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball: Lourdes opens Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play this week with three road matches.  The Gray Wolves head to Goshen on Tuesday before traveling to Lawrence Tech on Friday night.  The road stretch comes to an end on Saturday afternoon with a trip to Siena Heights.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 13th season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 226-92 (.711) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  He has earned six conference Coach of the Year honors during his first 12 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 leads the all-time series against Goshen 9-1 dating back to Jan. 22, 2019.  The Gray Wolves have won the last seven meetings against the Maple Leafs after winning in four sets at Goshen last season and posting a sweep inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  Lourdes is 4-0 against the Maple Leafs in Goshen, Ind.  The Gray Wolves are 16-1 all-time against Lawrence Tech in a series that began Jan. 20, 2016.  The two schools split last year's meetings, each winning on their own home floor.  Lourdes won in five sets in the Ebeid Rec Center and the Blue Devils won 3-1 in Southfield, Mich. where the Gray Wolves hold a 6-1 all-time edge.  Lourdes is 29-2 against Siena Heights in a series that began Feb. 14, 2012.  The Gray Wolves have won three straight matches against the Saints after sweeping both of last year's meetings.  Lourdes is 12-1 against Siena Heights in Adrian, Mich.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes opened the Gray Wolf Invitational on Thursday night dropping a five-set decision 24-26, 25-12, 20-25, 25-20, 15-11 to #8 Menlo.  Vinicius Lopes led Lourdes with 15 kills and hit .464 in the loss.  On Friday, ninth-ranked William Penn swept the Gray Wolves 25-17, 25-21, 25-15.  Eduardo Ayala led Lourdes with 14 kills.  The weekend wrapped upon Saturday with a 25-21, 25-19, 28-26 setback to #11 Georgetown (Ky.).  Ayala had a match-high 22 kills and hit .417 in the loss.

Scouting Goshen: The Maple Leafs are coming off a four-set victory over Olivet Nazarene on Saturday 25-22, 14-25, 25-17, 25-17.  Hasan Hadzic leads Goshen with 95 kills while hitting .275 and tallying 23 service aces.  Avery Laforce has handed out 126 assists.  Defensively, Pablo Sanchez has picked up a team-high 43 digs while Ian Fox has registered 15 blocks.

Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils have won three consecutive matches after defeating Rio Grande in straight sets 28-26, 25-17, 25-2 and Calumet in four sets 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21 on Saturday.  Mario Cid leads Lawrence Tech with 43 kills this season and is hitting .395.  Nathaniel Brownlee has handed out 81 assists while sharing the team-lead with Gustavo Heidrich with five service aces each.  Heidrich leads the Blue Devils with 36 digs while Connor Cooper has recorded 16 blocks.

Scouting Siena Heights: The Saints had their three-match winning streak snapped on Saturday falling in five sets to Mount Vernon Nazarene 24-26, 21-25, 27-25, 25-14, 25-11.  Siena Heights will host Adrian on Tuesday and Indiana Tech on Friday before battling the Gray Wolves.  Daniel Rua has put down a team-high 64 kills this season and is hitting .264.  Zak Tucker has handed out 180 assists while four different Saints have five service aces each.  On defense, Jacob Kisner has picked up 57 digs while Jakob Pickett and Rasi Bailey each have 18 blocks.

Beginning WHAC Play: The Gray Wolves have never lost a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference opener since the league began sponsoring the sport in the 2019 season.  The Gray Wolves improved to 5-0 in conference openers last season with a five-set victory over Lawrence Tech at home.  It was the first time Lourdes played a WHAC opener that did not result in a sweep.

Ayala Off to Strong Start: Eduardo Ayala has put down a team-leading 83 kills already this season, averaging 4.37 kills per set.  He is hitting .281 on the year and also is third on the squad with 29 digs.  Ayala had at least 14 kills in each of the three matches last weekend, hitting .400 in two of the contests.

Quite a Schedule: Lourdes opened the season with six straight opponents that were ranked 13th or higher in the NAIA top-15 poll at the time of the match.  The Gray Wolves are currently ranked 14th in the latest poll, with the next ranking coming out on Feb. 21.

On the Career Charts: Eduardo Ayala currently ranks sixth in program history with 732 kills since arriving at Lourdes prior to the 2022 season.  He is also tied for third with Jo'Lon Clark (2014-2015) for third with 69 career service aces as well.  Sawyer Schafer is fifth all-time with 946 career assists and is seventh with 49 aces.  His 465 career digs also rank ninth in program history.

Preseason Poll: Lourdes was predicted to finish in second place in the WHAC according to preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Indiana Tech was picked to repeat as league champs while Mount Vernon Nazarene was tabbed third in the balloting.

This and That: Lourdes has posted winning records in all 12 previous seasons, recording at least 15 victories per year ... dating back to last season, seven consecutive losses mark the longest such streak in program history ... freshman Brayden Moyars has picked up a team-leading 38 digs this season ... Reshawn Allen has 11 blocks while Ben Palma has 10 rejections, including five of the solo variety.