Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball:  Lourdes returns to the court for three Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference matches this week before having days off for spring break.  The Gray Wolves host Mount Vernon Nazarene on Tuesday night before traveling to Grand Rapids, Mich. to visit Aquinas on Friday and Cornerstone on Saturday.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 13th season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 229-93 (.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 holds a 5-1 series advantage against Mount Vernon Nazarene dating back to Jan. 26, 2021.  The two schools split last season's contests, with each winning in four sets on their own home court.  Lourdes is 3-0 against the Cougars inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  The Gray Wolves lead the all-time series against Aquinas 8-4 going back to March 1, 2019.  Lourdes swept last season's meetings, winning both contests in five sets.  The Gray Wolves are 4-1 against the Saints in Grand Rapids, Mich.  Lourdes is 7-0 all-time against Cornerstone in a series that began Jan. 29, 2021.  The Gray Wolves were five-set winners in Grand Rapids last season and downed the Golden Eagles in four sets in the Ebeid Rec Center.  Lourdes is 3-0 against Cornerstone in Grand Rapids.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes picked up its first sweep of the season on  Tuesday, downing Bethel (Ind.) 25-22, 25-17, 25-20 at home.  Vinicius Lopes had 11 kills and hit .240 while Tomas Olak recorded a match-high eight digs for the Gray Wolves.

Scouting Mount Vernon Nazarene: The Cougars have won five straight matches after defeating Aquinas on the road in four sets on Saturday afternoon.  Spencer Stanley leads Mount Vernon Nazarene with 100 kills and 16 service aces while Landon Ewers is hitting a team-best .421.  Jaysen Matsumoto has handed out 256 assists.  Defensively, Stanley also leads the Cougars with 66 digs while Luke Funte has 41 blocks.

Scouting Aquinas: The Saints have dropped nine straight matches after losing at home in four sets to Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday afternoon.  Zachary Nosky has put down a team-high 68 kills this season while Chase Gil leads Aquinas hitting .170 on the year while also tallying a team-best eight service aces.  Leo-Paul Rousseau has handed out a team-leading 219 assists.  On defense, Andrew Jones has picked up 42 digs while Gil has a team-high 33 blocks, including eight of the solo variety.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles remained undefeated with a straight sets victory over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Saturday afternoon but travel to Bethel (Ind.) on Tuesday and host Indiana Tech on Friday before entertaining the Gray Wolves.  Ernest Broaster has put down a team-leading 120 kills and is hitting .372 this season while adding a team-best 19 service aces.  Patrick Voloch has handed out 290 assists.  Defensively, Kyi Jagorin has picked up 62 digs while Joshua Beaumont has 34 blocks.

Swinging Efficiently: Reshawn Allen hit .500 with seven kills last Tuesday against Bethel (Ind.), this sixth match this season that he has hit .400 or higher in.  Allen is hitting .398 on the season while averaging 1.68 kills per set.

At the Net: Ben Palma has tallied 11 solo blocks among his 22 total rejections this season.  The former Gray Wolf basketball player joined the team last year after having never played volleyball before.  Palma appeared in one match last season before having seen action in 33 of the 37 sets this year.  He trails Reshawn Allen for the team's blocking lead by one but all 23 of Allen's rejections have been assisted.

Quite a Schedule: Cornerstone will mark the seventh NAIA top-15 program that the Gray Wolves will have faced in their first 13 matches this season.  The Golden Eagles enter the match ranked 13th in the country.  Lourdes is still looking for its first win against a ranked foe this year.

On the Career Charts: Eduardo Ayala has moved into the top-five in program history with 786 kills since arriving at Lourdes prior to the 2022 season.  He is also third with 74 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.

Mixing up the Lineups: Only Vinicius Lopes has appeared in all 37 sets for the Gray Wolves through the first 10 matches of the year.  No other Gray Wolves have appeared in more than 34 this season.

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 ... Lourdes had just 29 service aces in its first nine matches this season before registering 11 against Bethel (Ind.).