Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball:  Lourdes returns to the Ebeid Rec Center for the first of two straight home matches on Friday evening as the Gray Wolves entertain Goshen.  The 13th-ranked Gray Wolves are looking to extend their six-match winning streak.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 13th season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 233-93 (.715) 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 10-1 all-time advantage against Goshen in a series that dates back to Jan. 22, 2019.  The Gray Wolves have won the last eight meetings against the Maple Leafs after a five-set (16-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-18, 15-10) victory in Goshen, Ind. on Feb. 13.  Lourdes is 5-1 all-time against Goshen inside the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes recorded a straight sets (25-20, 25-20, 25-18) victory on Tuesday evening at Mount Vernon Nazarene to wrap up a three-game road trip.  Eduardo Ayala led Lourdes with 17 kills while Vinicius Lopes added 10 kills and hit .400.  Joey Bianco dished out 40 assists while Lopes, Brayden Moyars, and Sawyer Schafer each had eight digs in the victory.

Scouting Goshen: The Maple Leafs had their three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night, dropping a 25-23, 25-20, 25-22 decision at home against Cornerstone.  Hasan Hadzic leads Goshen with 263 kills and 46 service aces while Bruno Barac is hitting a team-high .390.  Igor Sapucaia has handed out 331 assists.  Defensively, Barac has a team-high 103 digs while also recording 55 blocks, 10 of which have been of the solo variety.

Swinging Efficiently: The Lourdes offense has been clicking during its six-match winning streak.  The Gray Wolves have hit better than .300 in five of the six wins and are swinging at a .341 clip as a team during the stretch.  Eduardo Ayala is hitting .487 over the six matches while Reshawn Allen has posted a .407 hitting mark during the victories.

Nearly a Record-Setting Night: Lourdes hit .543 as a team on March 1 at Aquinas, the second best hitting mark in program history.  The Gray Wolves hit .565 on Feb. 5, 2015 at Trinity International to set the school mark.  The effort marked the fifth time ever that the Gray Wolves hit .500 or better in a contests.

Bianco and Ayala Earn WHAC Honors: Joey Bianco was named the WHAC Setter of the Week and Eduardo Ayala garnered WHAC Attacker of the Week accolades on March 4 following three victories Feb. 27-March 2.  Bianco ran an offense that hit .405 on the week and handed out 11.36 assists per set.  Ayala tallied 60 kills and hit .400 or higher in all three contests.

Ayala Sets School Mark: Eduardo Ayala set a new school record with 33 kills for the Gray Wolves in the victory at #13 Cornerstone on March 2.  He surpassed the previous mark of 32 set by Frank Craig on March 3, 2015 against Cardinal Stritch.

At the Net: Ben Palma has tallied 13 solo blocks among his 34 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 47 of the 51 sets this year.  He trails Reshawn Allen for the team's blocking lead by two.

Back in the Rankings: Lourdes has returned to the NAIA top-15 after falling out in the previous rankings.  The Gray Wolves are currently ranked 13th nationally with the next poll coming out on March 20.

Quite a Schedule: Half of the Gray Wolves' 14 matches this season have been against ranked opponents.  Lourdes picked up its first ranked victory of the year at #13 on March 2 and is now 1-6 on the year.

On the Career Charts: Eduardo Ayala has moved into fourth in program history with 863 kills since arriving at Lourdes prior to the 2022 season.  He is also third with 76 career service aces as well.  Sawyer Schafer is fifth all-time with 947 career assists and is sixth with 53 aces.  His 488 career digs also rank ninth in program history.

Mixing up the Lineups: Only Vinicius Lopes has appeared in all 51 sets for the Gray Wolves through the first 14 matches of the year.  No other Gray Wolves have appeared in more than 48 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 has won 15 of its last 17 sets.