Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball:  Tuesday evening will be a battle for first place in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference as the 13th-ranked Gray Wolves host 15th-ranked Indiana Tech.  Lourdes then heads to the Hoosier State to face Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for a pair of contests, facing the Pomeroys on both Friday and Saturday.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 13th season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 234-93 (.716) 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: Indiana Tech holds a 5-4 advantage against Lourdes in a series that began Jan. 25, 2020.  The Warriors won two of the three meetings between the two schools last season.  The Gray Wolves won in five sets in Fort Wayne, Ind. before Indiana Tech returned the favor the following night during the regular season.  The Warriors then posted a four-set triumph in the WHAC tournament championship match.  The series is tied 2-2 inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  Lourdes is 2-0 all-time against Saint Mary-of-the Woods in a series that began March 3, 2024.  The Gray Wolves swept the Pomeroys twice inside the Ebeid Rec Center last season and will make their first appearance in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. this week.

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.  On Friday, Ayala put down 19 kills and Lopes added 16 more as the Gray Wolves notched a 25-21, 24-26, 21-25, 25-16, 15-6 victory at home against Goshen.  Moyars picked up 14 digs while Bianco handed out 56 assists.

Scouting Indiana Tech: The Warriors had their 10-match winning streak snapped on Friday evening, dropping a four-set match at 11th-ranked Saint Xavier.  Daynte Stewart leads Indiana Tech with 168 kills this season while Mason Milan is hitting .302.  Clayton Wheatley has registered 19 service aces for the Warriors while Brandon Jones has handed out 347 assists.  Defensively, Alex Rosenow has picked up 111 digs while Raekwon Rogers has a team-high 52 blocks, including 23 of the solo variety.

Scouting Saint Mary-of-the-Woods: The Pomeroys have dropped two consecutive matches after falling twice last weekend to Mount Vernon Nazarene at home.  Marko Zolnjan leads Saint Mary-of-the-Woods with 185 kills and 31 service aces this season while Yammiel Martinez is hitting a team-best .315.  Connor Orrock has handed out 249 assists.  Defensively, Brycen Yadao has picked up 140 digs while Martinez has 51 blocks, including 19 solos.

More WHAC Honors for Bianco and Ayala: Joey Bianco was named the WHAC Setter of the Week and Eduardo Ayala garnered WHAC Attacker of the Week accolades for the second time in three weeks.  Bianco ran a Lourdes offense that hit .326 while handing out 96 assists in wins over Mount Vernon Nazarene and Goshen.  Ayala put down 36 kills in the two matches while hitting .316 individually.

Swinging Efficiently: The Lourdes offense has been clicking during its seven-match winning streak.  The Gray Wolves have hit better than .300 in six of the seven wins and are swinging at a .341 clip as a team during the stretch.

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.

Another Ranked Opponent:  When Lourdes faces Indiana Tech on Tuesday, half of the Gray Wolves' 16 matches this season will 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 versus ranked foes on the year.

On the Career Charts: Eduardo Ayala has moved into fourth in program history with 882 kills since arriving at Lourdes prior to the 2022 season.  He is also third with 77 career service aces.  Sawyer Schafer is fifth all-time with 948 career assists and is sixth with 53 aces.  His 494 career digs also rank ninth in program history.  Joey Bianco has moved into sixth in program history with 910 assists in his two years at Lourdes.

Mixing up the Lineups: Only Vinicius Lopes has appeared in all 56 sets for the Gray Wolves through the first 15 matches of the year.  No other Gray Wolves have appeared in more than 53 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 ... the Gray Wolves have won three of their last four five-set matches ... Brayden Moyars has picked up 122 digs this year while Reshawn Allen and Ben Palma have 39 and 38 blocks respectively.