Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Volleyball:  Heading into the penultimate week of Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play, Lourdes wraps up the home portion of the 2024 regular season schedule this weekend with a pair of matches.  The Gray Wolves will entertain Lawrence Tech on Friday evening before hosting Siena Heights Saturday night for Senior Night.

Head Coach Greg Reitz: In his 13th season both on the Lourdes bench, and overall coaching men's volleyball, Greg Reitz has a 240-93 (.721) 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 17-1 all-time advantage against Lawrence Tech in a series that dates back to Jan. 20, 2016.  The Blue Devils won this season's first match on the court in five sets on Feb. 16, but the result was later reversed as Lawrence Tech had to forfeit the match.  Lourdes holds a 7-0 series edge inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  The Gray Wolves are 30-2 all-time against Siena Heights in a series that began Feb. 14, 2012.  Lourdes has won four straight meetings against the Saints after a four-set win against the Saints on Feb. 17 in Adrian, Mich.  The Gray Wolves are 6-1 all-time against Siena Heights inside the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes had its 12-match winning streak snapped on Tuesday evening as the Gray Wolves dropped a 19-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-17, 15-7 decision to 10th-ranked Saint Xavier at home.  Eduardo Ayala led Lourdes with 17 kills while Brayden Moyars had 12 digs.  The Gray Wolves cruised to a 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 victory over Aquinas on Friday night.  Ayala hit .760 with 20 kills while Moyars picked up 13 digs.  Lourdes wrapped up the week on Saturday with a 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 triumph at home against Cornerstone.  Vinicius Lopes led the Gray Wolves with 12 kills while Moyars had a team-high five digs.

Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils have won back-to-back matches after sweeping Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 25-13, 25-19, 25-17 last Saturday at home.  Brendon Down leads Lawrence Tech with 244 kills and 34 service aces this season while Akram Askoul is hitting .313.  Nathaniel Brownlee has handed out 695 assists while running the offense.  Defensively, Matheus Andrade has picked up a team-high 119 digs while Askoul has a team-leading 73 blocks, including 22 of the solo variety.

Scouting Siena Heights: The Saints have been idle since coming off a five-set victory over Aquinas on March 26.  Siena Heights travels to Indiana Tech on Friday night before visiting Lourdes.  Daniel Rua leads the team with 205 kills this season while Rasi Bailey is hitting a team-leading .280.  Zak  Tucker has run the offense, dishing out 721 assists while also registering 48 service aces.  Defensively, Jacob Kisner has picked up 188 digs while Bailey has a team-leading 63 blocks.

Thanks Seniors: Lourdes will honor the three members of the 2024 senior class prior to Saturday night's match with Siena Heights.  Tomas Olak, Sawyer Schafer, and Eduardo Ayala will all be recognized for their contributions to the program.

Another Honor for Ayala: Eduardo Ayala garnered WHAC Attacker of the Week accolades for the third time this season.  Ayala put down 45 kills in the three matches last week while hitting .341 individually.  He also added nine digs and four blocks.  Ayala set the school's single match hitting percentage record on Friday against Aquinas, putting down 20 kills on just 25 swings for a .760 clip.

Looking for a WHAC Title: With just four league matches remaining in the regular season, Lourdes is on the verge of capturing its third WHAC regular season crown.  The Gray Wolves enter the weekend with a three-match lead in the loss column over both Cornerstone and Indiana Tech and will clinch the title outright with a pair of victories this weekend.  The regular season champion will also play host to the WHAC tournament semifinals and championship which will take place April 19-20.

Still in the Rankings: For the third straight time, Lourdes is ranked 13th in the latest  NAIA top-15 coaches' poll.  The final poll of the season will coming out on April 17.

Nearing 1,000:  Eduardo Ayala enters the week on the verge of becoming just the fourth Gray Wolf in program history to reach 1,000 kills for his career.  The senior has 970 over his three seasons at Lourdes, needing just 30 to reach the plateau.  In addition, Ayala needs just 32 kills to match Frank Craig (2012-2015) for third on the all-time list.

Record Win Streak: Lourdes matched its program record with 12 straight victories from Feb. 13 through March 23 before having the streak snapped with Tuesday's loss to Saint Xavier.  The streak matched the record which was previously set from March 4 through April 20 of 2016.

This and That: Lourdes has posted winning records in all 12 previous seasons, recording at least 15 victories per year ... the Gray Wolves were awarded a forfeit victory against Lawrence Tech on Feb. 16 for the Blue Devils' use of an ineligible player ... Vinicius Lopes is the only Lourdes player to appear in all 77 sets this season.