FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State women’s basketball team will visit NCAA Division I Michigan State Sunday, Nov. 12, for a 2 p.m. (EST) exhibition game in MSU’s Breslin Center at East Lansing, Mich. The contest will be FSU’s first action of the 2006-07 campaign.

Game To Follow: The Michigan State men’s basketball team hosts The Citadel in regular-season action following the women’s basketball contest Sunday. Tipoff for the men’s game will be at 5 p.m. (EST).

The 2006-07 Ferris State women's basketball team travels to Michigan State for an exhibition contest Sunday (Nov. 12)

Media Coverage: There will be no radio or internet broadcast coverage available for Sunday’s contest. However, “Live Stats” via Gametracker is slated to be available for the game on MSU’s official athletics website at www.msuspartans.com.

About Ferris State: Ferris State University is a NCAA Division II school located in Big Rapids, Mich., with an enrollment of 12,578. The Bulldogs are a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Big Rapids is located in West Michigan approximately 60 miles north of Grand Rapids or 40 miles west of Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Ticket Info: Tickets for Sunday’s game will be available at the ticket office prior to game time. For more information, please contact the MSU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-STATE.

Official Opener: The Bulldogs will officially open the 2006-07 season by taking part in the Clarion (Pa.) Classic Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18, in Clarion, Pa. FSU squares off against West Virginia State in Friday’s (Nov. 17) tourney opener starting at 4 p.m. (EST). The consolation and championship games are Saturday (Nov. 18) at 4 and 6 p.m. (EST), respectively. Host Clarion and Georgian Court (N.J.) are also included in the field.

Last Season: Ferris State wrapped up its 2005-06 women's basketball season with an 18-10 overall record and made its seventh consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearance last campaign. FSU, which posted a third-place tying 12-6 mark in GLIAC North Division play a year ago, also registered its 10th consecutive season with 10 or more victories in 2005-06.

Two Years Ago: Ferris finished the 2004-05 season with an 11-17 overall record. FSU placed fourth in the GLIAC North Division with a 9-9 conference ledger and advanced to the league's postseason tournament for the sixth consecutive year. The Bulldogs also recorded their ninth-straight season with 10 or more victories.

Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk: Ninth-year FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently ranks as Ferris’ all-time winningest coach with a current 135-88 (.605) career record at Ferris State. A 1996 graduate of Western Michigan, she guided FSU to a 22-7 mark and the school's first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tourney appearance during the 1999-00 campaign. She spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Michigan College (1994-97) and one season at Indianapolis (1997-98).

The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State women’s basketball program, which is midst its 32nd season of varsity competition, has compiled a 388-413 (.484) all-time mark. The Bulldogs won their only GLIAC crown, advanced to their first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament and recorded the nation’s highest grade point average in 1999-2000. FSU, which also claimed GLIAC Tournament runner-up honors in 1999-00, has posted 10 or more victories 10 consecutive seasons to date.

Looking Back At 2003-04: The Bulldogs compiled a 21-10 overall record in 2003-04 and reached the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for only the second time in school history. FSU placed second (14-4) in the GLIAC North Division and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament Championship game during the 2003-04 campaign. The Bulldogs also recorded the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign three seasons ago.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2006-07 roster includes three seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. Six of the 13 players are guards while the remaining seven are frontcourt players. All 12 players on the roster hail from Michigan.

The Team Captains: Senior guards Erin Miller (Niles) and Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) along with junior forward/center Rachel Folcik (Powers/Carney-Nadeau) have been named the Bulldogs’ team captains for the 2006-07 campaign. Miller picked up first team All-GLIAC and Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region Second Team accolades last campaign. Reinhart was named to the All-GLIAC North Division Second Team for the second consecutive season. Folcik started 26 contests.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 53-22 (.707) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 43-19 (.694) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced the Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 campaign. FSU won its first 14 games in the facility.

On The Road: Ferris State is 172-128 (.573) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 99-86 (.535) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 58-46 (.558) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk, including a 42-30 (.583) record in GLIAC play.

Number One On The List: Ferris head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk became the school’s all-time victory leader with two wins in the Aquinas College Classic (Nov. 18-19) to open the 2005-06 season in Grand Rapids, Mich. Bloodworth-Fisk, who also ranks as FSU’s all-time winningest coach, surpassed Pat Dolan’s (1977-89) previous school-record total of 118 wins at FSU. Both of FSU’s two all-time NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances have came under Bloodworth-Fisk. She was honored as the GLIAC’s 2003-04 Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign.

Academic Success: The Bulldogs have ranked among the nation’s top academic programs seven consecutive seasons, according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll list. Ferris compiled a 3.350 grade point average in 2005-06 to place 20th overall in Division II. FSU had the nation’s highest gpa in 1999-00 and placed second in 2002-03.

The Coaching Staff: Head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk returns her top assistant coach for the fifth year in Justin Rees. Rees, who previously served for three seasons (1999-02) as an assistant coach at NCAA-II Teikyo Post (Conn.), played collegiate basketball at Barry (Fla.) from 1993-97. Tracey’s father, Rick Bloodworth, will be a volunteer assistant coach this campaign after previously serving as the head coach at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Live Internet Stats: “Live Stats” of all 2006-07 Ferris State home games will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit the site at www.ferris.edu/sports and click the “Live Stats” icon to access.

On The Internet: Ferris State University Athletics’ official web site can be found at www.ferris.edu/sports. The site features information on all of FSU’s varsity athletics programs including rosters, statistics, yearbooks and more.

GLIAC Preseason Poll: Ferris State was picked to finish second in the 2006-07 GLIAC Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll released by the league office Wednesday (Nov. 8). The Bulldogs totaled 29 points in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. A year ago, Ferris State took fourth place in the conference's preseason coaches poll with 23 points. Defending NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State was selected as the North Division favorite as the Lakers recorded 36 points along with six first-place votes. Ashland claimed the top spot in the South Division with 24 points and four first-place votes. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play, but were not allowed to vote for their own team.

A Coaching Family: FSU’s Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk is far from the only coach in her family. She previously spent three seasons as an assistant coach under her father, Rick Bloodworth, at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Mich. Her father is serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Ferris this season after a long stint as LMC’s head coach. In addition, her younger sister, Andrea Bloodworth, currently is embarking on her second year as an assistant women’s coach at NCAA-I Valparaiso (Ind.) after spending three years as the top assistant at GLIAC-member Gannon.

Moving Up A Notch: The Bulldogs are currently 2-1 overall under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk in regular-season games against NCAA Division I opponents after dropping a 95-67 decision at Western Illinois two years ago (11/24/04) in Macomb, Ill. FSU previously posted an 85-84 triumph at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) in 2002-03 (11/27) and also defeated Central Michigan 67-60 on the road in 1999-00 (12/29) under Bloodworth-Fisk.

The Last Exhibition: Ferris dropped a 96-45 decision to Notre Dame in an exhibition game last season (10/10/05) at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. The nationally-ranked Fighting Irish jumped out to a 41-24 halftime advantage and outscored the Bulldogs 55-21 in the final half. FSU scored the game's opening five points and remained within striking distance for most of the opening half before Notre Dame went on a 29-6 run to begin the final period. The Irish capitalized on 27 Bulldog personal fouls by sinking 27-of-36 (75.0%) free throw attempts in the win. Ferris was paced by Erin Miller's team-best 14 points. Audrey Thwing added 10 points as 13 different Bulldog players saw action in the outing.

In Exhibition Play: Prior to last year’s outing at Notre Dame, Ferris suffered an 81-72 setback to Central Michigan in its most recent prior exhibition game against NCAA-I competition during the 2004-05 campaign (10/11/04) in Mount Pleasant, Mich. FSU also suffered an 89-64 exhibition setback at NCAA-I Kent State (Ohio) during the 2001-02 campaign (11/16). Sunday’s contest at Michigan State is Ferris’ only scheduled exhibition game this season.

Home Opener: Ferris’ home opener at Jim Wink Arena is set for Saturday, Nov. 25, beginning at 6 p.m. (EST) versus Drury (Mo.) in Big Rapids, Mich. Drury reached the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional final before falling to Grand Valley State last season.

League Opener: Ferris State’s 2006-07 GLIAC opener is set for Thursday, Nov. 30, versus Northwood beginning at 6 p.m. (EST) in NU’s Bennett Sports Center at Midland, Mich.

Season Openers: Ferris State will officially open its 33rd season against West Virginia State in the Clarion (Pa.) Classic. The Bulldogs, who have won five of their last eight season openers, have an all-time mark of 14-18 in opening day games. FSU posted a 72-47 opening-day triumph over Indiana-South Bend in last year’s first game (11/18/05) at the Aquinas College Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs have won eight of their past 11 openers, including a 5-3 mark (.625) under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from last season ............ The Bulldogs’ first three regular-season games this campaign are on the road ......... Fourteen of the school’s 27 regular-season games are away from home this year.

Ferris State vs. Michigan State Notebook:

The Series: The Bulldogs and Spartans have never squared off before entering Sunday’s tilt at the Breslin Center. FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk has never coached against MSU.

Spartans Win First Preseason Tilt: The Spartans recorded a 64-55 exhibition win over defending NCAA-II National Champion Grand Valley State, which is a GLIAC member and Ferris’ archrival, last Thursday (Nov. 2) at the Breslin Center. MSU was led by freshman center Allyssa DeHaan, who had 17 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Senior Victoria Lucas-Perry added 16 points and eight assists.

Michigan State Notes: Michigan State is coming off a 24-10 season a year ago, which ended with a trip to the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie holds a 292-139 overall record entering her 15th season as a collegiate head coach, including the last six years at MSU. Michigan State is ranked 17th in the Preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll. The Spartans have advanced to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and made five-straight postseason appearances. Michigan State is one of only 10 teams in the nation to have made trips to the NCAA Regional Semifinals each of the last two campaigns. MSU, which has won more than 20 games three-straight years, posted an 11-5 record in the Big 10 Conference last season and was picked to finish third in the league this campaign.

Bulldog Facts: Ferris holds an 0-1 all-time regular-season mark against Big 10 Conference schools by virtue of its 97-69 loss at Michigan during the 1981-82 campaign ........ FSU maintains a 2-16 all-time record in regular-season action versus current NCAA Division I schools from the state of Michigan, which includes Western Michigan (0-4), Central Michigan (2-4), Detroit (0-3), Eastern Michigan (0-4) and Michigan (0-1) ....... The total excludes games versus current Division I member Oakland, which previously was an NCAA-II member of the GLIAC. Ferris is currently 8-42 all-time versus Oakland.