This Week: The Ferris State women’s basketball team will officially open the 2005-06 campaign by taking part in the Aquinas College Classic Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18-19, in Grand Rapids, Mich. FSU squares off against Indiana-South Bend in Friday’s (Nov. 18) 6 p.m. (EST) tournament opener while host Aquinas will battle Goshen (Ind.) in the 8 p.m. (EST) nightcap. The tourney’s consolation and championship games are set for Saturday (Nov. 19) at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (EST), respectively.

Last Season: Ferris State finished the 2004-05 season with an 11-17 overall record. FSU placed fourth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (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.

FSU Drops Exhibition: Nationally-ranked NCAA Division I power Notre Dame forced 31 turnovers in a 96-45 exhibition game victory over visiting Ferris State last Thursday (Nov. 10) evening before a crowd of 5,421 in the Joyce Center at South Bend, Ind. The Fighting Irish, who are ranked 15th in the Associated Press Division I Preseason Poll, 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 the 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 junior guard Erin Miller's (Niles) team-best 14 points. Junior forward Audrey Thwing (Davison) added 10 points as 13 different Bulldog players saw action in the outing.

Head Coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk: Eighth-year FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently ranks as Ferris’ all-time winningest coach with a current 117-78 (.600) career record at Ferris State. A 1996 graduate of Western Michigan, Fisk guided FSU to a 22-7 mark and the school's first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament appearance during the 1999-00 campaign. Prior to Ferris, Fisk spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Michigan College (1994-97) and one season at the University of Indianapolis (1997-98).

The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State women’s basketball program, which will open its 32nd season of varsity competition, has compiled a 370-403 (.479) 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 nine 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 made their fifth consecutive conference tournament berth and recorded the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign two seasons ago.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2005-06 roster includes one senior, three juniors, four sophomores and six freshmen. Five of the 14 players are guards while the remaining nine are frontcourt players. All 12 players on the roster hail from Michigan. Forward Kelly McLaughlin (Clare) is the only senior on the roster.

The Team Captains: FSU’s Kelly McLaughlin, Erin Miller and junior guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) have been named team captains for the 2005-06 campaign.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 44-19 (.698) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 36-17 (.679) 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 154-118 (.566) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 90-79 (.533) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 51-41 (.554) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk, including a 37-26 (.587) record in GLIAC play.

Miller Back In The Mix: Ferris’ Erin Miller returns after missing all but the first two games of the 2004-05 campaign due to injury. Miller reached double-figure scoring in 28 of her 31 contests in 2003-04 and ranked as the Bulldogs' second-leading scorer (17.0 ppg). The 5-7 Miller was the recipient of the GLIAC’s 2002-03 Freshman of the Year Award after being the team’s third-highest scorer (12.5 ppg) in her initial season. Miller, who garnered both Verizon Academic All-District IV Third Team and GLIAC All-Academic Team recognition as a sophomore (2003-04), also attained GLIAC North Division Player of the Week accolades twice (Jan. 5 & Feb. 9) in 2003-04. She earned first-team WBCA All-Great Lakes Region and All-GLIAC North Division, second-team Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region honors along with being among 40 finalists for the NCAA Division II Kodak/WBCA All-America Team during the 2003-04 campaign.

Reinhart Also Returns: FSU’s Kristin Reinhart received second-team All-GLIAC North Division kudos for the Bulldogs last season despite missing the final eight games due to injury. She netted 308 points in 20 outings last campaign. Reinhart also dished out a team-high 96 assists and tallied 36 steals along with 25 made three-point field goals en route to being named co-recipient of Ferris State’s 2004-05 team Most Valuable Player Award.

Academic Success: The Bulldogs have ranked among the nation’s top academic programs six consecutive seasons, according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll list. FSU placed 14th overall in 2004-05 with a 3.432 grade point average. Ferris had the nation’s highest gpa in 1999-00 and placed second in 2002-03.

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. In addition, her younger sister, Andrea Bloodworth, currently is serving as an assistant women’s basketball coach at NCAA Division I Valparaiso (Ind.) after spending three years as the top assistant coach at GLIAC-member Gannon.

Live Stats: “Live Stats” of all 2005-06 Ferris State home basketball games will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit www.ferris.edu/sports and click on the “Live Stats” icon to access the “Live Stats” feature.

GLIAC Games On The Air: FSU’s 2005-06 league games will be carried live by local radio station WBRN (News Talk 1460 AM). Selected contests can also be accessed via the internet by clicking on the Bulldog Athletics Webcasts icon at www.ferris.edu/sports . Jason DaDay will handle play-by-play duties for the GLIAC home games while Ferris State Assistant Athletics Communications Director Rob Bentley will be in front of the microphone for all league road contests.

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.

One Victory Shy: Ferris head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk needs one more victory to match Pat Dolan’s (1977-89) 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 their fifth consecutive conference tournament berth and the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign. The Bulldogs also recorded their seventh-straight winning season in 2003-04.

GLIAC Preseason Poll: Ferris State was picked to finish fourth in the 2005-06 GLIAC Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll, which was released last Thursday (Nov. 10) by the league office. The Bulldogs totaled 23 points in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. A year ago, Ferris State took second place in the conference's preseason coaches poll with 32 points and three first-place votes. Grand Valley State was selected as the North Division favorite as the Lakers recorded 36 points along with six first-place votes. Gannon and Hillsdale tied for the top spot in the South Division with 21 points and three first-place votes apiece. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play, but were not allowed to vote for their own team.

The Staff: Head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk returns her top assistant coach for the fourth 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.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris returns two starters and eight letterwinners from last season ............ The biggest graduation loss was leading scorer and first-team All-GLIAC center Bridget Horwitz (15.4 ppg) ....... FSU also lost two-time GLIAC North Division II Defensive Team selection Sarah Duesing to graduation ......... The Bulldogs’ first four regular-season games this campaign are on the road ......... Fifteen of the school’s 27 regular-season games are away from home ....... FSU will travel to both Texas and Florida for games this season. The Bulldogs will take part in the Texas A&M-Kingsville Holiday Inn Emerald Beach Turkey Day Shootout over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 25-26) and then compete in the Barry (Fla.) Buccaneer Holiday Classic after Christmas (Dec. 29-30) in Miami Shores, Fla.

Home Opener: Ferris’ home opener at Jim Wink Arena is set for Thursday, Dec. 1, beginning at 6 p.m. (EST) versus Northwood. The contest also represents Ferris’ first league game of the season.

Season Openers: Ferris State will officially open its 32nd season against Indiana-South Bend in the Aquinas College Classic. The Bulldogs, who have won four of their last seven season openers, have an all-time mark of 13-18 in opening games. FSU dropped a 76-61 home decision to Lewis (Ill.) last season in Big Rapids. The Bulldogs have won seven of their past 10 openers, including a 4-3 mark (.571) under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk.

A Look At The Tourney Field:

Indiana-South Bend: Ferris and Indiana-South Bend have never squared off before heading into Friday’s tournament opener. The Lady Titans are currently 4-1 overall following their 73-62 home triumph Saturday (Nov. 12) over Goshen (Ind.) and a 72-54 home victory versus Bethel (Ind.) Tuesday (Nov. 15). IUSB, which is guided by 13th-year head coach Mary Wisniewski, posted a 23-11 overall record in 2004-05 and advanced to the NAIA Division I Tournament. The Titans also claimed the 2004-05 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Regular-Season and Tournament Championships. Indiana-South Bend’s only loss this campaign was a 54-45 setback last Tuesday (Nov. 8) at Indiana Wesleyan.

Aquinas: The Bulldogs maintain a 20-12 all-time series edge over Aquinas and defeated the Saints 82-50 in the most recent meeting back during the 1998-99 (12/5) season in Grand Rapids, Mich. FSU is presently 9-1 overall versus Aquinas in home contests and 10-11 against the Saints in road encounters. The Saints are currently 1-1 overall this season following Tuesday’s (Nov. 15) 70-69 setback at Huntington (Ind.) and an 83-57 victory over Taylor (Ind.) in the season opener last Saturday (Nov. 12) at home. Aquinas also suffered a 83-39 setback to NCAA-I Central Michigan in exhibition play last Thursday (Nov. 10). Head coach Linda Nash is in her 10th season at the helm and directed Aquinas to a 22-10 overall record in 2004-05. The Saints also advanced to the NAIA National Tournament and placed third in the Wolverine-Hoosier (WHAC) Athletic Conference last campaign. Their lineup features a returning All-WHAC First Team honoree in junior center Jackie Braspenninx, who was the squad’s leading scorer (13.7 ppg) and rebounder (6.6 rpg) a year ago.

Goshen (Ind.): The Bulldogs and Goshen have not met before in women’s basketball action. The Maple Leafs are currently 1-3 overall this year after Tuesday’s (Nov. 15) 77-51 home loss to Indiana Tech. Their lone victory came in the season opener over Andrews by a 71-20 score (Nov. 3). Goshen also suffered losses to both Cornerstone (Nov. 8) and Indiana-South Bend (Nov. 12). Fourth-year head coach Steve Wiktorowski led his team to the school’s first ever Mid-Central Conference (MCC) Championship and NAIA National Tournament berth in 2003-04. Goshen finished the 2004-05 season with an overall record of 11-21 and a league mark of 3-13 in the MCC.