The Game: The Ferris State University women’s basketball team ventures to South Bend, Ind., Thursday, Nov. 10, for an exhibition contest against perennial NCAA Division I power Notre Dame. Tipoff in ND’s Joyce Center is set for 7 p.m. (EST).

Radio Coverage: Thursday’s exhibition game is slated to be carried live by local radio station WBRN (News Talk 1460 AM) with Rob Bentley of the Ferris State Athletics Communications Office handling the play-by-play coverage. No webcast will be available due to other scheduling conflicts.

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.

Official Opener: The Bulldogs 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.

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, junior guard Erin Miller (Niles) 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.

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.

GLIAC Coach Of The Year: Ferris’ Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk 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.

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: All eighteen of 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 live 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 conference home games while Ferris State Assistant Athletics Communications Director Rob Bentley will be in front of the microphone for all GLIAC road contests. Thursday’s contest at Notre Dame is the only non-league contest currently scheduled to be aired locally.

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.

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.

Moving Up A Level: The Bulldogs are currently 2-1 overall under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk in regular-season games against NCAA-I opponents after dropping a 95-67 decision at Western Illinois last season (Nov. 22) 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).

In Exhibition Play: Ferris dropped an 81-72 decision to Central Michigan in its most recent exhibition game against NCAA-I competition last year (Nov. 11) 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). Thursday’s contest at Notre Dame is Ferris’ only scheduled exhibition game this season. The Bulldogs were 0-2 overall in exhibition contests a year ago as they also fell to the Athletes In Action squad of former collegiate players 81-65 at home (10/24/04) in Big Rapids, Mich.

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.

FSU Home Opener: Ferris State’s 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 Opponent:

The Series: The Bulldogs and Irish have never squared off before entering Thursday’s tilt at the Joyce Center. Head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk has never coached against the Irish.

Irish Win First Preseason Tilt: Senior All-America guard Megan Duffy scored a team-high 18 points to pace four Notre Dame players in double figures as the Fighting Irish posted an 84-59 exhibition victory over NCAA-II Indianapolis last Tuesday (Nov. 1) at the Joyce Center. Notre Dame now is 23-1 in its last 24 exhibition games, dating back to the 1993-94 season, and has won 18 consecutive exhibition contests. Notre Dame opens the regular season Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. (EST) against Michigan in the Joyce Center.

Game Information: Tickets for Thursday’s contest in the Joyce Center can be obtained by contacting the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356. They can also be purchased online by visiting www.und.com .............. Live in-progress statistics are tentatively slated to be available for Thursday’s game via the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com) .......... Thursday’s contest is Notre Dame’s Season Ticket Holder Night (special edition lime green t-shirts will be given to all season ticket holders in attendance). In addition, Irish women's basketball drinking glasses will be handed to the first 1,000 fans along with a post-game autograph session featuring the Notre Dame team.

Notre Dame Notes: The Irish return eight letterwinners and three starters from last year's 27-6 squad, which won the Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament (NIT) championship, made its way as high as third in the national polls, finished second in the Big East Conference and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division I Tournament. Notre Dame, which was picked to finish third in this year’s Big East Conference preseason poll, has only four upperclassmen on its 12-player roster. Senior guard Megan Duffy earned honorable mention All-America and first-team all-league accolades last season after averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 assists per game. She is beginning her third season at the point for the Irish and brings with her added international experience, having co-captained Team USA to a gold medal at the 2005 World University Games in Izmir, Turkey. Head coach Muffet McGraw will become the 27th women's coach in NCAA-I history to reach the 500-win mark with her first win this year. McGraw has a career record of 499-196 (.718) in 23 years of coaching, including the past 18 seasons at Notre Dame (411-155, .728).