This Week - The Bulldogs finally return home after playing 10 of their last 11 matches on the road. Ferris State will host Saginaw Valley State on Friday (Nov. 3) at 5 p.m. at Ewigleben Arena in Big Rapids. On Saturday (Nov. 4), the Bulldogs will play NCAA Division II No. 6 Northwood at 4 p.m. Coach Tia Brandel and her squad lost to both squads in late September as they began their long road swing.
VanderMolen Surpasses Century Mark - Senior Sarah VanderMolen became the eighth player in school history to record 1,000 career digs as she posted a double-double performance at Grand Valley State last Friday (Oct. 27). VanderMolen, a 5-11 hitter, had 12 kills and 13 digs in a losing cause against the Lakers. She now has 1,012 digs in her career. In recording her 1,000th career dig, VanderMolen also became just the fifth player in the 28-year history of the Ferris State volleyball program to record both 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills. She recorded her 1,000th career kill earlier this season in a match against Northern Kentucky and is in eighth place on the all-time kill chart with 1,208 kills. VanderMolen also has eight double-double performances this year.
Following The Seniors - While VanderMolen has reached two milestones this season, the squad's other two seniors have also been busy compiling their own impressive statistics. Morgan Buckner, who became the ninth player in school history to record 1,000 career kills a year ago, is in fifth place on the all-time career kills chart at Ferris State. The 5-9 outside hitter is just nine kills away from recording career kill No. 1,400 as she has 1,391 kills. She also needs just a single dig to record her 750th dig at Ferris State. The other senior, Libby Martz, needs 55 digs to become the ninth player to record 1,000 career digs. She has 945 digs and has posted four-consecutive double-figure dig performances. She had 13 digs in Friday's match at Grand Valley and is the team leader in service aces with 38.
Bulldog Bites - Junior Erin Minnis has reached double-figures in kills in all but four matches this season. . .Coach Tia Brandel needs three more wins to move into a tie for second place on the career victory list at Ferris State. She has a 104-54 mark in five seasons with the Bulldogs. . .With 20 wins this season, the Bulldogs are the 14th team in the 28-year history of Ferris State volleyball to record a 20-win season. . .Freshman setter Jamie Wirth ranks second in the conference in assists at 11.99 per game. . .After a great start, Ferris State finished the month of October with a 5-4 mark. Earlier this year, the Bulldogs became the first team in school history to start the season 10-0. Six of the nine matches this month, however, were against regionally-ranked teams.
A Look Ahead - Entering the final week of the regular season, Ferris State has already clinched a berth in the GLIAC Tournament Nov. 9-11 in Battle Creek. The top three teams from the North and South Divisions each qualify for the post-season tourney. In addition, the next two teams with the best conference record qualify. Ferris State is currently fourth in the North Division at 10-6, but is assured of at least the eighth seed. Northwood, Grand Valley State, Northern Michigan and Findlay have also all clinched a berth. A year ago, the Bulldogs reached the tournament championship match before falling to Northwood.
Regional Rankings - In last week's Great Lakes Regional ratings, Ferris State was ranked eighth. Eight of the top 10 schools in the region are from the conference. Besides the Bulldogs, seven other GLIAC schools were represented on the list. A win over Northwood on Saturday, combined with a strong showing in the GLIAC Tournament, could vault Ferris State into the regional field. The top six teams in each of the eight regions advance to the NCAA Tournament. Northwood is the top team in the region. Grand Valley State was No. 2 and Northern Michigan was No. 4. Findlay, Hillsdale, Gannon and Michigan Tech were also ranked. Regional parings will be released on Nov. 12. The Great Lakes Regional is slated to take place Nov. 17-19 at a site to be determined.
Team Kill Leader - Junior middle hitter Erin Minnis continues to lead the Bulldogs in kills and could become the third player on the 2000 team to lead Ferris State in kills over an entire season. She has 352 kills (3.56 kpg) this season. A year ago, Sarah VanderMolen led the Bulldogs with 443 kills. In 1998, Morgan Buckner topped the squad list with 467 kills. They rank second and third, respectively, in total kills this season.
Weekend Preview - After playing 10 of their last 11 matches on the road, the Bulldogs will return home to take on Saginaw Valley State and Northwood this weekend in Big Rapids. On Friday, the Cardinals of Saginaw Valley State will visit Ewigleben Arena. The Bulldogs fell at Saginaw Valley 3-1 on Sept. 30. The Cardinals are 9-19 this year and 5-12 in the conference. In the all-time series, the Bulldogs own a commanding 33-8 advantage. Coach Tia Brandel is 6-3 in her career against the Cardinals, who have won just two matches in 16 appearances at Ewigleben Arena.
The Bulldogs will face NCAA Division II No. 6 Northwood on Saturday. The Timberwolves won the last meeting in Midland on Sept. 29 3-1 and are 26-2 overall and unbeaten in the conference at 16-0. In the all-time series, Ferris State holds a 20-11 advantage. Ferris State has won 10 of 14 matches at Ewigleben Arena. Coach Brandel is 5-7 in her career against Northwood. The Timberwolves have also won three-straight matches in the series.