Ferris State Invitational Preview

August 21, 2001

Last Season - Ferris State finished the 2000 campaign with a 21-9 overall mark. FSU was fourth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division with an 11-7 record. In compiling 21 victories during the 2000 campaign, the Bulldogs also recorded the 14th 20-win season in the 28-year history of the program. Three of those 20-win seasons have came under head coach Tia Brandel. Three starters and eight letterwinners return from last year's team which reached the quarterfinal round of the GLIAC Tournament.

FSU Invitational Tournament - The Ferris State University women's volleyball team will officially begin its 29th season of varsity competition as the Bulldogs host the annual Ferris State Invitational this weekend. Besides Ferris State, eight other schools will take part in the two-day tournament including Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.), Fairmont State (W.Va.), Indianapolis, Lake Superior State, Saginaw Valley State, St. Joseph's (Ind.), Wayne State and Wisconsin-Parkside.

Action is slated to take place on two courts at Jim Wink Arena and on a single court at the 600-seat Ewigleben Sports Arena. Matches are scheduled for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday (Aug. 24) and 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday (Aug. 25). Both facilities are housed within the FSU Sports and Convocation Complex, which is located on the southern edge of campus. All four Ferris State matches will take place inside the newly-remodeled Ewigleben Sports Arena.

Tough To Beat At Home - The Bulldogs have compiled a mark of 192-52 (.787) in 20 seasons of competition at Ewigleben Sports Arena since moving from the Health and Physical Education (HPE) Building in 1981. A year ago, FSU was 10-2 at home en route to posting a 21-9 overall mark and recording a fourth-place finish in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division. Under head coach Tia Brandel, FSU is 45-12 in five seasons at Ewigleben Sports Arena. Against GLIAC foes, Brandel is 31-12 at home. In the Ferris State Invitational, Brandel remains unbeaten at 12-0 since starting the tournament in 1998.

Minnis Returns To Lineup - Senior Erin Minnis returns for her final campaign after earning first-team All-Great Lakes Region recognition during the 2000 campaign. A 6-0 middle hitter, Minnis tallied a team-high 393 kills a year ago while garnering first-team All-GLIAC honors. She enters her senior season needing 288 kills to become the 11th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-career kills mark. A 2000 FSU Invitational All-Tournament selection, Minnis will serve as a 2001 FSU team captain along with fellow senior Emily Williams.

Home Sweet Home - In an on-going effort to attract top-quality student-athletes, a wood-surface playing court was installed at Ewigleben Sports Arena in the spring of 2001 to replace the old tartan surface. Additional renovations were also made to the appearance of the volleyball-only facility. The volleyball arena is part of FSU's Sports Complex, which also houses the modern 2,400-seat Jim Wink Arena for basketball and the Ewigleben Ice Arena.

Bulldog Bites - Head Coach Tia Brandel is 105-57 entering her sixth season at Ferris State. . .Brandel needs three wins to move past former FSU coach Kathy DeBoer (1980-83) into second place on the Bulldog career victory list. Jill Hirschinger (1984-95) ranks first in career wins with a 330-151 (.686) mark. . .Former Avila College (Mo.) head coach Jason Smith will serve as the top assistant coach. Former Bulldog player and student assistant coach Jill Behrns will be the second assistant coach. . .Over the past three years, FSU is 72-27 (.730) and has posted three-straight 20-win campaigns. . .Ferris State has an all-time mark of 607-358 (.629) in 28 seasons. . .FSU lost five letterwinners including 1,000-career kills club members Sarah VanderMolen and Morgan Buckner. . .FSU was picked to finish fourth in the North Division in the 2001 GLIAC Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll.

Against The Field - Although Ferris State has never faced Alderson-Broaddus, the Bulldogs have had success against the other three teams they will face this weekend (14-0). FSU captured a 3-1 victory in the only meeting with Indianapolis back in 1996. Against Fairmont State, the Bulldogs are 2-0 overall with both wins coming in the FSU Invitational at Ewigleben Sports Arena. Ferris State pulled out a 3-0 victory versus the Falcons in the 1999 FSU Invitational. In the all-time series with Wisconsin-Parkside, the Bulldogs own a commanding 11-0 advantage. At Ewigleben Sports Arena, FSU is 6-0 against the Rangers. Both Fairmont State and Alderson-Broaddus are members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), where Brandel won three conference championships at West Virginia Wesleyan (1993-95) prior to coming to FSU.

Opening Match - The Bulldogs have won five-straight season-opening matches under Tia Brandel. The last FSU defeat on opening day came in 1995 under former head coach Jill Hirschinger versus Lewis (Ill.) at the Grand Valley State Laker Invitational in Allendale, Mich. Last season, the Bulldogs posted the best start in school history at 10-0.

Looking At The Lineup - The 2001 Ferris State squad features eight freshmen, one sophomore, five juniors and two seniors. The Bulldog roster includes 12 players from Michigan and one each from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois and Washington. By position, FSU has two setters, one defensive specialist, seven outside/right-side hitters and six middle hitters.

Next Week - Ferris State will take part in the Seattle Pacific Invitational in Seattle, Wash. FSU will face Cal-Poly Pomona and Western Washington on Friday (Aug. 31) before meeting Grand Canyon (Ariz.) and the host institution on the final day (Sept. 1).