FSU Improves to 6-2 Overall

September 4, 2001

Last Weekend - Ferris State split four matches at the Seattle Pacific Invitational this past weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) in Seattle, Wash. The Bulldogs beat Cal-Poly Pomona on Friday (Aug. 31) in the tournament opener 3-0. FSU lost a 3-1 decision versus Western Washington Friday evening, but bounced back to defeat Grand Canyon (Ariz.) by a score of 3-0 in a Saturday (Sept. 1) afternoon match. In the final match of the tournament, the Bulldogs lost a 3-2 decision to Seattle Pacific. Seattle Pacific finished 4-0, Western Washington was 3-0 and FSU was 2-2 overall in the tournament.

Named To Tourney Squad - Senior Erin Minnis and junior Alaina Olds both were named to the all-tournament team at the Seattle Pacific Invitational this past weekend. Seattle Pacific had three all-tourney selections, FSU had two picks and Western Washington had one honoree.

A 5-10 middle hitter, Olds totaled 42 kills and had 21 total blocks in four weekend matches. In Friday night's loss to Western Washington, Olds had 16 kills on 45 attacks (.156). Against Seattle Pacific, she had 10 kills, 14 digs and eight block assists.

Minnis tallied 39 kills and 37 digs over the weekend. In the loss to Western Washington, the 6-0 middle hitter posted a double-double performance with 13 kills and 13 digs. She added nine kills and 10 digs in Saturday's win over Grand Canyon. A 2000 All-Great Lakes Region selection, Minnis has 69 kills on 153 attacks (.288) in 26 games (2.65 kpg) this season. She ranks third on the squad in total digs with 52 (2.00 dpg).

Closing In On Personal Marks - Several FSU players are closing in on personal milestone marks entering the GLIAC-GLVC Challenge. Senior Erin Minnis is 219 kills away from becoming the 11th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 career kills mark and is two block assists away from earning her 250th career block assist. Junior Stephanie Speed needs eight digs to notch her 300th dig as a Bulldog while junior Erin Rind is two kills away from recording her 100th career kill. Finally, junior Alaina Olds needs three kills to reach the 400-career kill mark at Ferris State.

Hitting Personal Standards - A pair of Bulldog players achieved personal marks at the Seattle Pacific Invitational this past weekend. Junior Alaina Olds notched her 100th career dig in Friday night's loss to Western Washington. Freshman Ashley Green recorded her first career double-double in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Seattle Pacific as she compiled 24 assists and 13 digs. Senior Emily Williams posted her first career double-double on Friday evening against Western Washington with 30 assists and 10 digs.

Doing Double Duty - Senior Emily Williams had four double-doubles over the weekend. She had 16 assists and 17 digs versus Cal-Poly Pomona and 30 assists and 10 digs against Western Washington on Friday. On Saturday, the 5-6 Williams had 19 assists and 12 digs against Grand Canyon and added 22 assists and 10 digs in the loss to Seattle Pacific. Her 30 assists recorded by against Western Washington were also a career-best.

Bulldog Bites - FSU is 6-0 in three-game matches this season ............... The Bulldogs have won the first game in all eight outings this season ................. Junior Stephanie Speed and senior Emily Williams both recorded 10 or more digs in all four matches over the weekend ............... Ferris State tallied a season-high 57 kills in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Western Washington ............... The Bulldogs had 77 total digs against both Western Washington and Seattle Pacific ................. FSU lost to both Western Washington and Seattle Pacific in the first series meeting with each squad ................. The Bulldogs improved to 2-1 overall against both Grand Canyon and Cal-Poly Pomona ............. FSU needs four home wins to notch its 200th victory at Ewigleben Sports Arena ............ Senior Erin Minnis has played in 264 of the past 265 Bulldog games. She didn't play in game three of the 2001 season-opener against Indianapolis.

FSU Owns Edge - FSU holds a combined 28-5 advantage against the three teams it will face at the GLIAC-GLVC Challenge this weekend at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Ky. Against Southern Indiana, FSU owns a 4-0 lead in the all-time series. Ferris State is 21-5 overall versus Lewis. The Bulldogs defeated Quincy 3-0 in the only series meeting between the two teams a year ago at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids. Entering the tournament, Lewis is 5-1 overall this season. Southern Indiana dropped a 3-1 decision to Grand Valley State over the weekend to fall to 3-4 overall. This past weekend, Quincy lost two of three matches at the Fairview Inn Classic in Midland, Mich. The Hawks fell to NCAA Division II No. 10-ranked Northwood by a score of 3-0 and are 2-4 overall entering the weekend.

Leading The Pack - Junior Alaina Olds leads the Bulldogs in both kills and blocks after eight matches. Entering the GLIAC-GLVC Challenge, Olds is averaging 3.32 kills per game and 1.44 blocks per game. She has 83 kills on 175 total attacks (.309) in 25 total games and has 36 total blocks. Olds also ranks fifth on the squad in digs per game (1.52 dpg).

Out Of The Blocks - For the fourth-straight season, the Bulldog volleyball squad has won at least six of its first eight matches. FSU started the 1998 season with a 5-0 record before falling to 6-2 overall. In 1999, FSU won its first four matches and then captured nine-straight wins after dropping a 3-1 decision against Grand Canyon. During the 2000 campaign, the Bulldogs posted the best start in school history at 10-0.

Next Week - Ferris State will return home to Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids to begin conference play. The Bulldogs will host Lake Superior State (Sept. 14, 7 p.m.), Michigan Tech (Sept. 15, 4 p.m.) and Northern Michigan (Sept. 16, 1 p.m.).