2002 FERRIS STATE VOLLEYBALL AWARDS PRESENTED

Alaina Olds and Stephanie Speed Share Most Valuable Player Award Honors

Alaina Olds	Stephanie Speed

The Ferris State University women's volleyball team held its 2002 awards banquet Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Wheeler Pavilion in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris State concluded the 2002 campaign with a 24-7 overall mark under seventh-year head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, which represented the program's fifth-consecutive 20-win campaign and included a second-place 15-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division mark. FSU also registered its 11th NCAA Division II Tournament bid and a fifth-straight league tournament appearance in 2002.

Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley), a 2002 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Second-Team All-America selection, was named the co-recipient of FSU's 2002 Most Valuable Player Award along with senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.). Both a two-time (2001-02) first-team All-GLIAC and AVCA Division II All-Great Lakes Region pick, Olds became the 12th player in school history to register 1,000 career kills and concluded her career ranked ninth at Ferris with 1,222 kills. She recorded at least one kill in her last 79 appearances and garnered 10 or more kills in 24 of her final 26 matches. The 5-11 Olds, who earned the GLIAC North Division's Player of the Week Award three times (9/3, 9/23, 10/28) this season, led Ferris with 503 kills (4.37 kpg) and 125 total blocks (1.09 bpg) in 115 games this campaign while recording the program's second-best single-season attack percentage (.344). Olds finished her career in fourth place on FSU's total blocks leaders list (448) and presently ranks third in career attack percentage (.287).

A 2002 AVCA Division II All-Great Lakes Region Honorable Mention choice, Speed registered her first career triple-double performance this season at Saginaw Valley State (11/8) with 12 kills, 12 digs and a school single-match record 12 service aces. Speed, who also attained her 900th career dig at SVSU, finished her three-year FSU career with 949 career digs and 548 kills. The first-team 2002 All-GLIAC honoree compiled 10 or more digs in 13 of her last 18 outings while registering a team-high 371 digs in 2002. Speed was an honorable mention 2001 All-GLIAC pick.

Senior middle hitter Angie Desmarais (Jackson/Lumen Christi) and freshman libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) both received the Bulldog Award, which is presented for playing with the heart and desire of a Bulldog. Desmarais, who attended the sixth annual NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference last May (26-30) at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla., placed third among the squad’s dig leaders (297) and ranked fifth in both total kills (124) and service aces (32). She finished her FSU career with 512 digs, 157 kills, 57 aces and 53 total blocks while also holding a key role with the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Godlewski compiled 259 digs and 21 assists as the school’s first libero, a designated back-row position implemented under a new collegiate rule this fall.

The Coaches Award was given to freshman middle hitter Lauren Heine (Ypsilanti), who notched 22 kills, seven digs and four blocks in 14 matches this campaign. The 6-1 Heine garnered a personal career-best 10 kills in a 3-1 win over Southeastern Oklahoma (9/6) at the Harding Invitational in Searcy, Ark.

Dean's Academic Awards for compiling a 3.25 grade point average or above were presented to Desmarais, Olds, Speed, sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and freshman middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves). The 5-9 Green notched a personal career-high 1,348 assists in 2002 while adding 230 digs and 92 kills. Green, who was named to both the first-team 2002 All-GLIAC and AVCA Division II All-Great Lakes Region squad’s, also was the recipient of the President's Academic Award for having the highest overall GPA. Thurau totaled 88 kills and 46 total blocks in 55 games.

Brandel-Wilhelm presented first-year varsity award letters to Godlewski, Heine, Thurau, freshman setter Emily Clouse (Tiffin, Ohio/Bascom Hopewell-Loudon) and freshman right-side hitter Sarah Miller (Bay City/John Glenn). Second-year letters were handed to Green and sophomore middle hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) while Speed attained her third varsity letter award. Olds, Desmarais and senior outside hitter Erin Rind (Carol Stream, Ill./Streamwood) received varsity letter award recognition for the fourth time.

Desmarais, Olds, Rind and Speed were also presented Senior Awards for their leadership and contributions to the Bulldog volleyball program. FSU’s 15-3 GLIAC mark this campaign represented its best league record since posting a 16-0 GLIAC ledger in 1990 while the 2002 campaign marked the second consecutive season and third time in the last five years the Bulldogs have finished second in the GLIAC's North Division.