FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team (23-4, 14-2 GLIAC) will conclude the 2002 regular-season campaign this weekend (Friday, Nov. 8-Saturday, Nov. 9) with two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road matches. FSU will battle Saginaw Valley State (7-25, 1-15) this Friday (Nov. 8) in a 5 p.m. (EST) league encounter at SVSU’s Cardinal Gymnasium in University Center, Mich. Ferris will then face Northwood (26-3, 14-2) this Saturday (Nov. 9) at 3 p.m. (EST) in NU’s Bennett Sports Center at Midland, Mich. The Bulldogs are currently ranked 21st overall in the latest (Oct. 29) American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II national poll while Northwood is 16th.

Bulldogs Fall At Grand Valley State - Ferris State dropped a 3-0 decision to fourth-ranked Grand Valley State (24-2, 15-1 GLIAC) last Friday (Nov. 1) at GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich. Ferris’ -.044 attack percentage versus the Lakers was its lowest since recording a -.045 at Northern Michigan in 1999 (9/24). FSU, which is ranked second in the latest (Oct. 30) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional rankings behind GVSU, is presently tied for second place in the GLIAC’s North Division with Northwood.

Conference Tournament Scenario - The 2002 GLIAC Tournament will be held next weekend (Thursday, Nov. 14-Saturday, Nov. 16) at the campus site of the team with the league’s highest seed. Grand Valley State, which snapped Ferris’ five-match win streak, holds the GLIAC North Division lead and would host the league tournament with victories at both Northwood (Nov. 8) and Saginaw Valley State (Nov. 9) this weekend. Ferris would be the host site with two wins this weekend and a Laker loss. Several other possible scenarios also exist.

Last Season - Ferris State concluded the 2001 campaign with a 21-11 overall record, which included a second-place tying 12-6 GLIAC North Division finish. The Bulldogs advanced to the GLIAC Tournament championship match (11/10/01) for the third time in the last four seasons and dropped a 3-0 decision versus Northwood.

The 30th Season Of Bulldog Volleyball - The 2002 campaign marks the 30th anniversary of the Ferris State women’s volleyball program. Since the program’s inception in 1972, the Bulldogs have compiled a 651-373 (.636) overall record. Ferris has won eight GLIAC titles, made 10 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and registered 22 winning seasons in its previous 29 campaigns.

FSU Keeps Winning - Ferris State is in the midst of its fifth consecutive 20-win campaign. The Bulldogs, who have recorded at least 20 victories in a season 16 times, are presently 116-42 (.734) overall since the start of the 1998 campaign. The 1984 FSU squad won a NCAA-II record 46 consecutive matches en route to a school-best 48-3 overall mark. Ferris’ current 14-2 GLIAC mark represents its best league start since posting a 16-0 conference record in 1990. The 2002 Bulldogs could tie a school record for most conference wins by winning their final two regular-season contests.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 563-262 (.682) overall since 1981 and sports a 370-210 (.638) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs are 83-55 (.601) overall in league road matches since 1987, including a 6-2 (.750) mark this season.

Speed Approaching Century Mark - Senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.) currently has 899 career digs and needs 101 more to become the 10th player in school history to register 1,000 career digs. The last FSU player to register 1,000 career digs was Sarah VanderMolen (1,054; 1997-00), who currently plays for the United States Professional Volleyball league’s Grand Rapids Force. Speed, who has compiled 10 or more digs in nine of her last 14 outings to date, presently leads Ferris with 321 digs in 99 games (3.24 dpg) this campaign. She has also compiled a team-leading 64 service aces in 27 matches to date. The 2001 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention pick needs one kill to notch her 550th career kill.

Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching victory leaders. Brandel, who has a current 267-92 (.744) career mark, is 149-72 (.674) in seven seasons at Ferris and needs one win to record her 150th Bulldog victory. A 1990 Alma graduate, Brandel-Wilhelm guided the Bulldogs to an NCAA-II Tournament appearance in 1999. She previously spent three seasons as head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan (1993-1995) in Buckhannon, W.Va., where she led the Bobcats to a fifth-place finish at the 1995 NCAA-II Championships. Brandel-Wilhelm entered the 2002 season ranked 11th among NCAA-II’s winningest active coaches.

Bulldog Bites - Sophomore outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) presently has registered at least 10 kills in 22 of her last 26 appearances ..... Ferris has won 20 of its last 23 GLIAC regular season matches dating back to last season ...... Grand Valley State ended several FSU streaks with last Friday’s victory. The loss to the Lakers was Ferris’ first against an in-state opponent (11-1), versus a ranked team (3-1) and in a three-game match (10-1) this season. It was also the Bulldogs’ only setback in an evening match (9-1) and on a Friday (10-1) .......... Senior middle hitter Angie Desmarais (Jackson/Lumen Christi) presently has 479 career digs and is 21 shy of attaining her 500th career dig ..... Sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) has 388 career digs to date and needs 12 more to garner her 400th career dig .......... Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley) currently ranks first in kills (4.51 kpg), second in attack percentage (.352) and fourth in blocks (1.16) in the league’s overall statistical rankings. Green is second in assists (12.00 apg) while Olds is averaging a conference-best 4.68 kills per game in league play .... Ferris ranks 26th in team kills (15.62) and 29th in assists (13.94) in the latest (Oct. 27) NCAA Division II national statistical rankings. Green is 25th in assists while Olds is 23rd in kills ..... Freshman libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) has compiled 10 or more digs in eight of her last 13 outings.

Alaina Olds Closing In - Alaina Olds currently has 437 career blocks and needs six more to move into a tie for fifth place with Laura Lee (443; 1986-89) on Ferris' career blocks leaders list. The 5-11 Olds has registered at least one kill in 75 consecutive appearances and has garnered 10 or more kills in 21 of her last 22 matches to date. A second-team 2001 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region pick, Olds is both Ferris’ kills (4.51 kpg) and blocks (1.16 bpg) leader this season. She currently ranks third among FSU’s career leaders in attack percentage (.286) and has compiled 15 double-double (kills & digs) performances this campaign. Her current .352 season attack percentage (442-121-913) tops FSU's single-season chart. Olds has 1,161 career kills to date and is 79 shy of tying Stephanie Chaffin (1,240; 1989-92) for eighth place on Ferris’ career kills chart.

Weekend Preview - Ferris State will conclude its 2002 regular-season campaign this weekend versus Saginaw Valley State and Northwood.

Saginaw Valley State: Ferris and Saginaw Valley State will square off for the 46th time this Friday with FSU holding a 37-8 series advantage. In the last meeting (9/28/02), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-0 win at Big Rapids. FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 10-3 career coaching mark against the Cardinals. FSU, which has won four of the past five contests, holds a 16-6 all-time record versus SVSU in away/neutral site encounters. SVSU registered a 10-25 overall record in 2001. The Cardinals fell to 7-25 overall and 1-15 in GLIAC action this season as a result of dropping a 3-0 road decision last Saturday (Nov. 2) at Michigan Tech.

Northwood: FSU holds a 21-15 advantage entering this Saturday’s 37th series meeting with Northwood. However, the Timberwolves have won seven of the last eight contests. Brandel-Wilhelm holds a current 6-11 career coaching mark against Northwood and led the Bulldogs to a 3-0 win in the last meeting (9/27/02) at Big Rapids. The Bulldogs are 10-9 all-time versus the Timberwolves in away/neutral site contests. NU is presently 26-3 overall and 14-2 in conference play this campaign entering this Friday’s (Nov. 8) home match against Grand Valley State after registering a 3-2 win at Northern Michigan last Saturday. Last season, Northwood compiled a 25-9 record and advanced to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Region semifinal round. The Timberwolves are ranked third in the latest (Oct. 30) NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional rankings.

Looking Ahead - The official site and match times for next weekend’s (Nov. 14-16) GLIAC Tournament will be announced this weekend. Ferris State, which will be making its fifth consecutive league tournament appearance, previously claimed runner-up honors in 1998, 1999 and 2001.

Between The Lines - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm will make regular appearances throughout the season on “Between The Lines,” a weekly half-hour television show devoted to Ferris State Athletics. The program, which is hosted by Ira Childress and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) on WFQX-Fox 33.

FSU 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.