FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action this weekend (Sept. 20-Sept. 21) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Bulldogs will face Northern Michigan this Friday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m. (EDT) in NMU’s Vandament Arena at Marquette, Mich. FSU then squares off against Michigan Tech Saturday (Sept. 21) in a 4 p.m. (EDT) encounter at MTU’s Student Development Complex Gymnasium in Houghton, Mich.

Bulldogs Win Two Of Three Matches - Ferris State posted a 2-1 record at the GLIAC/Great Lakes Valley Conference Challenge last weekend (Friday, Sept. 13-Saturday, Sept. 14) at Grand Valley State’s Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich. The Bulldogs, presently 9-2 overall, defeated Wisconsin-Parkside in last Friday’s first match 3-0. FSU, which was among 10 competing teams, then dealt Southern Indiana a 3-2 setback. The Bulldogs lost a 3-1 decision last Saturday to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The five GLIAC schools competing in the tournament won 12 of 15 matches.

Last Season - Ferris State concluded the 2001 campaign with a 21-11 overall record, which included a second-place (tie) 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 637-371 (.632) 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.

Olds Solid In Weekend Play - Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley) compiled 52 kills, 41 digs and 21 total blocks last weekend. A second-team 2001 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region honoree, Olds posted double-double (kills and digs) performances in all three matches and presently has seven double-doubles in 11 outings this campaign. The 5-11 Olds, who has registered at least one kill in 59 consecutive appearances, currently has 880 career kills and needs 120 more to become the 12th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills. The 2001 FSU Bulldog Award recipient has garnered 10 or more kills in six consecutive matches and has recorded a double-double in five of her last six contests. Olds, a 2001 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II All-Great Lakes Region First-Team selection, is Ferris’ digs (3.29 dpg) and blocks (1.50 bpg) leader this season.

Fairbanks Notches Career Performance - Sophomore middle/outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) compiled a career-high 25 kills while notching her 300th career kill versus Southern Indiana last Friday. The 5-11 Fairbanks has recorded 10 or more kills in 10 consecutive outings to date this season. Fairbanks' 25 kills against Southern Indiana are the most recorded by a FSU player since Erin Minnis posted 28 at Wayne State in 2000 (Oct. 6). Fairbanks leads the Bulldogs in total kills (172) this season.

Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching leaders with a current 253-90 (.738) career mark. 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.

Bulldog Bites - Senior outside hitter Erin Rind (Carol Stream, Ill./Streamwood) registered her 250th career dig versus Wisconsin-Parkside ............ Senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.) recorded her 700th career dig and 100th career service ace against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Speed currently has 382 career kills and is 18 shy of attaining her 400th career kill ...... Freshman middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) posted a career-high eight kills and six total blocks in Ferris' 3-2 win versus Southern Indiana last Friday ......... Sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) has garnered 50 or more assists in five of her last seven match performances .............. Senior middle hitter Angie Desmarais (Jackson/Lumen Christi) has recorded 10 or more digs in five of her previous seven matches. She needs nine kills to notch her 100th career kill .............. Sophomore outside hitter Annie Foster (Flint/Carman-Ainsworth) is three digs shy of registering her 100th career dig ............. Freshman libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) has 77 career digs to date and needs 23 more to compile her 100th career dig.

Against The Competition - Ferris State will travel to the Upper Peninsula this weekend to face GLIAC North Division rivals Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech.

Northern Michigan: FSU holds a 33-31 advantage entering this Friday’s 65th series meeting with Northern Michigan. However, the Bulldogs are 17-20 all-time versus NMU in Marquette. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 4-10 career coaching mark against the Wildcats and led the Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory in the last series meeting (10/20/01) at Marquette. Prior to last season’s victory, the Bulldogs had lost 10 consecutive matches in Marquette. NMU is presently 5-5 overall this campaign after registering a 2-1 record last weekend (Sept. 13-14) at the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge in Allendale, Mich. Last season, Northern Michigan compiled a 22-10 record.

Michigan Tech: Ferris and Michigan Tech will square off for the 47th time this Saturday with FSU holding a 35-11 series advantage. In the last meeting (11/9/01), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-2 GLIAC Tournament semifinal-round win at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Mich. Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 9-4 career coaching record against the Huskies. FSU, which has won eight of the past nine contests, holds a 19-6 all-time record versus MTU in Houghton. Michigan Tech registered an 18-12 overall record during the 2001 campaign. The Huskies fell to 4-6 overall this season while posting an 0-3 record at the North Dakota State University Classic last weekend (Sept. 13-14) in Fargo, N.D.

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 including rosters, schedules and the latest results.

Looking Ahead - Ferris State will open its home portion of the schedule next weekend (Sept. 27-28) in FSU’s Ewigleben (pronounced A-VAH-glave-in) Sports Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will face the Northwood Timberwolves in league action Friday, Sept. 27, at 5 p.m. (EDT). FSU will then battle the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in a 3 p.m. (EDT) conference encounter Saturday, Sept. 28.