FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will visit Hillsdale this Friday (Oct. 18) for a 7 p.m. (EDT) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) encounter at HC’s Jessie Phillips Arena in Hillsdale, Mich. The Bulldogs will then square off against Wayne State this Saturday (Oct. 19) in a 4 p.m. (EDT) league match at WSU’s Matthaei Complex in Detroit, Mich.

Bulldogs Win Two More - Ferris State, which is ranked 25th overall in the latest (Oct. 8) American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II national poll, won two of three conference outings last week (Oct. 8, 11-12). The Bulldogs defeated third-ranked Grand Valley State by a score of 3-2 last Tuesday (Oct. 8) in front of a capacity crowd of 600 at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena (pronounced A-VAH-glave-in) in Big Rapids, Mich. FSU then handed Gannon a 3-1 setback last Friday (Oct. 11) in GU’s Hammermill Center at Erie, Pa. Ferris, presently 18-3 overall, had its nine-match winning streak come to a halt last Saturday (Oct. 12) as the Bulldogs dropped a 3-1 decision versus Mercyhurst at MC’s Athletic Center in Erie. The next national rankings are slated to be released this Tuesday (Oct. 15).

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 646-372 (.635) 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.

Among The Best - Ferris State’s 18-3 record this campaign ranks among the school’s best starts through 21 outings. The Bulldogs also opened the year with an 18-3 record in 1987 and 1990. Three other FSU teams compiled 19-2 marks through 21 matches – 1984, 1986 and 1989. The 1984 FSU squad won a NCAA-II record 46 consecutive matches en route to a 48-3 overall mark. FSU has presently won at least 17 of its first 21 matches in three of the past four campaigns to date.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 558-261 (.681) overall since 1981 and sports a 368-209 (.638) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs are 81-54 (.600) overall in league road matches since 1987, including a 4-1 (.800) mark this season.

Olds Hits Century Mark In FSU Win - Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kinglsey) became the 12th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 career kills mark last Tuesday as she tallied 23 kills in Ferris’ win over Grand Valley State. Olds, a 2001 AVCA Division II All-Great Lakes Region First-Team selection, has registered at least one kill in 69 consecutive appearances to date. The 2001 FSU Bulldog Award recipient has garnered 10 or more kills in 16 consecutive matches and has recorded a double-double (kills & digs) in nine of her last 16 contests. The 5-11 Olds, a second-team 2001 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region pick, is both Ferris’ kills (4.36 kpg) and blocks (1.20 bpg) leader this season. She currently ranks fourth among FSU’s career leaders in attack percentage (.273). Olds presently has 414 career blocks and needs 29 more to move into a tie for fifth place with Laura Lee (443; 1986-89) on Ferris’ career blocks leaders list. She is 34 kills away from tying Erin Minnis (1,084; 1998-01) for 11th place on the school’s career kills chart.

Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching victory leaders with a current 262-91 (.742) 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. 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 18 of her last 20 appearances ...... Ferris has currently won 15 of its last 17 GLIAC regular season matches dating back to last season ............ Senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.) notched her 800th career dig last Tuesday. She has compiled 10 or more digs in six of her last eight outings to date .......... Sophomore outside hitter Annie Foster (Flint/Carman-Ainsworth) recorded a personal career-best .818 attack percentage (9-0-11) while tallying a career-best nine kills against Grand Valley State ............. Ferris is tied for fourth place in the latest (Oct. 2) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional rankings. The next regional rankings are slated to be released this Wednesday (Oct. 16) ......... Sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) needs three more digs to register her 350th career dig ....... The Bulldogs improved to 14-8 all-time versus Grand Valley State at FSU's Ewigleben Sports Arena with last Tuesday's 3-2 triumph over the Lakers. GVSU, which has won 32 of its last 34 GLIAC tilts to date, had won 14 consecutive matches prior to the loss. The Lakers’ only other conference loss in the last two campaigns also came at Ferris on Oct. 25, 2001 .......... Alaina Olds is averaging 4.58 kills per game and has compiled an attack percentage of .378 (110-26-222) in her last six matches. Olds’ 23 kills at Gannon last Friday are the most registered by a Bulldog player in a four-game match since the implementation of new scoring rules prior to the 2001 season ........ Senior outside hitter Erin Rind (Carol Stream, Ill./Streamwood) presently has 282 career digs and is 18 shy of attaining her 300th career dig ............ Olds presently ranks first in kills (4.36 kpg), third in attack percentage (.350) and third in blocks (1.20 bpg) in the latest (Oct. 14) GLIAC overall statistical rankings. Speed is listed third in service aces (0.69 apg) while Green is fourth in assists (11.72 apg). FSU ranks third in team aces (2.60 apg), fourth in kills (15.13 kpg) and fourth in attack percentage (.243).

Weekend Preview - Ferris State will face GLIAC South Division foes Hillsdale and Wayne State this weekend.

Hillsdale: Ferris and Hillsdale will square off for the 52nd time this Friday with FSU holding a 43-8 series advantage. In the last meeting (10/12/01), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-1 win at Big Rapids. FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 9-1 career coaching record against HC. Ferris, which has won two of the past three contests, holds a 23-7 all-time record versus the Chargers in away/neutral site encounters. Hillsdale registered a 20-12 overall record during the 2001 campaign. The Chargers fell to 11-12 overall and 1-9 in GLIAC action this season as a result of dropping three matches to Lake Superior State (L, 3-0), Michigan Tech (L, 3-2) and Northern Michigan (L, 3-0) this past weekend (Oct. 11-13) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Wayne State: FSU maintains a 36-27 series edge heading into this Saturday’s 64th meeting against Wayne State. However, the Bulldogs trail the Warriors 21-19 in away/neutral site series contests. Ferris defeated Wayne State 3-0 in the last meeting (10/13/01) at Big Rapids. Brandel-Wilhelm currently holds an 4-3 career coaching mark versus the Warriors. WSU is presently 10-10 overall and 2-8 in GLIAC action heading into this Friday’s (Oct. 18) league home match versus Grand Valley State after recording a 0-3 record last weekend (Oct. 11-13) at Michigan Tech (L, 3-1), Northern Michigan (L, 3-1) and Lake Superior State (L, 3-2). The Warriors were 6-21 overall during the 2001 campaign and placed fifth in the GLIAC’s South Division with a 2-15 league mark.

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 - The Bulldogs will host three league opponents next weekend (Oct. 25-27) in their final regular-season home matches of the 2002 campaign at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris will face the Michigan Tech Huskies Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. (EDT). FSU will then battle the Lake Superior State Lakers Saturday, Oct. 26, in a 4 p.m. (EDT) encounter. The Bulldogs will square off against the Northern Michigan Wildcats Sunday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m. (EDT).