FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will host two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opponents this weekend (Sept. 27-28) at FSU’s Ewigleben (pronounced A-VAH-glave-in) Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will face Northwood in their 2002 home opener this Friday (Sept. 27) at 5 p.m. (EDT). FSU then squares off against Saginaw Valley State Saturday (Sept. 28) in a 3 p.m. (EDT) encounter.

Bulldogs Open GLIAC Play Unbeaten - Ferris State opened GLIAC play with two wins in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula last weekend (Sept. 20-21). The Bulldogs defeated Northern Michigan 3-2 last Friday (Sept. 20) at NMU’s Vandament Arena in Marquette, Mich. FSU then handed Michigan Tech a 3-0 setback last Saturday (Sept. 21) in MTU’s Student Development Complex Gymnasium at Houghton, Mich. Ferris is presently 11-2 overall.

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 639-371 (.633) 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 Successful At Home - Ferris State is 203-55 (.787) at Ewigleben Sports Arena since 1981 and sports a 117-39 (.750) conference home mark during that span. The Bulldogs are 104-39 (.727) overall at home since 1990, which includes a 70-35 (.667) conference mark. Ferris is 21-8 (.724) in home openers dating back to 1973, which includes a 9-3 mark since 1990. The Bulldogs are 6-3 in their last nine outings and have won six consecutive home openers.

Olds Earns GLIAC North Division Honors - Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley) has been named this week’s (Sept. 23) GLIAC North Division Player of the Week. Olds, who previously earned the award on Sept. 3, had 21 kills, 16 digs and three blocks at Northern Michigan. She added a team-high 14 kills, eight digs and three blocks against Michigan Tech. The 2001 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-Great Lakes Region First-Team selection has registered at least one kill in 61 consecutive appearances. She presently has 915 career kills and is 85 shy of becoming 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 eight consecutive matches and has recorded a double-double (kills & digs) in six of her last eight contests. She currently has eight double-double performances in 13 outings this season. The 5-11 Olds, a second-team 2001 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region pick, is Ferris’ kills (4.26 kpg), digs (3.24 dpg) and blocks (1.37 bpg) leader this season. She currently ranks fourth among FSU’s career leaders in attack percentage (.270).

Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching leaders with a current 255-90 (.739) 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 - Senior middle hitter/libero Angie Desmarais (Jackson/Lumen Christi) notched her 100th career kill while recording a personal career-high 11 kills at NMU. Desmarais needs to two digs to attain her 350th career dig .......... Sophomore middle/outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) has registered 10 or more kills in 12 consecutive matches to date ........... Senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.) needs one kill to attain her 400th career kill. Her personal career-high eight service aces at Michigan Tech tied the school’s second-best all-time single-match mark .............. Sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) has garnered 50 or more assists in six of her last nine outings. Green is six digs away from notching her 300th career dig and two kills shy of recording her 100th career kill ........... Sophomore outside hitter Annie Foster (Flint/Carman-Ainsworth) compiled her 100th career dig and had a personal career-best seven kills at Michigan Tech ........... Freshman libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) is 10 digs away from tallying her 100th career dig ........ Freshman middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) posted a personal career-high 10 kills at Michigan Tech ....... Alaina Olds ranked 11th nationally in blocks per game (1.50) in the latest (Sept. 15) NCAA Division II national statistics. Fairbanks was listed 24th nationally in kills (4.30) while Olds (4.24) was 26th. Ferris ranked 25th overall in team kills per game (15.53).

Against The Competition - Ferris State opens its home portion of the schedule this weekend versus Northwood and Saginaw Valley State at Ewigleben Sports Arena.

Northwood: FSU holds a 20-15 advantage entering this Friday’s 36th series meeting with Northwood. However, the Timberwolves have won seven consecutive contests and defeated FSU 3-0 in the last meeting (11/10/01) at the 2001 GLIAC Tournament in Kellogg Arena at Battle Creek, Mich. The Bulldogs are 10-6 all-time versus the Timberwolves in Big Rapids. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 5-11 career coaching mark against Northwood. NU is presently 15-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play this campaign after registering a 3-0 win over Wayne State last Saturday (Sept. 21) in Midland, Mich. Last season, Northwood compiled a 25-9 record and advanced to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Region semifinal round. The Timberwolves are ranked 18th in the latest (Sept. 17) AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.

Saginaw Valley State: Ferris and Saginaw Valley State will square off for the 45th time this Saturday with FSU holding a 36-8 series advantage. In the last meeting (11/1/01), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-0 win at Big Rapids. Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 9-3 career coaching record against the Cardinals. FSU, which has won three of the past four contests, holds a 20-2 all-time record versus SVSU in Big Rapids. Saginaw Valley State registered a 10-25 overall record during the 2001 campaign. The Cardinals fell to 4-11 overall and 0-3 in GLIAC action this season as a result of dropping a 3-1 home decision last Saturday versus Hillsdale.

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 play three league matches next week (Oct. 1, 4-5). The Bulldogs will face the Lake Superior State Lakers Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. (EDT) in LSSU’s Bud Cooper Gymnasium at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. FSU will then battle the Ashland Eagles in a 7 p.m. (EDT) encounter Friday, Oct. 4, at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris will square off against the Findlay Oilers Saturday, Oct. 5, in a 3 p.m. (EDT) home match.