FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team (24-6, 15-3 GLIAC) received an at-large bid to the 2002 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament, which will be held this weekend (Nov. 22-24) at the Grand Valley State (GVSU) Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich. Ferris is the region’s third seed and will face sixth-seeded Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.), which is presently 35-8 overall, in this Friday’s (Nov. 22) 5 p.m. (EST) quarterfinal match. The Bulldogs are currently ranked 22nd overall in the latest (Nov. 12) American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II national poll.

Bulldogs Fall In GLIAC Tournament - Ferris State dropped a 3-2 decision to Gannon last Thursday (Nov. 14) in the quarterfinal round of the eighth annual Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale. The Knights advanced to the league title match before being ousted 3-0 by tournament champion GVSU last Saturday (Nov. 16). FSU, which made its fifth consecutive tournament appearance, previously claimed runner-up honors in 1998, 1999 and 2001.

Success Continues At Ferris State - FSU 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 117-44 (.727) overall since the start of the 1998 campaign. FSU’s 15-3 GLIAC mark this campaign represented its best league record since posting a 16-0 GLIAC ledger in 1990. The 2002 campaign marks the second consecutive season and third time in the last five years the Bulldogs have finished second in the GLIAC's North Division.

The 30th Season Of Bulldog Volleyball - The Ferris State women’s volleyball program is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season. Since the program’s inception in 1972, the Bulldogs have compiled a 652-375 (.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. The 1984 Ferris squad won a NCAA-II record 46 consecutive matches en route to a school-best 48-3 overall mark.

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 previous four seasons and dropped a 3-0 decision versus Northwood at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Mich.

FSU Earns 11th NCAA Bid - FSU, which will be making its 11th national tournament appearance, last participated in the regional tournament in 1999. The Bulldogs also played in the NCAA-II Tournament from 1982-87, 1989-90 and 1992. Ferris, which has posted a 7-11 overall mark in NCAA Tournament play to date, has advanced to the regional final seven times. The Bulldogs claimed the regional championship and participated in the NCAA-II Elite Eight in both 1987 and 1989. In its last regional tournament contest (11/20/99), Ferris dropped a 3-1 semifinal round decision versus Northern Kentucky at Highland Heights, Ky.

The Regional Field - The winner of this Friday’s match will face second-seeded Northwood (28-5) in Saturday’s (Nov. 23) first semifinal match at 5 p.m. (EST). The other quarterfinal-round match pits Lewis (Ill.), which is currently 25-4 overall, against fifth-seeded Southern Indiana (25-7) this Friday at 7:30 p.m. (EST). The winner will battle top-seeded Grand Valley State (29-2) in Saturday’s second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. (EST) with the regional title match slated for Sunday at 5 p.m. (EST). The winner of Sunday’s championship match will advance to the 22nd annual NCAA-II Elite Eight, which will be held Dec. 5-7 at a campus site to be determined.

Three Bulldogs Earn All-League Honors - Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley), sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.) have been named to the first-team 2002 All-GLIAC squad. Freshman libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) was an honorable mention selection while head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm garnered GLIAC Coach of the Year laurels for the second time. Twelve individuals were named to both the first and second teams while 13 others received honorable mention accolades. Ferris and Northwood both had a league-leading three first-team picks. Olds was one of three repeat first-team honorees.

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 268-94 (.740) career mark, is 150-74 (.670) in seven seasons at Ferris. 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 season ranked 11th among NCAA-II’s winningest active coaches.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 564-264 (.681) overall since 1981 and sports a 371-212 (.636) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. FSU is 8-2 (.800) overall in neutral site matches this season.

Bulldog Bites - Ashley Green notched a personal career-high 70 assists against Gannon last Thursday, which represents the fourth-best single-match total in school history ........... Senior middle hitter Angie Desmarais (Jackson/Lumen Christi) registered her 500th career kill and had a career-high tying 18 digs versus the Knights. The 5-11 Desmarais also tallied 18 digs on two other occasions – against Henderson State (9/6/02) and Lewis (9/8/01) ....... Sophomore outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) presently has 575 career kills and needs 25 more to record her 600th career kill. The 5-10 Fairbanks is three digs shy of garnering her 300th career dig ..... Ferris’ three first-team all-conference honorees this campaign are the school’s most since three players received first-team accolades in 1987 ..... FSU posted the school’s third-best all-time single-match total with 89 kills versus Gannon. The Bulldogs’ 83 assists tied a school single-match record previously recorded against Northwood (10/20/92) ..... Senior outside hitter Erin Rind (Carol Stream, Ill./Streamwood) attained a personal career-high 13 kills against Gannon ....... Alaina Olds currently ranks first in kills (4.42 kpg), third in attack percentage (.347) and sixth in blocks (1.10) in the league’s overall statistical rankings. Green is second in assists (11.91 apg) while Stephanie Speed is second in service aces (0.70 spg).

Speed Closing In On Mark - Stephanie Speed presently has 938 career digs and needs 62 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. The 5-8 Speed registered her first career triple-double performance in Ferris' 3-1 league win at Saginaw Valley State (11/8) as she tallied 12 kills, 12 digs and a school single-match record 12 service aces. Speed, who has compiled 10 or more digs in 12 of her last 17 outings to date, leads Ferris with 360 digs in 111 games (3.24 dpg) this campaign. She has also compiled a team-leading 78 service aces this season and needs four more to tie Kris Johnson (82; 1984) for fifth place on Ferris’ single-season chart. Speed presently has 581 career kills and needs 19 more to record her 600th career kill.

Olds Has Career Day - Alaina Olds tallied a personal career-high 27 kills versus Gannon last Thursday. Olds, who has registered at least one kill in 78 consecutive appearances, presently has 1,205 career kills and is 35 shy of tying Stephanie Chaffin (1,240; 1989-92) for eighth place on Ferris’ career kills chart. She currently has 444 career blocks and needs one more to move into a tie for fourth place with Jamie Kowalkowski (445; 1995-98) on Ferris' career blocks leaders list. The 5-11 Olds has garnered 10 or more kills in 23 of her last 25 matches to date. A first-team 2001 AVCA Division II All-Great Lakes Region pick, Olds is both Ferris’ kills (4.42 kpg) and blocks (1.10 bpg) leader this season. She currently ranks third among FSU’s career leaders in attack percentage (.287) and has compiled 16 double-double (kills & digs) performances this campaign. Her current .347 season attack percentage (486-136-1009) ranks second on FSU's single-season chart.

Wheeling Jesuit Match Preview - Ferris holds a 2-0 series advantage heading into this Friday’s regional quarterfinal with both matches having taken place during the Tia Brandel-Wilhelm era. In the last meeting (8/31/02), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-1 win (21-30, 30-24, 30-20, 30-21) at the Wheeling Jesuit Invitational in Wheeling, W.Va. Ferris’ also captured a 3-2 win (15-3, 5-15, 11-15, 15-5, 15-11) versus WJU in the Ferris State Invitational (8/27/99) at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids. Wheeling Jesuit, which is coached by first-year head coach Christy Benner, registered a 34-8 overall record during the 2001 campaign and made the school’s first NCAA-II Tournament appearance. The Cardinals, who have won 12 consecutive matches to date, improved to 35-8 overall as a result of claiming a 3-1 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Tournament Championship win over Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) Nov. 9 at Summersville, W.Va. WJU, which has won two-straight WVIAC Tournament titles, will be making its second consecutive NCAA-II Tournament appearance. Northwood dealt the Cardinals a 3-0 setback (30-27, 30-22, 30-16) in the 2001 regional quarterfinal round at Grand Valley State.