FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team heads to Wheeling, W.Va., this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10-11, for the annual Great Lakes Region Crossover at Wheeling Jesuit University. The Bulldogs will face Indianapolis this Friday (Sept. 10) in its 1 p.m. (EDT) opener and then battle Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Fairmont State (W.Va.) Saturday (Sept. 11) at 9 a.m. (EDT) and 4 p.m. (EDT), respectively. All four matches are non-conference tilts. Six schools each from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) are taking part in the two-day event.

Last Weekend – FSU, which is presently 6-1 overall this campaign, won two of three matches at last weekend’s (Sept. 3-4) Cal-State Dominguez Hills Toro Classic in Carson, Calif. The Bulldogs defeated Humboldt State (Calif.) 3-0 Friday (Sept. 3) before dropping a 3-1 decision to the host Toros the same evening. Ferris concluded play with a 3-0 triumph over Merrimack (Mass.) in Saturday’s (Sept. 4) finale.

Last Season – Ferris posted a 15-14 overall mark during the 2003 campaign, which represented the program's sixth consecutive winning season and included a third-place 12-6 GLIAC North Division finish. The Bulldogs also made their sixth-straight league tournament appearance in 2003.

The 32nd Season – The 2004 campaign marks the 32nd season of Ferris State women’s volleyball. Since the program’s inception in 1972, the Bulldogs have compiled a 673-391 (.633) overall record. Ferris has won eight GLIAC titles, made 11 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and registered 24 winning seasons in its previous 31 campaigns.

Bulldog Captains – Senior setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), senior outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) and junior libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) were voted tri-captains for the 2004 campaign. Fairbanks attained honorable mention American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America accolades in 2003. Green was both a first-team All-GLIAC and honorable mention AVCA All-Great Lakes Region selection last season while Godlewski received second-team Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region kudos.

The Bulldog Volleyball Tradition – Ferris State has won 20 or more matches in five of its last six seasons to date. The Bulldogs, who have recorded at least 20 victories in a season 16 times, are presently 138-60 (.697) 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.

On The Road Again – Ferris State is 585-280 (.676) overall since 1981 and sports a 382-226 (.628) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs were 3-6 (.333) overall in neutral site matches last season.

Two Named To Tourney Team – Karla Fairbanks and sophomore middle hitter Karla White (New Baltimore/Anchor Bay) were both named to the Cal-State Dominguez Hills Toro Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend. Fairbanks notched 32 kills, 12 service aces, 12 digs and five total blocks in FSU’s three outings while White totaled 26 kills along with nine blocks.

The Right Price – FSU’s Brittny Godlewski will appear on national television in the near future thanks to last Thursday (Sept. 2) afternoon's taping of the popular television game show "The Price Is Right" in Los Angeles, Calif. Godlewski, who attended the taping during the Bulldogs’ trip to the Toro Classic, was among the contestants chosen to "Come On Down" and appear on stage in the advance taping of the show tentatively slated to air nationwide on CBS Television Monday, Nov. 15. The "Price Is Right" airs locally Monday thru Friday at 11 a.m. (ET) on WWTV-TV 9&10 of Cadillac, Mich.

Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm – FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching victory leaders. Brandel-Wilhelm, who has a current 289-110 (.724) career mark, is 171-90 (.655) in eight seasons at Ferris. A 1990 Alma graduate, Brandel-Wilhelm guided the Bulldogs to NCAA-II Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2002. Brandel-Wilhelm, who was voted the GLIAC’s Coach of the Year in 2002, currently is 11 victories shy of notching her 300th career win. Friday’s match versus SIUE will be her 400th career match as a head coach.

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, statistics, yearbooks and more.

Bulldog Bites - Karla Fairbanks currently has 1,182 career kills and moved past Patti Stirling (1,157) into 10th place on FSU's all-time chart last weekend. She is 40 kills shy of tying Alaina Olds’ (1,222; 1999-02) ninth place career total ...... Karla White, who presently has 55 kills in seven matches this campaign, has already matched her kills total of a season ago when she recorded 55 kills in 24 appearances ......... The Bulldogs' current 20-player roster is the program's largest roster in school history ......... Sophomore outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) currently needs two kills to register her 300th career kill ..... Ferris has recorded more kills than its opponent in 13 of its last 14 outings dating back to last season ..... FSU had never faced Humboldt State (Calif.), CSU-Dominguez Hills or Merrimack (Mass.) prior to taking part in the Toro Classic ...... Junior middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) presently is 19 kills away from garnering her 400th career kill ...... Ferris has compiled a 7-6 (.538) mark to date in four previous Great Lakes Region Crossover appearances, including a 5-6 (.455) record versus the GLVC and a 2-0 (1.000) mark against the WVIAC. The event, which was formerly called the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge, was expanded in 2003 to include WVIAC member schools. FSU has taken part in the event each season since it began in 2000.

GLIAC Poll – FSU was picked to finish fourth in the 2004 GLIAC Volleyball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll, which was released by the league office. The Bulldogs totaled 26 points in the balloting conducted by the conference's head coaches. Northern Michigan was the favorite to repeat as divisional champions as the Wildcats recorded 33 points along with four first-place votes. Northwood (28 points) took second place with Grand Valley State (27) third. Findlay, which won the South Division crown last season, received 24 points and four first-place votes in being selected the South Division favorite. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play, but were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Up Next – Ferris hosts Findlay in its league opener Friday, Sept. 17, beginning at 7 p.m. (EDT) in FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena at Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will then square off against Ashland Saturday, Sept. 18, in a 4 p.m. (EDT) GLIAC home match.

A Look At The Opponents:

Indianapolis: Ferris enters Friday’s match with a 2-0 all-time mark against the Greyhounds and recorded a 3-0 triumph in the last meeting (8/24/01) at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids, Mich. UI compiled a 29-11 overall record in 2003, including a second place 12-3 finish in the GLVC’s Blue Division. The Greyhounds are presently 6-2 overall this campaign under seventh-year head coach Jody Butera after winning one of three matches at last weekend’s (Sept. 3-4) Cal-Poly Pomona Invitational in Pomona, Calif. Indianapolis was picked to finish third in the 2004 GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville: Ferris and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville will square off for the sixth time this Saturday with FSU holding a 3-2 series advantage. In the last meeting (9/14/02), the Bulldogs dropped a 3-1 decision at the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge in Allendale, Mich. Last season, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville was 25-7 overall and placed first (12-2) in the GLVC’s Green Division. The Cougars improved to 6-3 overall this season by splitting four matches at last weekend’s (Sept. 3-4) Missouri Western State Tournament in St. Joseph, Mo. SIUE, which is guided by fourth-year head coach Todd Gober, was picked second in the GLVC’s 2004 Preseason Poll.

Fairmont State: Ferris State holds a 4-0 series edge entering this Saturday’s meeting with Fairmont State and defeated the Falcons by a 3-0 score at last season’s Great Lakes Region Crossover (9/13/03) in Highland Heights, Ky. The Falcons are currently 0-3 overall to date as a result of dropping three matches in their season-opening appearance at the seventh annual Shepherd Ram Rumble (Sept. 4-5) in Shepherdstown, W.Va. FSC compiled a 16-16 overall record in 2003, including a fifth-place 12-7 WVIAC finish. Fairmont State is coached by 21st-year head coach Larry Hill and was chosen fifth in the 2004 WVIAC Preseson Coaches Poll.