FERRIS PICKED FOURTH IN GLIAC PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL POLL

Bulldogs Register 26 Points In Voting By League Head Coaches

Junior middle hitter Becky Thurau and her Bulldog teammates were picked fourth in the 2004 GLIAC North Division Preseason Coaches Poll

The Ferris State University women's volleyball team was picked to finish fourth in the 2004 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Volleyball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll, which was released Monday (Aug. 23) by the league office.

The Bulldogs totaled 26 points in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. A year ago, Ferris State also took fourth place in the conference's preseason coaches poll with 22 points.

Northern Michigan was the favorite to repeat as divisional champions as the Wildcats recorded 33 points along with four first-place votes. Findlay, which claimed last season's South Division crown, 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. The first-place team in the North Division ballot received six points while the second-place team received five points, etc. In the South Division, the first-place team was granted five points while the second-place team took four points, etc.

The GLIAC proved to be one of Division II's toughest conferences last season, sending three teams - Grand Valley State, Northern Michigan and Findlay - to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament. GVSU emerged as the regional champion before reaching the semifinals of the NCAA-II Elite Eight.

FSU compiled the program's sixth consecutive winning campaign with a 15-14 overall record in 2003, including a third-place 12-6 GLIAC North Division finish. The Bulldogs, who won 12 of their final 18 matches last season, return all 12 of their 2003 squad members for the 2004 campaign.

Ferris State opens its 32nd season of varsity competition this Friday-Saturday, Aug. 27-28, by hosting the Ferris State Invitational at FSU's Ewigleben Sports Complex in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs are slated to face Midwestern State (Texas) in this Friday's 3 p.m. (EDT) non-league opener and square off against West Virginia State at 6 p.m. (EDT). FSU will then battle California (Pa.) and Saint Joseph's (Ind.) in non-conference action this Saturday at 12 p.m. (EDT) and 3 p.m. (EDT), respectively.

The following is the complete 2004 GLIAC Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll with first-place votes in parenthesis.

North Division
1. Northern Michigan (4) - 33 points
2. Northwood (2) - 28 points
3. Grand Valley State (1) - 27 points
4. Ferris State - 26 points
5. Michigan Tech - 16 points
6. Lake Superior State - 10 points
7. Saginaw Valley State - 7 points

South Division
1. Findlay (4) - 24 points
2. Hillsdale (2) - 22 points
3. Ashland - 16 points
4. Mercyhurst - 12 points
5. Gannon - 9 points
6. Wayne State - 7 points