FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will host Wayne State in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action Friday, Oct. 15, at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Match time is set for 5 p.m. (EDT). The Bulldogs will then square off against Hillsdale Saturday, Oct. 16, in a 3 p.m. (EDT) league home encounter.

Last Week – FSU, which is presently 15-5 overall and 7-3 in GLIAC action this campaign, won two of three conference matches last week. The Bulldogs dropped a 3-1 home decision to nationally-ranked Grand Valley State before a capacity crowd of 600 last Tuesday (Oct. 5) before bouncing back to post 3-0 and 3-1 road wins over Gannon and Mercyhurst, respectively, last weekend (Oct. 8-9) in Erie, Pa. GVSU was ranked 11th in the latest (Oct. 5) CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Poll.

Regional Rankings – Ferris presently ranks fifth in this season’s initial (Oct. 6) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Rankings. The GLIAC holds the top seven spots in the regional poll with GVSU (1st), Hillsdale (2nd), Northwood (3rd), Northern Michigan (4th), Ashland (6th) and Findlay (7th) all being represented. The top eight teams in the region, which consists of the GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conferences (WVIAC), qualify for the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament.

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 682-395 (.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 AVCA All-America accolades in 2003. Green was an honorable mention AVCA All-Great Lakes Region pick 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 147-64 (.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.

Player Of The Week – Karla Fairbanks has been named this week’s (Oct. 11) GLIAC North Division Player of the Week for the third time this campaign after compiling 57 kills, 26 digs, 11 blocks and four service aces in three matches last week. The All-America candidate presently has 1,429 career kills and tied Morgan Buckner (1,429; 1997-00) for fifth place among the school's career leaders versus Mercyhurst. Fairbanks has 160 career service aces to date and is nine away from matching Kris Johnson's (1982-85) fifth-place career mark of 169 aces at FSU. The 5-11 Fairbanks has posted 20 or more kills in eight of her last 12 appearances this season to date. She is 11 digs shy of attaining her 800th career dig.

Another Winning Year – The Bulldogs’ current 15-5 mark with eight regular-season matches remaining assures themselves of recording the program’s seventh consecutive winning campaign and matches last season’s victory total (15-14). Ferris has won at least 10 matches in each of its last 24 campaigns dating back to 1981.

Starting Out Strong – Ferris’ current 7-3 league mark this campaign represents the seventh time the Bulldogs have won seven of their initial 10 GLIAC outings in nine seasons under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm. The Bulldogs have won at least seven of their first 10 conference tilts in six of the last seven seasons to date. Last season (2003), Ferris also registered a 7-3 mark through 10 league matches.

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 298-114 (.723) career mark, is 180-94 (.657) in nine 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 two victories shy of notching her 300th career win.

Home Sweet Home – Ferris has compiled a 224-59 (.792) record to date in 24 seasons of action (1981-present) at Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs are 66-12 (.846) in home matches since 1998, including a 7-2 (.778) mark this campaign. In 2002, Ferris posted an 8-0 home record, which was the program’s sixth undefeated campaign in the 600-seat facility. FSU was 6-2 at home last season.

Between The Lines – FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm will make periodic 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 Shannon Vesper and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ET) and 8 p.m. (ET), respectively, on FSU’s Cable Channel 7.

Bulldog Bites - Sophomore outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) compiled her 500th career dig versus GVSU. Baucher tallied a personal career-high 30 digs at Mercyhurst, which ranks as the school's seventh-best single match total in the program's history ........ The Bulldogs improved to 11-1 all-time versus Mercyhurst with Saturday's (Oct. 9) triumph ........ Freshman outside hitter Lindsay Tye (Gregory/Chelsea) netted a personal career-best 17 digs against Mercyhurst .......... Ferris has presently won eight of its last nine league regular-season matches against GLIAC South Division opponents dating back to last campaign ......... Junior setter/defensive specialist Emily Clouse (Tiffin, Ohio/Bascom Hopewell-Loudon) picked up her 300th career assist versus Mercyhurst ......... Brittny Godlewski needs 12 digs to register her 800th career dig ........ Sophomore middle hitter Karla White (New Baltimore/Anchor Bay) notched her 200th career kill at Mercyhurst ..... The Bulldogs have compiled a 56-9 (.862) overall record in three-game matches since the start of the 2000 campaign. FSU is currently 25-7 (.781) in October matches dating back to 2001.

Statistical Rankings – Karla Fairbanks currently ranks second in kills (4.97 kpg) and third in service aces (0.64 apg) in the league’s overall statistical rankings while Ashley Green is fourth in assists (11.22 apg). The Bulldogs lead the GLIAC in opponent’s hitting percentage (.147) and rank third in aces (2.60 apg). Ferris ranks 18th in team aces in the latest (Oct. 4) NCAA Division II national statistical rankings. Fairbanks is 18th in kills and 23rd in aces among the national leaders.

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 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.

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.

Up Next – Ferris will visit Grand Valley State Thursday, Oct. 21, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) GLIAC contest in GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich.

A Look At The Opponents:

Wayne State: Ferris and Wayne State will square off for the 66th time this Friday with FSU holding a 38-27 series advantage. In the last meeting (10/17/03), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-2 win at Detroit, Mich. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 6-3 career coaching record against Wayne State. FSU, which has won the last six series contests to date, holds a 17-6 edge over the Warriors in Big Rapids. WSU compiled a 9-16 overall record in 2003, including a fifth-place 5-12 GLIAC South Division finish. The Warriors, under first-year head coach Ernie Gilbert, improved to 10-8 overall and 5-5 in league play this season as a result of a 3-2 conference home win over Michigan Tech last Sunday (Oct. 12). WSU has won its last two matches this campaign to date.

Hillsdale: FSU maintains a 44-9 series edge heading into this Saturday’s 54th series meeting against Hillsdale. The Bulldogs have won three of the last five series outings, but dropped a 3-1 decision in the last meeting (10/18/03) at Hillsdale, Mich. Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 10-2 career coaching mark against the Chargers. HC is presently 14-4 overall and 7-2 in league action this season heading into this Friday’s (Oct. 15) league road match at Grand Valley State after registering a 3-1 conference home win over Lake Superior State last Sunday (Oct. 10). Last season, Hillsdale posted a 17-15 overall record and a third-place 9-8 mark in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Chargers, who have currently won 10 of their last 12 outings this campaign, are directed by ninth-year head coach Chris Gravel. Ferris is presently 20-1 versus HC all-time in home contests at Big Rapids.