FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will visit archrival and nationally-ranked Grand Valley State Thursday, Oct. 21, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match at GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich. The Lakers are ranked 10th in the latest (Oct. 12) CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II National Poll.

Last Week – FSU, which is presently 17-5 overall and 9-3 in GLIAC action this campaign, won two conference home matches last weekend (Oct. 15-16) at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs swept Wayne State 3-0 last Friday (Oct. 15) and then topped 25th-ranked Hillsdale 3-0 Saturday (Oct. 16).

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. The next regional rankings will be released this Wednesday (Oct. 20).

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 684-395 (.634) 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 149-64 (.700) 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.

GLIAC Player Of The Week – Karla Fairbanks has been named this week’s (Oct. 18) Schelde/GLIAC North Division Player of the Week for the second consecutive week and fourth time overall this campaign after totaling 32 kills, 25 digs, seven blocks and six service aces in the two weekend outings. Fairbanks, who averaged 5.33 kills along with 4.17 digs, 1.17 blocks and 1.00 aces per game in the stretch, compiled a match-high 22 kills, 14 digs, four aces and three blocks against Wayne State. She added 10 kills, 11 digs, four blocks and two aces in Saturday's win over Hillsdale. The 5-11 Fairbanks, who hit .211 for the weekend, has also attained league weekly award accolades Sept. 13, Sept. 29 and Oct. 11 this season.

Three Aces Away – Karla Fairbanks has 166 career service aces to date and is three away from matching Kris Johnson's (1982-85) fifth-place career mark of 169 aces at Ferris State. The 5-11 Fairbanks has posted 20 or more kills in nine of her last 13 appearances this season to date. She attained her 800th career dig versus Wayne State and currently ranks fifth on FSU’s career kills chart with 1,461 kills to date.

Solid League Start – Ferris’ current 9-3 league mark this campaign represents the seventh time the Bulldogs have won at least eight of their initial 12 GLIAC outings in nine seasons under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm. The Bulldogs have won at least eight of their first 12 conference tilts in six of the last seven seasons to date. Last season (2003), Ferris registered an 8-4 mark through 12 league matches.

Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm – FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, who presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching victory leaders, garnered her 300th career victory against Hillsdale. Brandel-Wilhelm, who has a current 300-114 (.725) career mark, is 182-94 (.659) in nine seasons at Ferris after previously serving as West Virginia Wesleyan’s head coach from 1993-95. A 1990 Alma graduate, Brandel-Wilhelm guided the Bulldogs to NCAA-II Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2002. She was voted the GLIAC’s Coach of the Year in 2002.

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 – Ferris has presently won 10 of its last 11 league regular-season matches against GLIAC South Division opponents dating back to last campaign ........ Brittny Godlewski registered her 800th career dig against Wayne State ........... The Bulldogs have compiled a 58-9 (.866) overall record in three-game matches since the start of the 2000 campaign. FSU is currently 27-7 (.794) in October matches dating back to 2001 ............ Junior middle hitter Lauren Heine (Ypsilanti) registered her 200th career block versus Wayne State ............ Junior middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) is currently 27 kills away from recording her 500th career kill ........... Junior setter/defensive specialist Emily Clouse (Tiffin, Ohio/Bascom Hopewell-Loudon) tallied her 500th career assist against the Warriors.

On The Road – Ferris State is 596-284 (.677) overall since 1981 and sports a 388-228 (.630) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs, who posted a 6-6 (.500) road mark last campaign, are currently 4-2 (.667) away from home this season.

Another Winning Year – The Bulldogs’ current 17-5 mark with six regular-season matches remaining assures themselves of recording the program’s seventh consecutive winning campaign and surpasses 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.

Statistical Rankings – Karla Fairbanks currently ranks second in kills (5.00 kpg) and third in service aces (0.66 apg) in the league’s overall statistical rankings while Ashley Green is fifth in assists (11.22 apg). The Bulldogs lead the GLIAC in opponent’s hitting percentage (.141) and rank second in aces (2.57 apg).

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.

The 2004 GLIAC Tourney – The 2004 GLIAC Tournament returns to campus sites this season following a one-year hiatus. The top three teams in each division plus the next two best overall teams will qualify for the postseason tournament. The top four teams will host quarterfinal-round action Wednesday, Nov. 10, with the top remaining seed selected to host the semifinals/finals Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13-14. Ferris has six league matches remaining this season.

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 Saginaw Valley State Friday, Oct. 29, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) GLIAC contest at University Center, Mich. FSU will then battle Northwood Saturday, Oct. 30, in a 4 p.m. (EDT) league tilt at Midland, Mich.

A Look At The Opponent:

Grand Valley State: Ferris and Grand Valley State will square off for the 82nd time this Thursday with GVSU holding a 44-37 series advantage. In the last meeting (10/5/04), the Lakers recorded a 3-1 win at Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 5-12 career coaching record against Grand Valley State. GVSU, which has won nine of the last 12 series contests, holds a 28-23 all-time record versus FSU in Allendale, Mich. Grand Valley State compiled a 30-8 overall record in 2003, including a second-place 16-2 GLIAC North Division finish and a berth in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The Lakers, who are coached by 10th-year head coach Deanne Scanlon, improved to 20-3 overall and 12-0 in league play this season as a result of a 3-0 conference home win over Wayne State last Saturday (Oct. 16). GVSU, which has won its last 16 matches this year to date, defeated the Bulldogs in both of last season’s contests.