FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will host nationally-ranked archrival Grand Valley State this Tuesday, Oct. 5, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will then travel to Erie, Pa., this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8-9, for two league matches. FSU squares off against Gannon Friday (Oct. 8) at 7 p.m. (EDT) before concluding its trip against Mercyhurst Saturday (Oct. 9) in a 4 p.m. (EDT) match. GVSU is ranked 11th in the latest (Sept. 28) CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Poll.

Last Weekend – FSU, which is presently 13-4 overall and 5-2 in GLIAC action this campaign, split two GLIAC home matches this past weekend (Sept. 30 & Oct. 2) at the Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs defeated Saginaw Valley State 3-2 last Thursday (Sept. 30) and then dropped a 3-1 decision to 16th-ranked Northwood in Saturday’s (Oct. 3) third annual Bulldog Volleyball Alumni Day contest.

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 680-394 (.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 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 145-63 (.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.

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 296-113 (.724) career mark, is 178-93 (.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 four victories shy of notching her 300th career win. She claimed her 100th league victory at FSU with Thursday’s win over the Cardinals.

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.

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.

Home Sweet Home – Ferris has compiled a 224-58 (.794) record to date in 24 seasons of action (1981-present) at Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs are 66-11 (.857) in home matches since 1998, including a 7-1 (.875) 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.

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.

Bulldog Bites - Karla Fairbanks presently has 1,372 career kills to date and is 57 shy of tying Morgan Buckner (1,429; 1997-00) for fifth place on the school's career leaders list. Fairbanks has 156 career service aces to date and is 13 away from matching Kris Johnson’s (1982-85) fifth-place career mark of 169 aces at Ferris State ...... Ashley Green, who presently ranks third at FSU with 4,100 career assists, did not play last weekend due to an injury ........ Sophomore outside hitter Molly Pickvet (Pinconning) notched her 200th career kill against Northwood while sophomore outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) recorded her 400th career kill in the same contest. Baucher needs 13 digs to compile her 500th career dig ....... Karla Fairbanks has posted 20 or more kills in seven of her last nine appearances this season to date ....... Junior setter/defensive specialist Emily Clouse (Tiffin, Ohio/Bascom Hopewell-Loudon) tallied a personal career-high 55 assists versus SVSU ...... The Bulldogs were ranked eighth in service aces (3.12 apg) among the latest (Sept. 21) NCAA-II National Statistical Rankings leaders. Fairbanks ranks as the GLIAC’s second-leading performer in both kills (4.92 kpg) and aces (0.70 apg) to date.

On The Road Again – Ferris State is 592-283 (.677) overall since 1981 and sports a 386-228 (.629) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs, who posted a 6-6 (.500) road mark last campaign, are currently 2-2 (.500) away from home this season.

Up Next – Ferris will host Wayne State Friday, Oct. 15, in a 5 p.m. (EDT) conference home contest at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs will then square off against Hillsdale Saturday, Oct. 16, in a 3 p.m. (EDT) home league match.

A Look At The Opponents:

Grand Valley State: Ferris and Grand Valley State will square off for the 81st time this Tuesday with GVSU holding a 43-37 series advantage. In the last meeting (10/24/03), the Lakers recorded a 3-1 win at Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 5-11 career coaching record against Grand Valley State. GVSU, which has won eight of the last 11 series contests, is currently 15-14 all-time versus FSU in Big Rapids. 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 15-3 overall and 7-0 in league play this season as a result of a 3-0 conference home win over Saginaw Valley State last Saturday (Oct. 2). GVSU, which has won its last 11 matches this year to date, defeated the Bulldogs in both of last season’s contests. Ferris has won four of the last six meetings in Big Rapids to date.

Gannon: FSU maintains an 8-6 series edge heading into this Friday’s 15th series meeting against Gannon. GU has won four of the last seven series’ outings. Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 7-4 career coaching mark against the Knights, but dropped a 3-2 decision in the most recent meeting (11/13/03) at the GLIAC Tournament in Battle Creek, Mich. GU is presently 11-10 overall and 2-6 in the GLIAC after its 3-0 league road win at Lake Superior State Sunday (Oct. 3). Last season, Gannon posted a 21-9 overall record and a second-place 10-7 mark in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Knights, who have currently dropped six of their last seven outings this campaign, are coached by sixth-year head coach Michele Mason. Ferris is presently 4-2 versus GU all-time in home contests and 4-4 in road/neutral site encounters. The Bulldogs beat the Knights 3-2 in last season’s regular-season meeting (10/10/03) at Big Rapids.

Mercyhurst: FSU holds a 10-1 advantage entering this Saturday’s contest with Mercyhurst and posted a 3-0 triumph in the last meeting (10/11/03) at Big Rapids. Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 9-1 career coaching mark against MC. Mercyhurst, which will host Grand Valley State this Friday (Oct. 8), is presently 4-15 overall and 0-8 in conference play this campaign as a result of Sunday’s (Oct. 3) 3-0 GLIAC loss at Northern Michigan. Last season, the Lakers compiled a 16-15 overall record and placed fourth (5-12) in the league’s South Division. The Bulldogs are 5-1 all-time versus Mercyhurst in road/neutral site contests. MC, which is coached by sixth-year head coach Melissa Soboleski, has lost eight consecutive matches to date.