FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team opens Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action Friday, Sept. 17, versus Findlay at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. Match time is set for 7 p.m. (EDT). The Bulldogs will then host Ashland Saturday, Sept. 18, in a 4 p.m. (EDT) league home contest.

Last Weekend – FSU, which is presently 8-2 overall this campaign, won two of three matches at last weekend’s (Sept. 10-11) Great Lakes Region Crossover in Wheeling, W.Va. The Bulldogs defeated Indianapolis 3-2 Friday (Sept. 10) before dropping a 3-2 decision to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Saturday (Sept. 11) morning. Ferris concluded play with a 3-0 triumph over Fairmont State (W.Va.) in Saturday afternoon’s 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 675-392 (.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 140-61 (.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.

GLIAC Player Of Week – Karla Fairbanks was named this week’s (Sept. 13) GLIAC North Division Player of the Week after registering 50 kills, 32 digs, six service aces and five total blocks in two appearances last weekend. She totaled a match-high 27 kills versus SIUE and added 23 kills against Indianapolis. Fairbanks, who averaged 5.00 kills per game, also tallied 16 digs, three service aces and two blocks against Indianapolis along with 16 digs, three aces and three block assists versus SIUE. She did not play against Fairmont State (W.Va.).

Conference Openers – Ferris is 10-4 (.714) in conference openers since 1990 and sports a 5-1 home mark in those matches during that period. The Bulldogs have won five of their last six league openers to date. Meanwhile, FSU sports an 8-6 record in its second league match of each season dating back to 1990. Last season (2003), the Bulldogs lost their league opener at Findlay (9/19) 3-1 before beating Ashland (9/20) 3-1 on the road in their second league match.

Making A Comparison – Ferris has averaged 14.0 kills and 11.7 digs per game through 10 matches as compared to last season’s 10-match averages of 13.5 kills and 9.8 digs per game. The Bulldogs have recorded a .217 attack percentage to date this campaign versus their .254 hitting percentage over the same span last year. FSU, which was 3-7 overall after 10 outings last campaign, has presently posted an 15-5 mark in the opening two games of matches this season. Ferris recorded an 8-12 record in its first two games through 10 matches in 2003.

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 291-111 (.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 nine victories shy of notching her 300th career win. FSU’s victory over Indianapolis came in Brandel-Wilhelm’s 400th career match as a head coach.

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.

Bulldog Bites - Karla Fairbanks has 1,232 career kills to date and moved past former player Alaina Olds (1,222; 1999-02) into ninth place on FSU's all-time chart last weekend. Fairbanks is eight kills away from matching Stephanie Chaffin's (1989-92) eighth-place mark of 1,240 kills ....... Seven of FSU's eight victories to date this campaign have came by 3-0 scores ...... Sophomore outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) registered her 300th career kill versus Indianapolis ..... Junior middle hitter Lauren Heine (Ypsilanti) currently is one kill shy of tallying her 300th career kill ..... FSU has recorded more kills than its opponent in 16 of its last 17 outings dating back to last season ..... Junior middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) notched her 400th career kill against Fairmont State ...... Ferris has compiled a 9-7 (.563) mark to date in five Great Lakes Region Crossover appearances following its 2-1 mark this past weekend. The Bulldogs are 6-7 (.462) versus the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and 3-0 (1.000) against the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) since the event began in 2000. The event, which was formerly called the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge, was expanded in 2003 to include WVIAC member schools ..... The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 all-time against Fairmont State with Saturday's victory.

Ewigleben Sports Arena – Ferris has compiled a 221-57 (.795) record to date in 24 seasons of action (1981-present) at Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs are 63-10 (.863) in home matches since 1998, including a 4-0 (1.000) mark this campaign. In 2002, Ferris posted an 8-0 home mark, 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.

Up Next – Ferris heads to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula next weekend (Sept. 23-25) for three league matches. FSU visits Lake Superior State Thursday, Sept 23, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) tilt in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Ferris will then battle Northern Michigan Friday, Sept. 24, in a 7 p.m. (EDT) encounter at Marquette, Mich. The Bulldogs square off against Michigan Tech Saturday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. (EDT) in Houghton, Mich.

A Look At The Opponents:

Findlay: Ferris State holds a 4-3 series edge entering this Friday’s meeting, but dropped a 3-1 decision to the Oilers last season (9/19/03) at Findlay, Ohio. The Oilers are currently 10-1 overall heading into this Tuesday’s (Sept. 14) league road match at Ashland as a result of last Saturday’s (Sept. 11) 3-2 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the Great Lakes Region Crossover. UF compiled a 29-8 overall record in 2003, including a first-place 14-3 GLIAC South Division finish. Findlay, which has won six consecutive outings to date, is coached by seventh-year head coach Wick Colchagoff. FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently holds a 4-3 career coaching mark versus UF. The Oilers were picked first in the 2004 GLIAC South Division Preseason Poll.

Ashland: The Bulldogs own a 9-1 series advantage heading into this Saturday’s tilt with Ashland. AU tallied a 7-22 overall record and a sixth-place 3-14 GLIAC South Division mark in 2003. The Eagles, who are coached by second-year head coach Connie Surowicz, are currently 7-1 overall heading into this Tuesday’s (Sept. 14) league home contest versus Findlay and this Friday’s (Sept. 17) conference meeting at Grand Valley State following last Saturday’s (Sept. 11) 3-0 home win over Shippensburg (Pa.). Ashland has split its last two contests this campaign to date. The Bulldogs, who have won the last six meetings, are currently 7-1 against the Eagles in the Brandel-Wilhelm era. AU was chosen third in the GLIAC’s 2004 South Division Preseason Poll.