FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will take part in the Grand Valley State Days Inn Classic this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 5-6) at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich. The Bulldogs are slated to face Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) and North Alabama in non-conference action this Friday at 11 a.m. (EDT) and 4 p.m. (EDT), respectively. FSU will then conclude tourney play this Saturday with a 10 a.m. (EDT) non-league encounter against Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.). Seven teams are taking part in the event.

A Look Back – FSU compiled an 0-3 mark in the North Florida Labor Day Classic last weekend (Aug. 29-30) at Jacksonville, Fla. The Bulldogs dropped a 3-0 decision to tournament host North Florida in last Friday’s (Aug. 29) season opener. Ferris then lost consecutive 3-0 matches versus Barry (Fla.) and Tampa (Fla.) last Saturday (Aug. 30). Tampa (No. 2), Barry (No. 8) and North Florida (No. 18) were all ranked in the preseason (Aug. 12) American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.

Last Season – Ferris State concluded its 30th anniversary campaign (2002) with a 24-7 overall record, which included a second-place tying 15-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division finish. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (11/22) before dropping a 3-2 decision to Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) in Allendale, Mich.

The 31st Season – The 2003 campaign marks the 31st season of Ferris State women’s volleyball. Since the program’s inception in 1972, the Bulldogs have compiled a 652-379 (.632) overall record. Ferris has won eight GLIAC titles, made 11 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and registered 23 winning seasons in its previous 30 campaigns.

Leading The Way – Junior setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), junior outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) and sophomore libero/outside hitter Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) have been voted tri-captains for the 2003 campaign. Green was both a first-team All-GLIAC and AVCA All-Great Lakes Region selection last season while Godlewski attained honorable mention All-GLIAC kudos. Fairbanks ranked second (3.73 kgp) among Ferris’ kills leaders in 2002.

On The Road – Ferris State is 564-268 (.678) overall since 1981 and sports a 371-216 (.632) record in road/neutral site matches during that span.

The Bulldog Volleyball Tradition – Ferris State posted its fifth consecutive 20-win campaign last season. The Bulldogs, who have recorded at least 20 victories in a season 16 times, are presently 117-48 (.709) 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.

Fairbanks Notches 600th Kill – Karla Fairbanks notched her 600th career kill against North Florida and presently has 631 career kills to date. The 5-11 Fairbanks, who totaled a team-high 36 kills in nine games (4.0 kpg) during Ferris' season-opening trip, currently has 142 career blocks and needs eight more to record her 150th career block. She has recorded at least one kill in 64 consecutive matches to date. The 2002 GLIAC All-Academic Team selection registered a match-high 18 kills versus Barry and added 11 kills along with 10 digs against Tampa. Fairbanks, who has recorded 10 or more kills in nine of her last 13 appearances to date, presently has 326 career digs and is 24 shy of registering her 350th career dig.

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 268-98 (.732) career mark, is 150-78 (.658) in eight seasons at Ferris and recorded her 150th Bulldog victory last season at Saginaw Valley State (11/8). A 1990 Alma graduate, Brandel-Wilhelm guided the Bulldogs to NCAA-II Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2002. She previously spent three seasons as head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan (1993-1995) in Buckhannon, W.Va., where she led the Bobcats to a fifth-place finish at the 1995 NCAA-II Championships. Brandel-Wilhelm, who was voted the GLIAC’s Coach of the Year in 2002, entered the 2003 season ranked 13th among NCAA-II’s winningest active coaches.

Bulldog Athletics Luncheon – The initial Bulldog Athletics Luncheon of the 2003-04 athletics season will be held Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 12-1 p.m. (EDT) at FSU’s Wheeler Pavilion located at Top Taggart Field. Featured speakers include FSU women’s volleyball head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, football head coach Jeff Pierce and first-year women’s soccer head coach Melissa Eging. For more information, please contact the FSU Alumni Office at (231) 591-2345.

Bulldog Bites - Ashley Green is one assist shy of recording her 2,400th career assist. The 5-9 Green is 381 assists away from tying Lisa Chard (2,780; 1998-99) for fifth place on the school's career assists leaders list. She attained her 50th career service ace versus Barry ........ The Bulldogs' season-opening loss to North Florida marked the first team FSU has lost its initial contest under eighth-year head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm. Ferris had won seven consecutive season-openers and 12 of its last 14 overall entering the 2003 campaign. FSU is 25-6 (.806) all-time in season-opening encounters to date ....... Freshman outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) posted a team-high nine kills in her collegiate debut against North Florida ......... Brittny Godlewski presently has 284 career digs and is 16 shy of garnering her 300th career dig ............... Sophomore middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) attained her 100th career kill versus Barry ........... Sophomore middle hitter Lauren Heine (Ypsilanti) recorded a personal career-high four blocks against North Florida ....... The Bulldogs’ first home match is slated for Thursday, Sept. 25, against Michigan Tech. The league match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. (EDT) start at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena.

Against The Field - Ferris will take part in the Grand Valley State Days Inn Classic this Friday and Saturday in Allendale, Mich.

Alderson-Broaddus: Ferris State holds a 2-0 series edge entering this Friday’s meeting with Alderson-Broaddus and defeated the Battlers 3-0 at the Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) Invitational (9/1/02). The Battlers are currently 2-1 overall as a result of last Saturday’s (Aug. 30) 3-0 win over the host school at the Geneva College Pizza Joe’s Invitational in Beaver Falls, Pa. Alderson-Broaddus compiled a 25-11 overall record in 2002, including a second-place 12-1 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) finish. AB is coached by ninth-year head coach J.D. Long.

North Alabama: The Bulldogs will square off against North Alabama for the first time this Friday. UNA tallied a 30-5 overall record and a first-place 17-0 Gulf South Conference mark in 2002. The Lions, who are coached by ninth-year head coach Matt Peck, were ranked ninth in the 2003 AVCA Division II Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. UNA, which advanced to the NCAA-II South Central Regional Tournament last season, currently is 3-1 overall following last Saturday’s (Aug. 30) 3-1 loss to Metropolitan State (Colo.) in the UNA/Ricatoni’s Classic at Florence, Ala.

Wheeling Jesuit: The Bulldogs hold a 2-1 series advantage despite dropping a 3-2 decision to the Cardinals in the 2002 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (11/22) at Allendale, Mich. WJU, which has claimed two consecutive WVIAC championships to date, posted a 36-9 overall record and a 13-0 league mark last season. The Cardinals, who are coached by second-year head coach Christy Benner, are currently 4-0 overall heading into this Friday’s (Sept. 5) matches versus Wayne State and Grand Valley State after last Saturday’s (Aug. 30) 3-1 triumph over South Dakota State in the Lewis (Ill.) Invitational at Romeoville, Ill.

GLIAC Poll - Ferris was picked to finish fourth in the 2003 GLIAC Volleyball Coaches North Division Preseason Poll (Aug. 21) with 22 points in the balloting. Grand Valley State, the 2002 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Champions, was the favorite to repeat as divisional champions while Findlay was 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, schedules and the latest results.

Looking Ahead - Ferris State will take part in the Great Lakes Region Crossover Tournament Friday-Saturday, Sept. 12-13, at Highland Heights, Ky. FSU will square off against Southern Indiana and West Virginia Wesleyan in non-league action Sept. 12 at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) and 5 p.m. (EDT), respectively. The Bulldogs will then conclude tournament play Sept. 13 versus host Northern Kentucky and Fairmont State (W.Va.) at 12:30 p.m. (EDT) and 5:30 p.m. (EDT), respectively.