FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team hits the road for two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matches this weekend (Oct. 17-18). FSU will visit Wayne State this Friday (Oct. 17) for a 7 p.m. (EDT) contest at WSU’s Matthaei Complex in Detroit, Mich. Ferris then squares off against Hillsdale Saturday (Oct. 18) in HC’s Jesse Philips Arena at Hillsdale, Mich. The match is slated to start at 1 p.m. (EDT).

A Look Back – The Bulldogs, who are presently 10-10 overall and 7-3 in league play, won two of three matches last week. FSU dropped a 3-2 GLIAC decision to nationally-ranked Grand Valley State last Tuesday (Oct. 7) in GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich. Ferris then recorded a 3-2 league triumph Friday (Oct. 10) over Gannon at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs concluded the weekend Saturday (Oct. 11) by beating Mercyhurst 3-0 in a home conference match. FSU has won seven of its last nine matches to date and is presently tied for third place in the GLIAC’s North Division standings.

Last Season – Ferris State concluded its 30th anniversary campaign (2002) with a 24-7 overall record, which included a second-place tying 15-3 GLIAC North Division finish. The Bulldogs also advanced to the 2002 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament.

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 662-386 (.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 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Great Lakes Region selection last season while Godlewski attained honorable mention All-GLIAC kudos. Fairbanks ranked second (3.73 kpg) among Ferris’ kills leaders in 2002.

On The Road Again – Ferris State is 574-275 (.676) overall since 1981 and sports a 377-222 (.629) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs are 86-57 (.601) overall in league road matches since 1987, including a 3-2 (.600) mark this season.

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 127-55 (.698) 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.

Streak Remains Alive – Ferris’ current 10-10 overall record this campaign marks the eighth consecutive season and the 12th time in the last 14 years the Bulldogs have compiled a .500 record or better in their initial 20 matches of a campaign.

Green Continuing Climb – Ashley Green presently has 3,155 career assists to date and is 288 away from tying Melissa Petty (3,443; 1991-94) for third place on the school's all-time list. Green needs five kills to attain her 200th career kill.

Fairbanks 59 Kills Shy – Karla Fairbanks led the Bulldogs with 60 kills, 58 digs, seven blocks and seven service aces last week. The 5-11 Fairbanks registered a match-high 24 kills and 20 digs at Grand Valley State. She added a match-high 28 kills and 25 digs versus Gannon. Fairbanks, who is FSU’s leader in both kills (4.49 kpg) and digs (2.28 dpg) this season, needs 59 kills to become the 13th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 career kills mark. She is also three aces shy of garnering her 100th career ace.

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 278-105 (.726) career mark, is 160-85 (.653) 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. 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.

Looking Ahead – Ferris State hosts rival Grand Valley State Friday, Oct. 24, in a home league match at the Ewigleben Sports Arena. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. (EDT) start.

Bulldog Bites - Nine of FSU's 10 losses this season have occurred against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the latest (Oct. 7) AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll ....... Since the 2001 campaign, Ferris State has compiled a 21-3 (.875) overall record to date during October. FSU, which is currently 4-1 in October this campaign, posted a 10-1 (.909) October mark last season ....... The Bulldogs have presently won 12 of their last 13 home matches and 22 of their last 28 GLIAC regular-season encounters dating back to the start of the 2002 campaign ........ Karla Fairbanks has recorded 10 kills or more in 11 of her last 12 outings to date. She tallied her 500th career dig versus Gannon ........... Ferris State improved its all-time home mark versus Mercyhurst to 5-0 with Saturday's victory .......... Freshman outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) is 20 kills and eight digs shy of registering both her 200th career kill and 200th career dig ........ Sophomore libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) attained a personal career-high 29 digs against Gannon. She presently has 473 career digs and needs 27 more to notch her 500th career dig ........ Sophomore middle hitter Lauren Heine (Ypsilanti) has 176 career kills to date and is 24 away from recording her 200th career kill ........ Karla Fairbanks' 72 total attacks at Grand Valley State were the most recorded by a Bulldog player in the last four seasons. Ferris State's 226 hitting attempts versus Gannon is the school's highest figure dating back to the 2000 campaign. FSU’s previous high was 214 attempts versus Hillsdale (11/9/00) .... Sophomore middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) tallied a personal career-high eight digs apiece versus Grand Valley State and Gannon ........ Freshman middle hitter Molly Pickvet (Pinconning) attained a personal career-best eight blocks versus Gannon.

Starting Strong – Ferris’ current 7-3 league mark this campaign represents the sixth time the Bulldogs have won seven of their initial 10 GLIAC outings in eight seasons under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm. The Bulldogs have won at least seven of their first 10 conference tilts in five of the last six seasons to date. Last season (2002), Ferris registered a 9-1 mark through 10 league matches.

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 Phill Mooney and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) on WFQX-Fox 33.

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.

A Look At The Opponents:

Wayne State: Ferris and Wayne State will square off for the 65th time this Friday with FSU holding a 37-27 series advantage. In the last meeting (10/19/02), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-1 win at Detroit, Mich. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 5-3 career coaching record against Wayne State. FSU, which has won the last five series contests to date, trails Wayne State 21-20 in road/neutral site encounters. WSU compiled a 10-17 overall record in 2002, including a sixth-place 2-15 GLIAC South Division finish. The Warriors, under second-year head coach Limin Jin, fell to 6-12 overall and 2-8 in league play this season as a result of a 3-1 conference loss at Northern Michigan last Sunday (Oct. 12). WSU has lost its last three matches to date.

Hillsdale: FSU maintains a 44-8 series edge heading into this Saturday’s 53rd series meeting against Hillsdale. The Bulldogs have won three of the last four series outings including a 3-1 win in the last meeting (10/18/02) at Hillsdale, Mich. Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 10-1 career coaching mark against the Chargers. HC is presently 14-10 overall and 6-4 in league action this season heading into this Friday’s (Oct. 17) league home match versus Grand Valley State after registering a 3-1 conference road win at Lake Superior State last Sunday (Oct. 12). Last season, Hillsdale posted a 13-17 overall record and a fifth-place 3-14 mark in the GLIAC’s South Division. The Chargers, who have currently won three of their last four outings, are directed by eighth-year head coach Chris Gravel. Ferris is presently 24-7 versus HC all-time in road/neutral site contests.