FSU Basketball At A Glance: The Ferris State women’s basketball team will officially open the 2006-07 season by taking part in the Clarion (Pa.) Classic Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18, in Clarion, Pa. FSU squares off against West Virginia State in Friday’s (Nov. 17) tourney opener starting at 4 p.m. (EST). The consolation and championship games are Saturday (Nov. 18) at 4 and 6 p.m. (EST), respectively. Host Clarion and Georgian Court (N.J.) are also included in the field and will face each other in Friday’s second game following the Ferris-West Virginia State tilt.

The Ferris State women's basketball squad will take part in the Clarion (Pa.) Classic this weekend

Media Coverage: There will be no Ferris State radio or internet broadcast coverage available for either of this weekend’s contests. Games involving Clarion are tentatively scheduled to be aired thru RedZone Media at www.redzonemedia.com.

About Ferris State: Ferris State University is a NCAA Division II school located in Big Rapids, Mich., with an enrollment of 12,578. The Bulldogs are a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Big Rapids is located in West Michigan approximately 60 miles north of Grand Rapids or 40 miles west of Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Ticket Info: Tickets for the event will be available at the door. For more information or directions, please contact the Clarion Ticket Office at (814) 393-2423.

FSU Falls To Michigan State: Ferris remained in the contest for much of last Sunday's (Nov. 12) exhibition tilt against NCAA Division I Michigan State before the Spartans went on a key second-half run to notch a 68-47 win over the Bulldogs inside the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. The Bulldogs trailed by only eight points, 27-19, at halftime and were down only five with 16:09 to play before the Spartans took control. FSU was led by junior guard/forward Sam Johns' (Allendale) game-high 17 points. Senior guard Kristin Reinhart (East Lansing) also reached double-figures with 10 points and six boards in a return to her hometown.

Last Season: Ferris State wrapped up its 2005-06 women's basketball season with an 18-10 overall record and made its seventh consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearance last campaign. FSU, which posted a third-place tying 12-6 mark in GLIAC North Division play a year ago, also registered its 10th consecutive season with 10 or more victories in 2005-06.

Two Years Ago: Ferris finished the 2004-05 season with an 11-17 overall record. FSU placed fourth in the GLIAC North Division with a 9-9 conference ledger and advanced to the league's postseason tournament for the sixth consecutive year. The Bulldogs also recorded their ninth-straight season with 10 or more victories.

Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk: Ninth-year FSU head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk presently ranks as Ferris’ all-time winningest coach with a current 135-88 (.605) career record at Ferris State. A 1996 graduate of Western Michigan, she guided FSU to a 22-7 mark and the school's first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tourney appearance during the 1999-00 campaign. She spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Michigan College (1994-97) and one season at Indianapolis (1997-98).

The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State women’s basketball program, which is midst its 32nd season of varsity competition, has compiled a 388-413 (.484) all-time mark. The Bulldogs won their only GLIAC crown, advanced to their first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament and recorded the nation’s highest grade point average in 1999-2000. FSU, which also claimed GLIAC Tournament runner-up honors in 1999-00, has posted 10 or more victories 10 consecutive seasons to date.

Looking Back At 2003-04: The Bulldogs compiled a 21-10 overall record in 2003-04 and reached the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for only the second time in school history. FSU placed second (14-4) in the GLIAC North Division and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament Championship game during the 2003-04 campaign. The Bulldogs also recorded the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign three seasons ago.

The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ 2006-07 roster includes three seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen. Six of the 13 players are guards while the remaining seven are frontcourt players. All 12 players on the roster hail from Michigan.

The Team Captains: Senior guards Erin Miller (Niles) and Kristin Reinhart along with junior forward/center Rachel Folcik (Powers/Carney-Nadeau) have been named the Bulldogs’ team captains for the 2006-07 campaign. Miller picked up first team All-GLIAC and Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region Second Team accolades last campaign. Reinhart was named to the All-GLIAC North Division Second Team for the second consecutive season. Folcik started 26 contests.

Jim Wink Arena: Ferris has recorded a 53-22 (.707) overall record to date in games at Jim Wink Arena, including a 43-19 (.694) mark in league play. The 2,400-seat facility replaced the Old Jim Wink Arena, which was converted into the current Student Recreation Center after the 1997-98 campaign. FSU won its first 14 games in the facility.

On The Road: Ferris State is 172-128 (.573) overall since 1995-96 and sports a 99-86 (.535) record in road/neutral site contests during that span. The Bulldogs are 58-46 (.558) overall in road games under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk, including a 42-30 (.583) record in GLIAC play.

Number One On The List: Ferris head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk became the school’s all-time victory leader with two wins in the Aquinas College Classic (Nov. 18-19) to open the 2005-06 season in Grand Rapids, Mich. Bloodworth-Fisk, who also ranks as FSU’s all-time winningest coach, surpassed Pat Dolan’s (1977-89) previous school-record total of 118 wins at FSU. Both of FSU’s two all-time NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances have came under Bloodworth-Fisk. She was honored as the GLIAC’s 2003-04 Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to the program’s second-ever 20-win campaign.

Academic Success: The Bulldogs have ranked among the nation’s top academic programs seven consecutive seasons, according to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll list. Ferris compiled a 3.350 grade point average in 2005-06 to place 20th overall in Division II. FSU had the nation’s highest gpa in 1999-00 and placed second in 2002-03.

The Coaching Staff: Head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk returns her top assistant coach for the fifth year in Justin Rees. Rees, who previously served for three seasons (1999-02) as an assistant coach at NCAA-II Teikyo Post (Conn.), played collegiate basketball at Barry (Fla.) from 1993-97. Tracey’s father, Rick Bloodworth, will be a volunteer assistant coach this campaign after previously serving as the head coach at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Mich.

Live Internet Stats: “Live Stats” of all 2006-07 Ferris State home games will be provided in progress via the internet. Visit the site at www.ferris.edu/sports and click the “Live Stats” icon to access.

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.

GLIAC Preseason Poll: Ferris State was picked to finish second in the 2006-07 GLIAC Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll released by the league office last Wednesday (Nov. 8). The Bulldogs totaled 29 points in the balloting, which was conducted by the conference's head coaches. A year ago, Ferris State took fourth place in the conference's preseason coaches poll with 23 points. Defending NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State was selected as the North Division favorite as the Lakers recorded 36 points along with six first-place votes. Ashland claimed the top spot in the South Division with 24 points and four first-place votes. The league's 13 head coaches voted for the division in which they play, but were not allowed to vote for their own team.

A Coaching Family: FSU’s Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk is far from the only coach in her family. She previously spent three seasons as an assistant coach under her father, Rick Bloodworth, at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Mich. Her father is serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Ferris this season after a long stint as LMC’s head coach. In addition, her younger sister, Andrea Bloodworth, currently is embarking on her second year as an assistant women’s coach at NCAA-I Valparaiso (Ind.) after spending three years as the top assistant at GLIAC-member Gannon.

Not The First Time: Ferris’ contest at Michigan State Sunday wasn’t the first time the Bulldogs have moved up a notch in competition for an exhibition game under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk. FSU previously dropped a 96-45 decision to Notre Dame in an exhibition game last season (10/10/05) at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. Prior to last year’s outing, Ferris lost an 81-72 setback to Central Michigan in an exhibition game during the 2004-05 campaign (10/11/04) in Mount Pleasant, Mich. FSU also suffered an 89-64 exhibition setback at NCAA-I Kent State (Ohio) during the 2001-02 campaign (11/16).

Home Opener: Ferris’ home opener at Jim Wink Arena is set for Saturday, Nov. 25, beginning at 6 p.m. (EST) versus Drury (Mo.) in Big Rapids, Mich. Drury reached the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional final before falling to Grand Valley State last season.

League Opener: Ferris State’s 2006-07 GLIAC opener is set for Thursday, Nov. 30, versus Northwood beginning at 6 p.m. (EST) in NU’s Bennett Sports Center at Midland, Mich.

Season Openers: Ferris State will officially open its 33rd season against West Virginia State in the Clarion (Pa.) Classic. The Bulldogs, who have won five of their last eight season openers, have an all-time mark of 14-18 in opening day games. FSU posted a 72-47 opening-day triumph over Indiana-South Bend in last year’s first game (11/18/05) at the Aquinas College Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs have won eight of their past 11 openers, including a 5-3 mark (.625) under head coach Tracey Bloodworth-Fisk.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from last season ............ The Bulldogs’ first three regular-season games this campaign are on the road ......... Fourteen of the school’s 27 regular-season games are away from home this year.

Clarion (Pa.) Classic Notebook:

Scouting West Virginia State: Friday’s meeting will be Ferris’ first-ever meeting with West Virginia State. WVSU is coming off a 16-13 record in 2005-06 and lost three of its top five scorers from a year ago. The Yellow Jackets, who figure to be lead by senior LaSha' Anderson (11.3 ppg) and junior Ashlee Stevens (6.5 ppg) this season, are guided by 10th-year head coach R. Gill Heasley. He holds a 121-149 overall mark at West Virginia State. The squad posted an eighth-place 9-9 ledger in West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) action last season.

Scouting Clarion: The Bulldogs have never squared off against Clarion before heading into the tournament. The Golden Eagles posted a 12-15 overall mark during the 2005-06 campaign, including a sixth-place 3-9 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Head coach Margaret “Gie” Parsons enters her 18th season at the Clarion helm with four starters and seven letterwinners returning from last year. The Golden Eagles advanced to the NCAA-II Tournament two years ago. Parsons holds a record of 261-212 over 17 previous seasons with the Golden Eagles. Clarion suffered an 86-30 exhibition setback at NCAA Division I Illinois in its lone preseason tilt (Nov. 3). The Golden Eagles host Georgian Court in day one of the event Friday.

Scouting Georgian Court: Ferris State and Georgian Court have never faced each other before heading into the Clarion Classic. Third-year head coach Bradley Campbell’s squad recorded a 7-20 record last campaign after posting only a 4-23 mark in his initial season two years ago. The Lions open the tournament by taking on host Clarion Friday evening. Georgian Court was 6-18 overall in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play during the 2005-06 season. The team was picked to finish 10th in the the 2006-07 CACC Preseason Poll. The Lions missed the CACC playoffs by one game last season despite doubling their number of conference wins from the prior year. Four starters return this year.