FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team (24-5, 15-3 GLIAC) will take part in the eighth annual Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament this weekend (Thursday, Nov. 14-Saturday, Nov. 16) at Grand Valley State’s Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich. FSU will battle Gannon (14-10, 10-7) in the first quarterfinal round match this Thursday (Nov. 14) at 12 p.m. (EST). Ferris is the GLIAC North Division's second seed while Gannon claimed the GLIAC South Division's third overall seed. The Bulldogs are currently ranked 22nd overall in the latest (Nov. 5) American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II national poll.

Bulldogs Split Weekend Outings - Ferris State defeated Saginaw Valley State 3-1 last Friday (Nov. 8) at SVSU’s Cardinal Gymnasium in University Center, Mich. FSU then dropped a 3-0 decision to 15th-ranked Northwood last Saturday (Nov. 9) at NU’s Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich. The Bulldogs, who are ranked second in the latest (Nov. 6) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional rankings behind Grand Valley State, finished in a second-place GLIAC North Division tie with Northwood. Ferris received the division’s second seed over the Timberwolves by virtue of its season split with divisional champion GVSU. NU dropped both of its regular-season matches to the Lakers. The 2002 campaign marks the second consecutive season and third time in the last five years the Bulldogs have finished second in the GLIAC's North Division.

FSU Headed To GLIAC Tourney - FSU, which will be making its fifth consecutive conference tournament appearance, previously claimed runner-up honors in 1998, 1999 and 2001. In five tournament appearances, Ferris has posted a 6-4 overall mark. Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to the GLIAC Tournament Championship match (11/10/01) for the third time in the last four years and dropped a 3-0 decision versus Northwood at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Mich. Ferris State concluded the 2001 campaign with a 21-11 overall record, which included a second-place tying 12-6 GLIAC North Division finish.

The 2002 League Tournament - The other quarterfinal round matches include Mercyhurst (South #2 seed) against Northwood (North #3 seed) at 2:30 p.m. (EST), Findlay (South #1 seed) versus Northern Michigan (North #4 seed) at 5 p.m. and tournament host Grand Valley State (North #1 seed) taking on Michigan Tech (South #4 seed) in a 7:30 p.m. encounter. The tournament semifinal matches are slated for this Friday (Nov. 15) at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with the title match to be held this Saturday at 5 p.m. FSU would face the winner of Thursday’s match between Findlay and Northern Michigan in Friday’s first semifinal match with a win over Gannon. The winner of Saturday's championship match receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament, which will be held Nov. 21-23 at a campus site to be determined.

The 30th Season Of Bulldog Volleyball - The 2002 campaign marks the 30th anniversary of the Ferris State women’s volleyball program. Since the program’s inception in 1972, the Bulldogs have compiled a 652-374 (.635) overall record. Ferris has won eight GLIAC titles, made 10 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and registered 22 winning seasons in its previous 29 campaigns.

The Success Continues - Ferris State is in the midst of its fifth consecutive 20-win campaign. The Bulldogs, who have recorded at least 20 victories in a season 16 times, are presently 117-43 (.731) 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. Ferris’ 15-3 GLIAC mark this campaign represented its best league record since posting a 16-0 conference ledger in 1990.

On The Road Again - Ferris State is 564-263 (.682) overall since 1981 and sports a 371-211 (.637) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs are 84-56 (.600) overall in league road matches since 1987, including a 7-3 (.700) mark this season.

Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching victory leaders. Brandel, who has a current 268-93 (.742) career mark, is 150-73 (.673) in seven seasons at Ferris and recorded her 150th Bulldog victory at Saginaw Valley State. A 1990 Alma graduate, Brandel-Wilhelm guided the Bulldogs to an NCAA-II Tournament appearance in 1999. 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 entered the 2002 season ranked 11th among NCAA-II’s winningest active coaches.

Bulldog Bites - Sophomore outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) presently has registered at least 10 kills in 22 of her last 28 appearances ..... Sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) notched her 400th career dig last Saturday (Nov. 9) at Northwood ...... Freshman middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) tied a personal career-high with 10 kills at Saginaw Valley State. She also had at Michigan Tech (9/21) .... Ferris has won 21 of its last 25 GLIAC regular season matches dating back to 2001 ...... Senior middle hitter Angie Desmarais (Jackson/Lumen Christi) is six digs shy of attaining her 500th career dig ..... Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley) currently ranks first in kills (4.37 kpg), third in attack percentage (.343) and sixth in blocks (1.10) in the league’s overall statistical rankings. Green is third in assists (11.81 apg) while senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.) is first in service aces (0.73 spg). Olds tallied a conference-best 4.43 kills per game in league play, Speed placed first in aces (0.77 spg) and Green was second in assists (11.78 apg).

Speed Sets School Record - Stephanie Speed registered her first career triple-double performance in last Friday's 3-1 league win at Saginaw Valley State as she tallied 12 kills, 12 digs and a school single-match record 12 service aces. Speed, a 2001 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selection, broke the previous school mark of nine service aces recorded by Shirley Lynch against Cleveland State on Sept. 7, 1984. The 5-8 Speed, who attained her 900th career dig against SVSU, presently has 923 career digs and needs 77 more to become the 10th player in school history to register 1,000 career digs. The last FSU player to register 1,000 career digs was Sarah VanderMolen (1,054; 1997-00), who currently plays for the United States Professional Volleyball league’s Grand Rapids Force. Speed, who has compiled 10 or more digs in 11 of her last 16 outings to date, leads Ferris with 345 digs in 106 games (3.25 dpg) this campaign. She has also compiled a team-leading 77 service aces in 29 matches to date.

Olds Keeps Climbing - Alaina Olds currently has 439 career blocks and needs four more to move into a tie for fifth place with Laura Lee (443; 1986-89) on Ferris' career blocks leaders list. The 5-11 Olds has registered at least one kill in 77 consecutive appearances and has garnered 10 or more kills in 22 of her last 24 matches to date. A second-team 2001 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region pick, Olds is both Ferris’ kills (4.37 kpg) and blocks (1.10 bpg) leader this season. She currently ranks third among FSU’s career leaders in attack percentage (.285) and has compiled 15 double-double (kills & digs) performances this campaign. Her current .343 season attack percentage (459-129-961) ranks second on FSU's single-season chart. Olds has 1,178 career kills to date and is 62 shy of tying Stephanie Chaffin (1,240; 1989-92) for eighth place on Ferris’ career kills list.

Match Preview - Ferris State will face Gannon this Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the 2002 GLIAC Tournament.

Gannon: Ferris and Gannon will square off for the 12th time this Thursday with FSU holding a 7-4 series advantage. In the last meeting (10/11/02), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-1 win (30-20, 20-30, 30-25, 32-30) win at GU’s Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa. FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 6-2 career coaching record against GU. Gannon, which is coached by fourth-year head coach Michele Mason, has won two of the past four contests. GU registered a 12-13 overall record during the 2001 campaign. Ferris holds a 4-2 all-time record versus the Knights in road/neutral site contests. Gannon, which has won four of its last six matches to date, fell to 14-10 overall and 10-7 in GLIAC action this season as a result of dropping a 3-0 (30-25, 30-27, 30-28) league road decision last Friday (Nov. 8) at Mercyhurst. FSU defeated Gannon 3-0 (15-3, 15-4, 15-8) in the only previous league tournament contest between the two teams in 1998 (11/12).

Looking Ahead - Six teams will receive berths into the 2002 NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tournament, which will be held Nov. 21-23 at a campus site to be named. New regional rankings are slated to be released this Wednesday (Nov. 13) with the official tournament parings set to be announced this Sunday (Nov. 17). Ferris last received a regional tournament berth in 1999.

Between The Lines - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm will make regular 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 Ira Childress and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Saturday at 4:30 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.