FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will take part in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)/Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Challenge this Friday-Saturday (Sept. 13-14) at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. The Bulldogs will face Wisconsin-Parkside this Friday at 2 p.m. (EDT) and then Southern Indiana at 7 p.m. (EDT). FSU squares off against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. (EDT).

Last Season - Ferris State concluded the 2001 campaign with a 21-11 overall record, which included a second-place (tie) 12-6 GLIAC North Division finish. The Bulldogs advanced to the GLIAC Tournament championship match (11/10/01) for the third time in the last four seasons and dropped a 3-0 decision versus Northwood.

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 635-370 (.632) 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.

Bulldogs Improve To 7-1 Overall - Ferris State posted a 3-1 record at the Harding (Ark.) Invitational last weekend (Friday, Sept. 6-Saturday, Sept. 7) in Searcy, Ark., to improve to 7-1 overall. The Bulldogs defeated Southeastern Oklahoma in last Friday’s first match 3-1. FSU, which was among five competing teams, then dealt Henderson State (Ark.) a 3-1 setback. The Bulldogs beat Montevallo (Ala.) 3-0 last Saturday before dropping a 3-1 decision versus Harding. Sophomore middle/outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) and senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed (Bothell, Wash.) were both named to the all-tournament team. Ferris tied the school’s team single-match record with 22 service aces versus Southeastern Oklahoma. FSU also had 22 aces against Wayne State in 1988 (Oct. 1).

Fairbanks Energizes FSU Attack - Karla Fairbanks tallied 70 kills, 23 digs and eight total blocks to lead the Bulldogs last weekend. The 5-11 Fairbanks, who compiled a career-high 22 kills versus both Henderson State and Harding, has recorded 10 or more kills in seven consecutive outings. Fairbanks has recorded 283 career kills to date and is 17 shy of attaining her 300th career kill. She leads the Bulldogs in total kills (117) this season.

Olds Closing In On Century Mark - Senior middle hitter Alaina Olds (Kingsley) currently has 823 career kills and needs 172 more to become the 12th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills. A second-team 2001 Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region honoree, Olds tallied her 400th career dig versus Montevallo (Ala.) last Saturday and presently has 413 career digs. The 5-11 Olds, who posted her fourth double-double (kills & digs) performance this season against Montevallo, is Ferris’ kills (4.19 kpg), digs (3.23 dpg) and blocks (1.38 bpg) leader this campaign. The 2001 FSU Bulldog Award recipient posted 10 kills or more in 25 outings last year while earning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II All-Great Lakes Region recognition.

Brandel-Wilhelm Notches 250th Win - FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, who registered her 250th career coaching victory last Friday versus Henderson State, presently ranks second among Ferris’ all-time coaching leaders with a current 251-89 (.738) career mark. 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.

Bulldog Bites - Senior middle hitter/libero Angie Desmarais (Jackson/Lumen Christi), who recorded her 300th career dig last Saturday against Harding, presently has recorded 10 or more kills in four consecutive appearances ........ Senior outside hitter Erin Rind (Carol Stream, Ill./Streamwood) registered a personal career-high 11 kills versus Southeastern Oklahoma. Rind is two shy of recording her 250th career dig ....... Senior outside hitter Stephanie Speed presently has 667 career digs and needs 33 more to garner her 700th career dig. She’s currently three shy of notching her 350th career kill. Speed, who tallied a season-high 21 digs against Harding, has 94 service aces to date and needs six more to attain her 100th career ace. ........ Freshman libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) had a personal career-best 18 digs versus Harding ......... Sophomore setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) tallied 52 assists in three of four matches last weekend.

Against The Competition - Ferris State has a combined 19-2 (.905) all-time record versus its three opponents this weekend at the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge in Allendale, Mich.

Wisconsin-Parkside: FSU holds a 12-0 advantage entering this Friday’s series meeting against Wisconsin-Parkside. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 1-0 career coaching mark versus the Rangers and led the Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory in the last series meeting (8/25/01) at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids, Mich. Wisconsin-Parkside is presently 6-1 overall this campaign after registering a 3-1 record last weekend (Sept. 6-7) in the Mesa State (Colo.) Invitational. Last season, Wisconsin-Parkside compiled an 11-19 mark.

Southern Indiana: FSU holds a 4-1 edge heading into this Friday’s sixth series meeting against Southern Indiana. However, USI defeated Ferris 3-1 at the 2001 GLIAC/GLVC Challenge (Sept. 7) in Highland Heights, Ky. Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 1-1 career coaching record against the Screaming Eagles. USI is presently 7-2 overall after recording a 4-0 mark at last weekend’s (Sept. 6-7) Pyramid City Collegiate Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. Southern Indiana registered a 22-10 overall record during the 2001 campaign.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville: Ferris and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville will square off for the fifth time this Saturday with FSU holding a 3-1 series advantage. In the last meeting (Sept. 8, 2000), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-0 win at the Fairview Classic in Midland, Mich. All four previous meetings have came during the Brandel-Wilhelm era. Last season, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville was 21-13 overall. The Cougars improved to 7-2 this season while posting a 3-1 record at the Nebraska-Kearney Runza Classic last weekend (Sept. 6-7).

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 including rosters, schedules and the latest results.

Looking Ahead - Ferris State will open GLIAC play in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula next weekend (Sept. 20-Sept. 21). The Bulldogs will face the Northern Michigan Wildcats Friday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. (EDT) in NMU’s Vandament Arena at Marquette, Mich. FSU will then battle the Michigan Tech Huskies at MTU’s Student Development Complex Gymnasium in a 4 p.m. (EDT) conference encounter Saturday, Sept. 21, at Houghton, Mich.