FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will host Saginaw Valley State this Thursday, Sept. 30, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. The Bulldogs will then square off against Northwood Saturday, Oct. 2, in a 4 p.m. (EDT) league home contest. NU is ranked 14th in the latest (Sept. 21) CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Poll.

Last Weekend – FSU, which is presently 12-3 overall and 4-1 in GLIAC action this campaign, won two of three conference matches on last weekend’s (Sept. 23-25) trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Bulldogs beat Lake Superior State 3-0 last Thursday (Sept. 23) in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., before falling 3-0 to Northern Michigan Friday (Sept. 24) in Marquette, Mich. FSU concluded the weekend with a 3-1 triumph Saturday (Sept. 25) at Michigan Tech in Houghton, Mich.

Last Season – Ferris posted a 15-14 overall mark during the 2003 campaign, which represented the program's sixth consecutive winning season and included a third-place 12-6 GLIAC North Division finish. The Bulldogs also made their sixth-straight league tournament appearance in 2003.

The 32nd Season – The 2004 campaign marks the 32nd season of Ferris State women’s volleyball. Since the program’s inception in 1972, the Bulldogs have compiled a 679-393 (.633) overall record. Ferris has won eight GLIAC titles, made 11 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and registered 24 winning seasons in its previous 31 campaigns.

Bulldog Captains – Senior setter Ashley Green (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin), senior outside hitter Karla Fairbanks (Rogers City) and junior libero Brittny Godlewski (St. Clair Township/Marysville) were voted tri-captains for the 2004 campaign. Fairbanks attained honorable mention AVCA All-America accolades in 2003. Green was both a first-team All-GLIAC and honorable mention AVCA All-Great Lakes Region selection last season while Godlewski received second-team Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region kudos.

The Bulldog Volleyball Tradition – Ferris State has won 20 or more matches in five of its last six seasons to date. The Bulldogs, who have recorded at least 20 victories in a season 16 times, are presently 144-62 (.699) 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.

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 295-112 (.725) career mark, is 177-92 (.658) in nine seasons at Ferris. 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, currently is five victories shy of notching her 300th career win.

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 Shannon Vesper and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. (ET) and 8 p.m. (ET), respectively, on FSU’s Cable Channel 7.

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, statistics, yearbooks and more.

Not A Bad Trip – Ferris has won at least two of its three road matches on its annual trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula seven consecutive seasons to date. The Bulldogs last dropped two of the three matches during the 1997 campaign.

GLIAC Poll – FSU was picked to finish fourth in the 2004 GLIAC Volleyball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll, which was released by the league office. The Bulldogs totaled 26 points in the balloting conducted by the conference's head coaches. Northern Michigan was the favorite to repeat as divisional champions as the Wildcats recorded 33 points along with four first-place votes. Northwood (28 points) took second place with Grand Valley State (27) third. Findlay received 24 points and four first-place votes in being 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.

Bulldog Bites - Karla Fairbanks presently has 1,332 career kills to date and is 14 shy of tying Sheri Harris (1,346; 1987-88, '96, '98) for sixth place on the school's career leaders list. Fairbanks has 153 career service aces to date and is 16 away from matching Kris Johnson’s (1982-85) fifth-place career mark of 169 aces at Ferris State ...... Ferris State has recorded more kills than its opponent in 19 of its last 22 outings dating back to last season ....... Brittny Godlewski notched her 700th career dig at Northern Michigan ....... Ashley Green needs eight digs to record her 700th career dig. She tallied her 4,100th career assist at Michigan Tech ...... Sophomore outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) is 22 kills away from registering her 400th career kill ....... Sophomore middle hitter Karla White (New Baltimore/Anchor Bay) is presently seven kills shy of doubling her offensive kill production of last year. White has 103 career kills in 41 games this season to date after totaling only 55 kills in 51 games during the 2003 campaign.

Back At Home – Ferris has compiled a 223-57 (.796) record to date in 24 seasons of action (1981-present) at Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs are 65-10 (.867) in home matches since 1998, including a 6-0 (1.000) mark this campaign. In 2002, Ferris posted an 8-0 home record, which was the program’s sixth undefeated campaign in the 600-seat facility. FSU was 6-2 at home last season.

Bulldog Athletics Luncheon – The second Bulldog Athletics Luncheon of the 2004-05 athletics season will be held this Wednesday, Sept. 29, 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 along with men’s and women’s golf head coach Brad Bedortha. For more information, please contact the FSU Alumni Office at (231) 591-2345.

Up Next – Ferris will host archrival Grand Valley State Tuesday, Oct. 5, in a 7 p.m. (EDT) league match at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs will then visit Gannon Friday, Oct. 8, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) conference tilt in Erie, Pa. FSU will also battle Mercyhurst Saturday, Oct. 9, in league action at 4 p.m. (EDT) in Erie.

A Look At The Opponents:

Saginaw Valley State: Ferris and Saginaw Valley State will square off for the 49th time this Thursday with FSU holding a 40-8 series advantage. In the last meeting (10/31/03), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-0 home win at Big Rapids, Mich. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 13-3 career coaching record against the Cardinals. FSU, which has won seven of the last eight series contests, holds a 22-2 all-time record versus SVSU at Big Rapids. SVSU compiled a 2-26 overall record in 2003, including a seventh-place 0-18 GLIAC North Division finish. The Cardinals, who are coached by second-year head coach Will Stanton, fell to 2-15 overall and 0-5 in league play this season as a result of a 3-1 conference road loss at Wayne State last Saturday (Sept. 25). SVSU has dropped 11 of its last 12 outings this campaign to date.

Northwood: FSU maintains a 23-16 series edge heading into this Saturday’s 40th series meeting against Northwood. The Timberwolves have won eight of the last 11 series outings although Ferris posted a 3-2 win in the last meeting (11/1/03) at Big Rapids, Mich. Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 7-13 career coaching mark against the Timberwolves. NU is presently 12-2 overall and 4-1 in league action this season heading into this Friday’s (Oct. 1) GLIAC road match at Grand Valley State after losing a 3-2 conference road contest to Hillsdale last Saturday (Sept. 25). Last season, Northwood posted a 18-13 overall record and a fourth-place 11-7 mark in the GLIAC’s North Division. The Timberwolves, who have presently won seven of their last eight outings this season, are directed by first-year head coach Tim Koth. Ferris is currently 12-6 versus NU all-time in Big Rapids.