FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team will open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action with two road matches this Friday-Saturday (Sept. 19-20). The Bulldogs will square off against Findlay this Friday in a 7 p.m. (EDT) contest at Findlay, Ohio. FSU will then visit Ashland this Saturday for a 5 p.m. (EDT) encounter in Ashland, Ohio.

A Look Back – FSU compiled a 2-2 mark in the Great Lakes Region Crossover last weekend (Sept. 12-13) at Highland Heights, Ky. The Bulldogs, who are presently 3-7 overall, dropped a 3-2 decision to Southern Indiana last Friday (Sept. 12) before bouncing back to defeat West Virginia Wesleyan the same evening, 3-0. FSU then fell to tournament host Northern Kentucky by a 3-1 score last Saturday (Sept. 13) prior to defeating Fairmont State (W.Va.), 3-0. Six teams each from the GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) took part in the two-day event. The GLIAC schools competing in the tournament won 16 of 24 matches.

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 advanced to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament (11/22) before dropping a 3-2 decision to Wheeling Jesuit in Allendale, Mich.

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 655-383 (.631) 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 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 – Ferris State is 567-272 (.676) overall since 1981 and sports a 374-220 (.630) record in road/neutral site matches during that span.

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 120-52 (.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.

Conference Openers – Ferris State is 10-3 (.769) in conference openers since 1990 and sports a 5-2 road mark in those matches during that period. The Bulldogs have won five consecutive league openers to date. Meanwhile, FSU sports a 7-6 record in its second league match of each season dating back to 1990.

Solid Performance – Karla Fairbanks tallied 73 kills, 18 digs, eight service aces and seven blocks in four matches last weekend. The 5-11 Fairbanks, who was named last week’s (Sept. 8) GLIAC North Division Player of the Week, recorded a match-high 28 kills and had nine digs in FSU's loss to Southern Indiana. She added 20 kills against Northern Kentucky and 18 kills versus Fairmont State. Fairbanks, who averaged 4.87 kills per game and hit .344 in the four outings, notched her 700th career kills in the loss to Southern Indiana and is currently 18 digs shy of attaining her 400th career dig.

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 271-102 (.727) career mark, is 153-82 (.651) 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.

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.

Bulldog Bites - Ferris’ win over West Virginia Wesleyan came in the first series meeting between the two schools. FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm previously spent three seasons as head coach at WVWC (1993-1995) in Buckhannon, W.Va., where she led the Bobcats to a fifth-place finish at the 1995 NCAA-II Championships ........ Five of FSU's seven losses this season have came against teams ranked in the latest (Sept. 8) American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll ......... Ashley Green has 2,717 career assists to date and is 63 shy of tying Lisa Chard (2,780; 1998-99) for fifth place on the school's career assists leaders list ....... Freshman outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) currently has 97 career kills and needs three more to register her 100th career kill. She has totaled 10 or more kills in four of her last six matches to date ........ Brittny Godlewski is seven digs away from attaining her 350th career dig ........ Freshman middle hitter Molly Pickvet (Pinconning) posted a personal career-high 10 kills at Northern Kentucky ......... FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm presently has the second-best conference winning percentage (.648) among all-time Bulldog volleyball head coaches. She is 83-45 to date in regular-season league encounters .............. Sophomore right-side hitter Sarah Miller (Bay City/John Glenn) notched a personal career-high six kills versus West Virginia Wesleyan.

Making A Comparison - Ferris has averaged 13.5 kills and 9.8 digs per game through 10 matches as compared to last season’s 10-match averages of 15.4 kills and 16.4 digs per game. The Bulldogs have recorded a .254 attack percentage to date this campaign versus their .247 hitting percentage over the same span last year. FSU, which was 9-1 overall after 10 outings last campaign, has presently posted an 8-12 mark in the opening two games of matches this season. Ferris recorded a 15-5 record in its first two games through 10 matches in 2002.

Against The Opponents - Ferris will open league action with two road matches this weekend.

Findlay: Ferris State holds a 4-2 series edge entering this Friday’s meeting with Findlay and defeated the Oilers 3-1 last season (10/5/02) at Big Rapids, Mich. The Oilers are currently 10-3 overall heading into this Tuesday’s (Sept. 16) league home match against Ashland as a result of last Saturday’s (Sept. 13) 3-0 win over Wisconsin-Parkside in the Great Lakes Region Crossover. UF compiled a 25-10 overall record in 2002, including a first-place 13-4 GLIAC South Division finish. Findlay, which has won five consecutive outings to date, is coached by sixth-year head coach Wick Colchagoff. FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently holds a 4-2 career coaching mark versus UF.

Ashland: The Bulldogs own a 8-1 series advantage heading into this Saturday’s tilt with Ashland. AU tallied a 14-18 overall record and a fourth-place 3-14 GLIAC South Division mark in 2002. The Eagles, who are coached by first-year head coach Connie Surowicz, are currently 4-8 overall heading into this Tuesday’s (Sept. 16) league contest at Findlay and this Friday’s (Sept. 19) home conference meeting with Grand Valley State following last Saturday’s (Sept. 13) 3-0 loss at Edinboro (Pa.). Ashland has dropped three of its last five matches to date. The Bulldogs, who have won the last five meetings, are currently 6-1 against the Eagles in the Brandel-Wilehlm era.

GLIAC Preseason Poll - FSU was picked to finish fourth in the 2003 GLIAC Volleyball Coaches Preseason North Division Poll. The Bulldogs totaled 22 points in the balloting conducted by the conference's head coaches. Grand Valley State, the 2002 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Champions, was the favorite to repeat as divisional champions as the Lakers recorded 35 points along with five first-place votes. Findlay, which tied for last season's South Division crown, received 23 points and four first-place votes in being selected the league’s South Division favorite.

Looking Ahead - Ferris State returns home for three league matches at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids. FSU will square off against Michigan Tech in its 2003 home opener Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. (EDT). The Bulldogs will then host Northern Michigan Friday, Sept. 26, in a 7 p.m. (EDT) tilt. Ferris concludes the weekend homestand versus Lake Superior State Saturday, Sept. 27, beginning at 4 p.m. (EDT).