FSU Volleyball At A Glance - The Ferris State University women’s volleyball team hits the road for two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matches this weekend (Oct. 3-4). FSU will visit Saginaw Valley State this Friday (Oct. 3) for a 7 p.m. (EDT) conference encounter in SVSU’s Cardinal Gymnasium at University Center, Mich. The Bulldogs will then square off against Northwood Saturday (Oct. 4) in a 4 p.m. (EDT) league tilt at NU’s Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich.

A Look Back – The Bulldogs, who are presently 6-9 overall and 3-2 in league play, claimed two of three GLIAC home matches last weekend (Sept. 25-27) at FSU’s Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. FSU defeated Michigan Tech 3-0 last Thursday (Sept. 25) before dropping a 3-2 decision to Northern Michigan last Friday (Sept. 26). Ferris concluded the weekend with a 3-1 triumph against Lake Superior State last Saturday (Sept. 27). The Bulldogs have won three of their last four matches to date and are presently fourth in the GLIAC’s North Division standings.

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 658-385 (.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 American Volleyball Coaches Association (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 Again – Ferris State is 570-274 (.675) overall since 1981 and sports a 375-221 (.629) record in road/neutral site matches during that span. The Bulldogs are 84-56 (.600) overall in league road matches since 1987, including a 1-1 (.500) mark this season.

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 123-54 (.695) 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.

Green Continues To Climb – Ashley Green has 2,948 career assists to date and is 54 away from tying Dawn Lowe (3,002; 1984-87) for fourth place on the school's all-time list. Green, who netted both her 500th career dig and 75th service ace versus Lake Superior State, totaled 140 assists and 19 digs in Ferris’ three matches last weekend.

Fairbanks Reaches Two Marks – Karla Fairbanks tallied both her 850th career kill and 450th career dig versus LSSU. The 5-11 Fairbanks totaled 50 kills, 39 digs and 10 blocks in the three matches, including a match-high 21 kills and 15 digs against Northern Michigan. Fairbanks, who averaged 4.17 kills per game during the three-match stretch, needs 149 more kills to become the 13th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 career kills 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 274-104 (.725) career mark, is 156-84 (.650) 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.

Looking Ahead – Ferris State visits Grand Valley State Tuesday, Oct. 7, for a 7 p.m. (EDT) league tilt at Allendale, Mich. FSU will then host Gannon Friday, Oct. 10, and Mercyhurst Saturday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. (EDT) and 4 p.m. (EDT), respectively, at the Ewigleben Sports Arena. Both are GLIAC matches.

Bulldog Bites - Seven of FSU's nine losses this season have came against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the latest (Sept. 23) AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll ......... Ferris improved to 23-8 (.742) all-time in home openers by virtue of its 3-0 win over Michigan Tech. The Bulldogs have won eight consecutive home openers to date ......... Freshman outside hitter Danielle Baucher (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) recorded a personal career-high 24 digs versus Northern Michigan ........ Sophomore middle hitter Becky Thurau (Troy/Birmingham Groves) notched her 200th career kill against Michigan Tech ......... Brittny Godlewski needs two more digs to register her 400th career dig while sophomore setter Emily Clouse (Tiffin, Ohio/Bascom Hopewell-Loudon) is six digs away from attaining her 100th career dig ........... Karla Fairbanks has registered at least one kill in all 77 career matches she’s played to date. Her 66 hitting attempts against Northern Michigan are the most recorded by a Ferris player in the last four seasons ........... Sophomore middle hitter Lauren Heine (Ypsilanti) registered both a personal career-high 14 kills and eight total blocks against Northern Michigan ......... FSU has totaled 132 service aces in 15 matches this season compared to its opponents’ total of 72. However, the Bulldogs have also recorded 225 service errors while the opposition has only 129 ......... Freshman middle hitter Karla White (New Baltimore/Anchor Bay) garnered a personal career-high nine kills versus Lake Superior State while freshman outside hitter Keagan Krauss (Lake Odessa/Lakewood) tallied a personal-best three digs in the same match.

In The Rankings – Karla Fairbanks’ 35-kill output against North Alabama (Sept. 5) currently ranks as the nation’s fifth-best performance this campaign. She is listed 18th in kills (4.62 kpg) in the latest (Sept. 14) NCAA Division II national statistical rankings while Ferris ranked 27th in team service aces (2.81 apg). Fairbanks ranks second in kills (4.49 kpg) while Ashley Green is fourth in assists (11.14 apg) among the GLIAC’s current (Sept. 29) overall statistical leaders.

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 Phill Mooney and produced by FSU’s media productions department, airs each Saturday at 3:30 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.

A Look At The Opponents:

Saginaw Valley State: Ferris and Saginaw Valley State will square off for the 47th time this Friday with FSU holding a 38-8 series advantage. In the last meeting (11/8/02), the Bulldogs recorded a 3-1 win at University Center, Mich. Ferris head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm currently has a 11-3 career coaching record against the Cardinals. FSU, which has won five of the last six series contests, holds a 17-6 all-time record versus SVSU in away/neutral site encounters. SVSU compiled a 7-17 overall record in 2002, including a seventh-place 1-17 GLIAC North Division finish. The Cardinals, who are coached by first-year head coach Will Stanton, fell to 1-12 overall and 0-5 in league play this season as a result of a 3-0 conference home loss to Wayne State last Saturday (Sept. 27). SVSU, which has dropped eight consecutive outings to date, is slated to visit Michigan-Dearborn this Tuesday (Sept. 30) for a non-league tilt prior to hosting FSU.

Northwood: FSU maintains a 21-16 series edge heading into this Saturday’s 38th series meeting against Northwood. However, the Timberwolves have won eight of the last nine series outings including a 3-0 win in the last meeting (11/9/02) at Midland, Mich. Brandel-Wilhelm has a current 6-12 career coaching mark against the Timberwolves. NU is presently 11-6 overall and 4-1 in league action this season heading into this Friday’s (Oct. 3) league home match versus Grand Valley State after registering a 3-0 conference home win over Hillsdale last Saturday (Sept. 27). Last season, Northwood posted a 29-6 overall record and a second-place tying 15-3 mark in the GLIAC’s North Division. The Timberwolves are coached by Jeff Williams, who is in his 12th season at the helm. Ferris is presently 10-10 versus NU all-time in away/neutral site contests.