August 26, 2025

Ferris State volleyball team picked to finish second in the GLIAC in the preseason coaches poll

Ferris State volleyball team celebrating

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. —

The Ferris State University volleyball squad, coming off an undefeated regular season, has been picked No. 2 in the 2025 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs tallied 92 points and three first-place votes in balloting by the league's member head coaches. Ferris State trailed only rival Grand Valley State University, which recorded 98 points and eight top mentions in a close race.

Behind Ferris State was Wayne State in third with 76 points followed by Northern Michigan University in fourth (68), Michigan Tech in fifth (67), University of Wisconsin - Parkside in sixth (59), Davenport University in seventh (42), Purdue University - Northwest in eighth (38), Saginaw Valley State University in ninth (34), Lake Superior State University in 10th (18) and Roosevelt University in 11th (13).

The Ferris State volleyball squad will look to keep its tradition strong this fall after a historic season a year ago.
The team capped off a memorable 2024 season with a 34-1 record, winning the Midwest Regional Championship for the first time since 2013 and reaching the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

Ferris State also reached the D2 Sweet Sixteen for the fourth-straight year, made its 13th consecutive national tournament appearance along with the 28th in program history.

The Bulldogs also continued an impressive recent stretch by winning yet again the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships under National Coach of the Year Tia Brandel-Wilhelm.

The Bulldogs lost a strong senior class, which included National Player of the Year Olivia Henneman-Dallape and four-year starting setter Kaylee Maat, but a talented squad returns.

Ferris State will feature plenty of youth with 16 freshmen or sophomores in eligibility on the 22-player roster. The returnees include senior veteran Emma Bleecher along with sophomore Gabby Piazza, who was the GLIAC Freshman of the Year a season ago.

The Bulldogs will open the 2025 season Sept. 4-6 at the University of Texas-Tyler Invitational. The home opener is set for Sept. 19 versus Michigan Tech in the Bulldogs' initial GLIAC matchup of the year.