December 8, 2025

Ferris State provides early commencement celebration for two volleyball team members headed to NCAA DII Elite Eight

From left to right: photo of Provost Bobby Fleischman, student Emma Bleecher, student Ivy Wilhelm, head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, President Bill Pink — From left to right: Provost Bobby Fleischman, Emma Bleecher, Ivy Wilhelm, head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, and President Bill Pink

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. —

Two members of the Ferris State University volleyball team has one important thing to take care of before heading to South Dakota for the NCAA Division II National Tournament: graduate.

Ferris State President Bill Pink and Provost Bobby Fleischman conducted a special ceremony for outside hitter Emma Bleecher and Ivy Wilhelm, a student worker with the team, complete with academic regalia. The team members won’t be back from the tournament in time to participate in Friday’s ceremony with their classmates.

“We do this because we like to celebrate our Bulldogs,” Pink said. “We like to celebrate our graduates, and when you're not able to join us for all the good reasons. When your success is so prominent in our university, these things happen. But that's why our university is built to adjust so that we're able to help our students.”

The volleyball team earned its way to the NCAA DII Elite Eight for the second year in a row. Pink said he didn’t want the students’ athletic success to prohibit them from participating in a treasured academic milestone.

“We're used to this kind of success,” Pink told the students. “It's how we do our business here at Ferris State. We make sure that we honor and recognize when our students have accomplishments. Our students finish what we start. So, it's an honor to be able to celebrate with you this way.”

Students wore their caps and gowns for the brief celebration. Bleecher, a Criminal Justice Administration major from Champaign, Illinois said it was nice to be able to be presented with her diploma even if she couldn’t be a part of the larger ceremony on Friday morning.

“I think it's amazing,” she said. “I think it's just like a blessing to be here, and it's just cool to be able to do both.”

Wilhelm, who works with the team’s social media, earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

“In moments like this, when I know it's my community and they're going to show up for me, I know 100% I was right to be here these four years,” she said.

The team captured the NCAA DII Midwest Region Championship on Saturday and has been selected as the No. 8 seed Elite Eight rounded to be held Dec. 11 to 13, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Bulldogs will square off against top-seeded and unbeaten University of Tampa in the national quarterfinals on Thursday, Dec. 11 with first serve set for 8 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon.

The Bulldogs will be making their second consecutive NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance after making their first since 2013 a year ago.

Saturday's victory marked the fifth time Ferris State claimed a regional championship as the Bulldogs previously won crowns back in 1987 and 1989 along with 2013 and 2024.

Ferris State, which is guided by 30th-year head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, is 27-7 this year heading into the D2 Elite Eight. The Bulldogs finished the regular season as the GLIAC Champions and earned runner-up honors in the GLIAC Tournament as the host institution.