FSU Dominates WSU In GLIAC Quarterfinal
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball team dominated Wayne State in the quarterfinal-round of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament on Thursday (Nov. 10) evening in a 3-0 triumph (25-15, 25-18, 25-8) at the Ewigleben Sports Arena.
With the win, the nationally 12th-ranked and top-seeded Bulldogs will now host the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals/Finals this weekend (Nov. 12-13) in Big Rapids.
FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm became the program's all-time winningest coach with the victory as she won her 331st match at the Bulldog helm to surpass former head coach Jill Hirschinger (1984-95) on top of the Ferris State career coaching chart.
Ferris State improved to 25-2 overall on the year with the win and the victory improved FSU's home mark to 14-0 on the season. The Warriors concluded their season with a 14-14 overall record.
Two Bulldogs registered double-digit kills in the victory. Both senior outside hitter Ashley Huntey (Standwood/Morley-Stanwood) and junior middle hitter Anne Sutton (Grand Rapids/Northview) had 11 kills each in the three-set match. Sutton accumulated a .611 attack percentage by connecting on 11 of her 18 attempts.
Junior setter Samantha Fordyce (DeWitt) had a match-high 33 assists for FSU as the Bulldogs totaled 35 helpers in the contest.
Senior libero Lisa Tobiczyk (Marysville) led the match with 15 digs while junior outside hitter Aly Brecht (Alma) totaled nine kills and seven digs. Huntey added 14 digs for the Bulldogs.
Freshman middle hitter Courtney Rehm (Portage/Central) accounted for six of the Bulldogs' 11 blocks. She had three block solos with three block assists. Sutton and senior middle hitter Mallory Kopa (Marysville) each tallied four block assists.
The first set was tied twice with two lead changes. The second set was tied just once and featured one lead change. The Bulldogs maintained the lead throughout the third set and dominated the frame to bring home the victory.
Overall, Ferris State hit an impressive .359 for the match and had 38 kills to only 30 for fourth-seeded Wayne State. The Bulldogs also compiled 48 digs and 11 blocks to WSU's 44 digs and two blocks. Wayne State was held to a .000 attack percentage figure as the Warriors hit -.171 in the third set. They finished with 30 kills and one service ace.
Wayne State was led by Nicole Arends' 10 kills. Cydney Biessel totalled 22 assists and Kristen Bulkiewicz netted 14 digs for WSU.
The win was the ninth consecutive victory for the Bulldogs, who captured the GLIAC North Division and regular-season championships with a 18-1 league mark this year.
Ferris State will host the tournament semifinals/finals this weekend at the Ewigleben Sports Arena. The Bulldogs will face fourth-seeded Ashland at 12 p.m. (ET) with number two seed Hillsdale squaring off against third-seeded Saginaw Valley State at 3 p.m. (ET). The winners will meet Sunday (Nov. 13) in the tournament championship match at 2 p.m. (ET) in Big Rapids.
Tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to match time and will be $5 for adults or $3 for all students from grades K to college with identification, which includes FSU students. No complimentary passes will be issued per GLIAC Tournament guidelines and FSU's "Division II Pass for Two" will not be accepted for postseason contests. There will be no preseale of tickets. For additional ticket information, please contact the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888.
