Bulldog Volleyball Season Ends In NCAA Regional Semifinals

Bulldog Volleyball Season Ends In NCAA Regional Semifinals

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball team saw its season come to an end on Friday (Nov. 30) night as the Bulldogs fell to top-seeded Indianapolis by a 3-0 score in the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament at the Ruth Lily Center.

The host Greyhounds won the opening frame 25-23 and then pulled out a win in an exciting second set by a 30-28 score.  In the final set, Indianapolis sealed the victory with a 25-17 triumph.

The Bulldogs concluded the 2012 campaign with a 24-8 overall record.

Senior middle hitter Anne Sutton paced the Bulldogs with a team-high 10 kills in her final collegiate match while senior setter Samantha Fordyce netted 30 assists in her last collegiate outing.  Senior outside hitter Aly Brecht also played her last match and totaled 10 kills along with six digs while senior defensive specialist Paige Wyers contributed three digs in the loss and senior Brianna Grover had a service ace.  Senior Lindsey Miller also had her career come to a close on Friday night.

The Greyhounds held a decisive edge in total kills with 50 compared to FSU's 35 on the night.  Indianapolis also hit .220 for the match and limited FSU to a .168 attack percentage.

Besides the contributions from the senior class, the Bulldogs also received five kills and four digs from sophomore outside hitter Courtney Rehm while junior libero Brandie Merren posted 13 digs.

Indianapolis improved to 29-7 overall this season with its second win over the Bulldogs this year and will move on to face sixth-seeded Hillsdale in Saturday's (Dec. 1) regional final.  It marked the second-straight campaign in which the Greyhounds knocked the Bulldogs out of the NCAA Tournament in the regional semifinal round.

The Greyhounds were paced by Kristina Kerrigan's match-high 17 kills.  Brittany Anglemyer added 12 kills in the win while Meghan Binkerd posted 42 assists.

Indy also had four players each double-digits in digs with both Kerrigan and Amy Oldenburg leading the way with 14 each.

Ferris State posted 39 digs, 10 blocks and three aces, but also had eight service errors.  On the Indianapolis side, the Greyhounds totaled 60 digs, five aces and three blocks with six service miscues.

Ferris State was making its 17th all-time NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and it was FSU's second consecutive trip to the regional tournament.

This season, the Bulldogs posted a 16-2 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) standings as FSU came within a single victory of winning at least a share of a second-straight conference crown.  This year also represented the program's 40th season of intercollegiate volleyball.