Ferris State Volleyball Presents Annual Team Awards At Postseason Banquet

Note: Pictured are seniors Claire Grawburg & Courtney Rehm with recent trophies won by the Bulldogs!

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball program held its annual postseason awards banquet this past Sunday (Dec. 7) at Falcon Head Golf Course near Big Rapids as FSU celebrated a championship season.

The Bulldogs, who made the school's fourth-straight and 19th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, finished the 2014 campaign with a 24-6 overall record. FSU also won a share of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Regular-Season Championship and claimed the school's second-ever GLIAC Tournament title by beating rival Grand Valley State in the tourney title match.

This year marked the 13th time in 19 seasons under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm in which FSU has claimed at least 20 victories in a campaign. The Bulldogs have also made 17 consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearances in the stretch.

Senior Courtney Rehm (Portage Central), who was a four-time All-GLIAC honoree along with an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-Midwest Region choice, claimed team Most Valuable Player Award recognition for the 2014 season.

A first team All-GLIAC selection this season, Rehm was twice chosen as the GLIAC Player of the Week and also earned Most Valuable Player honors in the GLIAC Tournament. She ranked among the squad leaders in nearly every statistical category with 283 kills, 271 digs, 47 blocks and 36 aces in 30 matches while playing all 102 sets for FSU.

Meanwhile, fellow senior Claire Grawburg (Rochester Hills/Rochester) and junior hitter Megan Vander Meer (Grand Rapids) received the team's Bulldog Award for their efforts and accomplishments.

This season, Vander Meer led the Bulldogs with 316 kills in 30 matches. She appeared in 101 sets and owned one of the squad's top hitting percentages with a .267 figure. Additionally, she tallied 255 digs, 47 blocks and 20 service aces for Ferris State. Vander Meer was an All-GLIAC First Team recipient and named to both the AVCA All-Midwest Region Team along with the Daktronics All-Midwest Region Second Team. Last week, she received 2014 AVCA Honorable Mention All-America accolades.

Meanwhile, Grawburg had her best season as a Bulldog in her final campaign. She appeared in 25 matches and compiled 55 kills with 34 total blocks and 11 digs. The four-year letterwinner played a key role for the Bulldogs both on and off the court during her collegiate career. 

The Coaches Award was given to both junior Alexis Huntey (Stanwood/Morley-Stanwood) along with junior Jenna Way (Charlevoix) while junior libero Danielle Dowd (Manhatten, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) earned team Most Improved Player Award recognition.

Huntey was also an All-GLIAC First Team pick in 2014 and totaled 320 digs, 221 kills, 63 blocks and 19 aces in 30 contests. Meanwhile, Dowd claimed academic all-district recognition and led FSU with 437 digs as the squad's libero in 30 outings. Way played a valuable role as a reserve in the back row and played in 30 matches for the Bulldogs this fall.

Along with the team awards presented, Rehm was also honored for becoming a member of the school's exclusive 1,000 career kills club this season. 

Ferris State loses only a pair of seniors from this year's squad in Rehm and Grawburg. Together, they helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Tournament four times while winning a pair of conference regular-season championships and a GLIAC Tournament title in their memorable careers.