Ferris State Moves To 9-0 By Sweeping SVSU In Battle Of Unbeaten Teams

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nationally fourth-ranked Ferris State University women's volleyball squad made an early season statement in its 2015 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opener on Friday (Sept. 18) night as the Bulldogs rolled past Saginaw Valley State 3-0 in a battle of unbeaten teams inside the Ewigleben Sports Arena.

The Bulldogs took the opening frame 25-18 and then posted a 25-19 victory in the second set. FSU sealed the match by winning the third 25-23 in close fashion before a standing-room only crowd of 600 plus fans.

With the win, Ferris State improved to 9-0 overall and started GLIAC play with a 1-0 mark. SVSU fell to 8-1 overall and 0-1 in league play with the setback.

Ferris State was paced by senior middle hitter Caroline Heitzman, who netted a match-high 15 kills and hit .387 for the match. Both senior outside hitters Megan Vander Meer and Alexis Huntey added six kills each in a balanced Bulldog lineup.

On the FSU side of the net, the Bulldogs received 12 digs from freshman Katie Placek. Senior libero Danielle Dowd added nine digs while Vander Meer had seven and Huntey had six for the match.

The Bulldogs had a strong night at the net with 12 total blocks, including seven assisted blocks from Heitzman and four by Huntey. FSU also came up with five service aces and received 30 assists from junior setter Stephanie Sikorski.

Overall, the Bulldogs hit .200 for the match, but also limited SVSU to a .000 attack percentage. FSU had 39 kills and 43 digs with SVSU totaling 25 kills and 46 digs. The Cardinals had only two aces and four blocks.

SVSU was led by Tamara Heller, who had seven kills. Brooke Tiller totaled 12 digs and Kelly Vellucci had 10 digs to go with 16 assists.

Ferris State never trailed in the opening set and there were only two lead changes in the second. The closest set came in the third when the score was tied seven times and the lead changed hands three times.

The Bulldogs, who captured the prestigious Colorado Premier Challenge Championship last week in Denver with two wins over top-five ranked teams, are currently fourth in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Rankings. FSU is also first nationally in the PrepVolleyball.com D2 National Poll this week.

FSU hosts Wayne State on Saturday (Sept. 19) with match time set for 3 p.m. (ET) in Big Rapids.