Ferris State Volleyball Advances To Saturday's NCAA Midwest Regional Final

Postgame Press Conference

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nationally second-ranked Ferris State University women's volleyball team will have an opportunity to play for the Midwest Regional Championship as the Bulldogs beat Findlay by a 3-1 score in the semifinals on Friday (Dec. 4) night inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

With the victory, Ferris State will now square off against Rockhurst (Mo.) in Saturday's regional final at 5 p.m. (ET) with a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight next week in Tampa on the line. Tickets for Saturday's regional final are on sale and can be purchased thru the FSU Athletics Ticket Office, which opens at noon on Saturday.

The Bulldogs ran their record to 33-2 on the year with the four-set win over the Oilers. The triumph came less than two weeks after FSU's 3-0 sweep of Findlay in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship Match in Big Rapids.

Ferris State won the opening two sets in strong fashion by scores of 25-18 and 25-12 before Findlay rallied back for a 25-20 triumph in the third frame. However, any hopes of any Oiler comeback were dashed late in the fourth set as FSU prevailed 25-23.

Senior outside hitter Megan Vander Meer again led the Bulldog attack with a team-high 15 kills. Sophomore middle hitter Ayanna Buckley chipped in with 11 kills while the combination of senior middle hitter Caroline Heitzman and senior outside hitter Alexis Huntey totaled eight kills apiece.

Ferris State senior libero Danielle Dowd tallied a match-high 20 digs in the FSU win with Huntey adding 16 digs in the Bulldog victory. FSU also received 43 assists from junior setter Stephanie Sikorski and Kaley Konjarevich tallied six service aces off the bench for the Bulldogs.

FSU totaled 48 kills and 18 attack errors on 129 total attempts for a .233 hitting figure. The Bulldogs alos posted 57 digs with 10 aces and came up with 12 block assists in addition to a solo block. Ferris State finished with eight service errors.

The Bulldogs' strong play at the net included four block assists by Buckley along with three from Huntey. Both Heitzman and freshman Katie Placek totaled two apiece in the win.

Findlay was led by Hannah Tong, who recorded a match-high 16 kills. Julie Lyons chipped in with 13 kills while Becca Shoemaker contributed 24 digs and setter Hailee Olson notched 43 assists.

The Oilers hit .129 for the night on 140 attempts with 46 kills and 28 errors. They also finished with 57 digs, 10 block assists, five aces and a solo block.

The victory was Ferris State's third over the Oilers this campaign and the second win in the NCAA Tournament following a 3-0 quarterfinal-round triumph over Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday at Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs are currently midst their 20th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and were taking part in the regional semifinals for the fifth-straight year. The Bulldogs last captured the Midwest Regional Championship to reach the Elite Eight two seasons ago.

Saturday's match will be carried live by Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.