Memorable Ferris State Volleyball Campaign Comes To An End In Regional Finals

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball team had its memorable season end on Saturday (Dec. 3) night as the Bulldogs fell to the Lewis Flyers in the 2016 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship Match at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs, who had won 26-straight matches entering the regional final, concluded the year with a 30-6 overall record while reaching the regional championship match for the third time in four years.

The Flyers got off to a quick start by winning the first set 25-21 and then held off FSU in the second to record a 26-24 triumph. They sealed the victory to advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight by notching a 25-18 win in the third set.

The Flyers received 13 kills from Elizabeth Hyland, who added 14 digs. Both Maddie Seliga and Nicole Yuede tallied 17 digs each in the win for Lewis, which improved to 28-7 overall.

Lewis compiled a .218 attack figure and recorded 41 kills with only 12 errors on 133 total attacks. They also notched 71 digs and came up with seven service aces and seven blocks.

For Ferris State, the Bulldogs received 11 kills from junior hitter Ayanna Buckley. Freshman Allyson Cappel paced FSU with 14 digs while senior setter Stephanie Sikorski along with sophomore Katie Placek and junior libero Lauren Reminga netted 11 digs apiece.

Sikorski led the FSU offense with 29 assists in her final collegiate match and the Bulldogs also received two solo blocks from Cappel.

Overall, Ferris State hit only .140 for the night and had 37 kills with 18 errors on 136 attempts. The Bulldogs finished with 72 digs, three blocks and two aces.

After reaching the regional final for the first time since 1992 during the 2013 season, the Bulldogs have now advanced to the Midwest Region Championship match for the third time in the last four years. FSU has also now reached the regional semifinals in six consecutive campaigns.

The Bulldogs finished the 2016 season as GLIAC Champions for the third-straight year with a 16-1 league regular-season mark. It was the sixth-straight year in which FSU finished either first or second in the conference.  

Along with winning this year's GLIAC regular-season crown, Ferris State also captured the 2016 GLIAC Tournament Championship for the third consecutive year to earn the program's fourth tourney title in school history.

Overall, this year's national tournament bid was the sixth-straight for the Bulldogs and the 21st in program history. This year represented only the fifth time in school history in which the Bulldogs hosted NCAA tournament competition.

Along with Sikorski, the Bulldogs also lose two other seniors in Jenna Way and Kaley Konjarevich, who helped lead FSU to three-straight league championships and three regional final appearances in their careers.

The Bulldogs had three representatives on the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team in Sikorski along with Cappel and Buckley.