#14 Ferris State Beats NCAA Division I Western Michigan In Exhibition Tilt

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball squad, which is ranked 14th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Preseason National Poll, got off to a quick start on Friday (Aug. 19) as the Bulldogs beat NCAA Division I Western Michigan 3-2 in a preseason exhibition match at the Reed Fieldhouse in Kalamazoo.

The two teams squared off in the preseason tilt thanks to a recent rule change allowing D1 schools to play exhibition contests. The Bulldogs dropped the opening frame 26-24 before rallying to win the next three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-23 and 25-21 to take a 3-1 edge. A final fifth set was played with WMU prevailing 15-5.

Senior middle hitter Ayanna Buckley paced the Bulldogs with a team-high 15 kills and hit .387 for the afternoon while adding six blocks and four digs.

FSU also received 12 kills from sophomore outside hitter Allyson Cappel, who netted a .417 attack figure and posted five digs. Junior Katie Placek totaled eight kills while three others had four each.

Sophomore setter Maeve Grimes tallied 48 assists in directing the Bulldog attack while also picking up five digs and three blocks. Ferris State senior libero Lauren Reminga tallied a match-high 21 digs in the triumph.

Overall, Ferris State hit .288 for the day with 57 kills and only 13 errors on 153 attacks. The Bulldogs also posted 60 digs and eight blocks with seven service aces.

Western Michigan posted a .240 attack figure and netted 63 kills on 154 attempts with 26 hitting mistakes. The Broncos notched 74 digs and had six aces with four blocks.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday (Aug. 20) with another preseason exhibition contest at NCAA Division I Central Michigan starting at 5 p.m. (ET) in Mt. Pleasant.