Ferris State's Allyson Cappel Invited To Compete In USA D2 Volleyball Tour To Brazil

Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University All-America volleyball standout outside hitter Allyson Cappel (Tinley Park, Ill.) has been invited to compete in the USA Division II Volleyball Tour to Brazil this summer.

Cappel, who will be a junior for the Bulldogs this coming fall, is among one of a handful of Division II standouts chosen for the special opportunity as announced by USA Sports Tours & Events. The USA D2 Volleyball teams featured the top NCAA Division II women's volleyball players from across the country and are comprised of All-America, All-Region and All-Conference picks.

The USA D2 Volleyball Teams will feature two squads, a Red Team and a Black Team. The red team is made up of 10 players representing eight different colleges and universities from seven states while Cappel's squad, the Black team, consists of 10 standouts from seven institutions in five different home states.

"This is an outstanding group of young women," said Ron Smith of USA Sports Tours & Events. "Many of the players on this year's USA D2 / Brazil Tour team had great individual seasons and led their teams into post season play. This tour is designed to expose players to a great volleyball experience while providing a once in a lifetime opportunity for educational, cultural and social growth."

The USA D2 Volleyball Tour will run from May 28 thru June 6. The teams will begin with orientation in Orlando (Fla.) on May 28 before departing for Sao Paulo, Brazil, that evening. They'll then practice on May 29 in the city of Jundiai before matches on May 30-31 against the professional team and club teams.

The two USA D2 teams will play doubleheaders each night in the cities visited. They'll then travel to Rio de Janeiro on June 1 and take part in an "International Challenge" on Saturday, June 2. The "International Challenge" will be two matches versus club teams from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The two teams will be competing against top U22, adult and professional club teams from the states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on the tour.

While in Brazil, the teams will experience educational, cultural and social aspects of Brazilian life through city, school and sports club visits. While in Rio, the team will be staying on the famous Copacabana Beach (location for the 2016 Rio Olympic Beach Volleyball Stadium) and touring the Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. The team will visit the popular international market in Ipanema and Ipanema Beach.

Cappel is the lone standout from a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) institution chosen to compete.

This past season, Cappel earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honors for the second consecutive year and was also chosen as the GLIAC's Player and Attacker of the Year. She was also named to the 2017 AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team along with being a first-team pick by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association.

In 2017, Cappel paced the Bulldogs with 395 total kills in 104 sets and added 327 digs, 33 blocks, 22 aces and 13 assists while starting 29 matches.

Ferris State made its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament bid last fall and has now advanced to at least the regional semifinals each of the last seven years. FSU's regional appearance represented the program's 22nd all-time. In 2017, FSU closed the year with a 24-8 overall mark and also captured the program's fourth-straight GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.

This past year marked the 16th time in 22 seasons under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm in which FSU has claimed at least 20 victories in a campaign. The Bulldogs also made their 20th consecutive GLIAC Tournament appearance.

Below are the complete team rosters for the Brazil tour.

USA D2 BLACK Volleyball Team
Allyson Cappel, Ferris State
Ava Carnley, North Alabama
Jennifer Eubanks, Northwestern Oklahoma State
Malissa LeClaire, Upper Iowa
Stormi Leonard, Ouachita Baptist
Bethany Lovhaug, Upper Iowa
Adrianna Nolly, Ouachita Baptist
Courtney Place, Augustana
Mikayla Watson, Oklahoma Baptist
Hannah Williams, Northwestern Oklahoma State
 
USA D2 BLACK Volleyball Coach
Head Volleyball Coach: Brianna Barry, Southeastern Oklahoma State

USA D2 RED Volleyball Team
Leah Bisignani, Seton Hill
Maddy Bruder, Northwest Missouri State
Cassidy Cason, Rollins
Rachel Fletcher, Rollins
Alyssa Gage, Southern Connecticut State
Haley Hop, Alabama-Huntsville
Savvy Hughes, Truman State
Rowan Jack, Notre Dame de Namur
Leanna Jadus, Southern Connecticut State
Alicia Pickett, Missouri Southern State
 
USA D2 RED Volleyball Coach
Head Volleyball Coach: Lisa Bushman, Rollins