Ferris State Volleyball Wins First Two Matches At Midwest Region Crossover In Indy

Big Rapids, Mich. - Nationally fifth-ranked Ferris State Volleyball got off to a big start in the nation's largest collegiate volleyball tournament on Friday (Oct. 12) as the Bulldogs won two matches at The Academy Volleyball Club in the 2018 Midwest Region Crossover held in Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs rallied in the opening match for a 3-2 triumph over the Findlay Oilers before closing the day with a 3-1 victory against Indianapolis in evening action.

In the opener, Ferris State fell behind early as the Oilers won the first two sets by scores fo 26-24 and 25-18. However, FSU rallied and claimed set three 25-22 before evening the match with a 26-24 win in the fourth. The Bulldogs then earned the victory with a close 15-13 win in the fifth.

Junior Courtney Brewer led the Bulldogs with a team-high 19 kills while both junior outside hitter Allyson Cappel and sophomore Katie O'Connell tallied 17 apiece. Senior libero Katie Placek notched 28 digs with O'Connell adding 22 and Cappel 15. Junior setter Maeve Grimes had 51 assists.

The Bulldogs hit .180 in the opener with 60 kills, 90 digs, seven service aces in addition to eight block assists and three solo blocks.

Findlay was led by Amanda Winner and Izzy Murphy with 17 kills each. Kara Scherger had 22 digs and Winner added 21 overall. UF compiled a .227 hitting figure and came up with 62 kills, 76 digs and 13 aces, but had 18 service errors.

Ferris State started strong in the nightcap with wins of 25-18 and 25-23 over Indianapolis in the first two sets. The Greyhounds bounced back for a 25-17 win in the third, but FSU closed out the victory by taking the fourth set 25-16.

Brewer again led the Bulldogs in the second match with 14 kills while Cappel added 12 and O'Connell had 10. Placek totaled 20 digs, Cappel had 12 and O'Connell 11 with Grimes notching 44 assists.

In the second match, Ferris State posted a .244 attack figure with 57 kills and the Bulldogs also totaled 67 digs, four aces and 10 block assists with three solo hits at the net.

UIndy hit .203 overall and managed 55 kills, 68 digs, 12 block assists and two aces. The Greyhounds were paced by Katie Furlong with 12 kills while both Katie Voelz and Taylor Jacquay had 10 apiece. Olivia Martin contributed 21 digs with Alyssa Spears handing out 44 assists.

The Bulldogs will close the 2018 Midwest Region Crossover by taking on Drury (Mo.) on Saturday (Oct. 13) starting at 1 p.m. (ET) in Indianapolis. Presently, FSU is now 18-3 overall and the Bulldogs have won 13 consecutive matches.