Ferris State Volleyball Heads To Denver For Prestigious Colorado Premier Challenge

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball squad will take part in one of the nation's largest and most prestigious volleyball tournaments this weekend as FSU heads to Denver for the Colorado Premier Challenge.

The Bulldogs will be one of 12 schools taking part in the two-day event, which is held on both the campuses of Regis University and the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Ferris State, which is off to a 4-0 start and ranked 11th in the nation, will face 28th-ranked West Florida on Friday at 4:30 p.m. (ET) before meeting 10th-ranked Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) at 8 p.m. (ET) in opening day competition. Teams will be seeded for Saturday's second day of action with FSU slated to play two additional matches.

The Bulldogs captured the Colorado Premier Championship back in 2015, going a perfect 4-0 with wins over three nationally-ranked opponents, including two in the nation's top five at the time.

This year's Colorado Premier Challenge will continue the tradition of bringing elite volleyball competition to the Denver area. The 2019 tournament field features nine teams that are currently ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II National Rankings in Tampa (#1), Lewis (#5), Tarleton State (#9), Concordia-St. Paul (#10), Ferris State (#11), Central Missouri (#12), Barry (#13), Southwest Minnesota State (#15) and Texas A&M Commerce (#20). The remaining three teams are all listed among the top teams in the nation receiving votes just outside of the top 25 including West Florida (#28) in addition to hosts Metro State (Tie #32) and Regis (Tie #32).

Many of the past national champions have all competed in the Premier, including last year's winners from the University of Tampa. Concordia-St. Paul captured the national title in both 2016 and 2017.

The format of the Colorado Premier Challenge features pool play on Friday. After seeding is determined, Saturday's action will be contested in the Gold, Silver and Bronze brackets. MSU Denver will host the Gold and Bronze Divisions, while the Silver Division will be played at nearby Regis University. The championship match in the top Gold Bracket will also be at MSU Denver.

Ferris State owns a 6-6 overall record in three previous appearances at the Colorado Premier Challenge, including the 2015 title.

Visit the two links below for complete Colorado Premier Challenge Information:
MSU Denver Tournament Page
Regis Tournament Page