Ferris State Volleyball Earns GLIAC's Top Overall Seed For Midwest Region Crossover
Big Rapids, Mich. – Official pairings have been announced for the 12th annual Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover Tournament, the nation's largest collegiate volleyball tournament, which will be held at The Academy Volleyball Club in Indianapolis this coming weekend (Oct. 18-19).
The regional volleyball event will feature 41 NCAA DII midwest region programs, including 16 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), 12 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), and 13 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) volleyball programs that will represent their respective conferences.
Overall, the two-day tournament features 63 matches conducted on 11 courts throughout six sessions at one of the top volleyball facilities in the country. The event, designed to increase competition between teams from the three leagues in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region, has previously been held in Indianapolis, Ind., Lansing, Mich., and Aurora, Ill.
Ferris State University (14-3, 8-1 GLIAC) is the GLIAC's No. 1 seed overall. Top seeds also went to Drury (Mo.) from the GLVC and Hillsdale from the G-MAC.
Ferris State, which was ranked 14th nationally last week and owns a 14-3 overall record, will face Walsh of the G-MAC along with GLVC members Rockhurst (Mo.) and Missouri-St. Louis in weekend action.
The Bulldogs open tournament play on Friday versus the G-MAC's second-seed in Walsh at 2:30 p.m. (ET). FSU then takes on the GLVC's second-seed Rockhurst on Saturday at 10 a.m. (ET) before concluding the action on Saturday versus the GLVC's fifth seed in Missouri-St. Louis at 4 p.m. (ET).
The conference that boasts the best combined record at the end of the event will earn the Crossover traveling trophy, which the GLVC has earned the last two years. It was reclaimed by the GLVC in 2017 after the GLIAC had snapped the GLVC's six-year winning streak by taking possession in 2016.
The GLIAC claimed the event's first title in 2008 with a 27-12 record, only to retain it the following year with a 24-21 mark. In 2010, the GLVC earned its first Crossover win with a 23-22 effort only to take the next two seasons in 2011 (29-19) and 2012 (28-20). In 2013, the two conferences tied 24-24, but the GLVC earned the event win based on a game record tiebreak. In 2014, the GLVC controlled play throughout to keep the trophy by a 37-11 margin and in 2015 the GLVC notched a 28-20 mark to the GLIAC's 24-24 overall record with the expanded format. Three years ago, in 2016, the GLIAC recorded a 30-15 ledger with the GLVC going 23-25 and the G-MAC 1-14 overall. In 2017, the GLVC led the way with a 31-14 mark followed by the GLIAC (13-23) and the G-MAC (10-17). Finally, last year, in 2018, the GLVC went 32-10 with the GLIAC posting a 16-20 mark and the G-MAC finishing with a 9-27 record.
The GLIAC, founded in 1972, consists of 12 league members from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin. The league has been a leader in the advancement and promotion of intercollegiate athletics for men and women for more than 40 years.
The GLVC is a 16-member NCAA Division II conference with current members in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri and has been combining athletic and academic success at the NCAA Division II level since 1978.
The current 13-member G-MAC earned active NCAA Division II member status in July of 2013, when they began competition as the 24th active NCAA Division II conference in 2013-14. Presently, their representation includes the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan.
Visit this link for the 2019 Crossover Website:
2019 Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover