Ferris State's Rally Falls Short In Loss To Michigan Tech

Despite a match-high 20 kills from Arielle Goodson (Grand Rapids/Central), the efforts of Ferris State University women's volleyball team fell short in a 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 12-25, 25-23, 11-15) loss to Michigan Tech this Friday (Nov. 6) afternoon at FSU's Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. 

Goodson, a junior outside hitter, totaled 20 kills to lead all players in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match as she registered a .286 hitting percentage while compiling four total blocks (three block assists).

Senior middle hitter Kristy Gilchrist (Macomb/Anchor Bay) provided 12 kills on .267 hitting while sophomore outside hitter Ashley Huntey (Stanwood/Morley-Stanwood) contributed 10 kills.  Senior middle hitter Sarah Lark (Alma) chipped in with nine kills and senior outside hitter Katie Edwards (Cedar Springs) supplied nine for the Bulldogs, who were outhit .255 to .205 in the five-set contest.

Ashley Huntey paced the Ferris State defense with 12 kills.  Sophomore libero Lisa Tobiczyk (Marysville) added 11 digs and redshirt freshman setter Samantha Fordyce (DeWitt) totaled 10 digs while generating a match-best 51 assists.

Veronica Armstrong was tops among three Michigan Tech players in double-figure kills with 15 total.  She also added 12 digs and a pair of block assists for MTU, which improves to 14-12 overall and 10-5 in the GLIAC North Division to date.

With the loss, the Bulldogs drop to 18-10 overall on the season and are 9-6 in the GLIAC's North Division.  FSU will close out its 2009 regular season this Saturday (Nov. 7) versus the Northern Michigan Wildcats in Big Rapids.  First serve is set for 2 p.m. (EDT) with the four Bulldog senior student-athletes - Katie Edwards, Kristy Gilchrist, Amanda Kettlewell (Marysville), and Sarah Lark - to be honored prior to the conference match.

Ferris State grabbed the opening set 25-22 to take the early advantage as the Bulldogs posted a .194 attack percentage in the first set.  A kill by Ashley Huntey evened the score at 21-all before the Bulldogs went on a 4-1 scoring run to pull out the win.

In the second set, Michigan Tech evened up the match as the Huskies held on for a 25-22 victory.  FSU chipped away at a six-point deficit (23-17) to close within 23-21, but MTU held on for the victory.

The momentum continued on Michigan Tech's side in the third set as the visitors dominated, leading by as many as 14 points (22-8) at one stage.  MTU would finish the set by hitting at a .300 clip to the Bulldogs' .000 attack percentage.

Ferris State would bounce back from a 2-1 deficit in set four, which consisted of eight ties and two lead changes.  Arielle Goodson's kill gave FSU a two-point advantage at 24-22 with set point on the line.  MTU's Kristine Sexton hammered a kill to get the Huskies within a point (24-23), but the Bulldogs thwarted any hopes of a Huskies' comeback as Kristy Gilchrist sealed the set for Ferris State with a kill.  

In the decisive fifth set, Ferris State generated a productive .400 hitting percentage but Michigan Tech registered a .524 percent efficiency rating.  The set was close from the outset as neither team was able to build more than a three-point advantage.  A kill by Katie Edwards tied the set up for the seventh and final time at 10-apiece, but MTU netted the next two points to lead 12-10.  Following a timeout, the Bulldogs scored the next point on Sarah Lark's kill before the Huskies reeled off back-to-back kills to claim a 14-11 advantage.  The winning point on the set and for the match followed on a kill by MTU's Melissa Axtell.