Three-Set Win For Bulldog Volleyball At Northwood
The Ferris State University women's volleyball team turned in one of its most productive performances in the early first-half part of the 2010 season as the Bulldogs completed a three-set sweep (25-20, 25-23, 25-19) over the Northwood Timberwolves this Saturday (Sept. 18) in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division match at the Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich.
Senior middle hitter Danielle Hamilton (Galesburg/Galesburg-Augusta) paved the way for Ferris State offensively with a match-high 10 kills on 17 attempts for a noteworthy .471 hitting percentage. Hamilton, who was the lone player on either team to post double-figure kills, received support from sophomore outside hitter Aly Brecht's (Alma) eight kills. Senior middle hitter and All-America candidate Arielle Goodson (Grand Rapids/Central) along with junior Ashley Huntey (Stanwood/Morley-Stanwood) followed with six kills each.
Sophomore setter Samantha Fordyce (DeWitt) turned in a productive match with a 33 assists total to lead all individuals while junior libero Lisa Tobiczyk (Marysville) accumulated a match-high 22-digs performance and served four aces. Senior libero Dana Ruttle (Reed City) chipped in with nine of Ferris State's 53 digs.
The Bulldogs concluded the three-set contest hitting .215 on 39 kills in 107 hitting attempts while the Timberwolves were at .143 efficiency. FSU racked up eight total blocks as a team with sophomore middle hitter Anne Sutton (Grand Rapids/Northview) and Ashley Huntey tallying five and four blocks assists, respectively.
In set one, which featured 11 ties and two lead changes, Ferris State snapped an 11-all tie on a Northwood attack error and never trailed the rest of the way. Anne Sutton's kill proved the set-winning point for the Bulldogs, who connected on .188 of their attempts, in the 25-20 decision.
Ferris State jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the second set before the Timberwolves erased the deficit by scoring six unanswered points to draw into a tie. The score would be even one more time at nine apiece, but the Bulldogs tallied the next six points to go up 15-9 on a kill by Anne Sutton. The hosts would get within three points at 24-21 on a kill which prompted a FSU timeout. The Bulldogs came out on the break by accounting for two of the next three points as Sutton served an ace and Ashley Huntey's kill won the set, 25-23, to give Ferris a 2-0 match advantage.
A .342 hitting percentage turned in by Ferris State was instrumental in the match-clinching third-set win, 25-19. The Bulldogs started out with an 8-3 lead, but Northwood would strike back to get within three at 15-12 on a FSU service error. Late in the set, the Timberwolves would trail 23-19 before a kill by Danielle Hamilton and a Lisa Tobiczyk ace wrapped up the victory for Ferris. Northwood suffered the third-set loss despite registering a .205 attack rating.
The Bulldogs, who are 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the GLIAC North Division with the win, step back on the court this Sunday (Sept. 19) versus the Lake Superior State Lakers in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The match is set to commence at 2 p.m. (EDT) inside LSSU's Bud Cooper Gymnasium.