Bulldog Volleyball Draws Three Strong Opponents For Upcoming GLIAC/GLVC Crossover

Big Rapids, Mich. – Official pairings have been announced for the sixth annual Mizuno GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Volleyball Tournament, the nation's largest collegiate volleyball tournament, which will be held at the Great Lakes Center in Aurora, Ill. this coming weekend (Oct. 25-26). 

Mizuno will once again serve as the title sponsor for the regional volleyball event which will pit 16 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) volleyball teams against 16 institutions representing the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

The Ferris State women's volleyball squad, which is ranked 22nd nationally with a 15-4 overall record, will face GLVC members Rockhurst (Mo.), Indianapolis and Lewis (Ill.) in weekend competition.

The Bulldogs open tournament play on Friday versus Rockhust at 2:30 p.m. (CT).  FSU then takes on Indianapolis on Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT) followed by a matchup versus Lewis at 4 p.m. (CT).

Lewis University is the GLVC's No. 1 seed while Northern Michigan enters as the top seed from the GLIAC.  FSU is seeded second among the GLIAC member schools in the field.

The two-day tournament will feature 48 matches conducted on eight courts at one of the top volleyball facilities in the country. The event, designed to increase competition between teams from the two leagues in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region, has previously been held in Indianapolis, Ind., and Lansing, Mich.

One GLVC team and one GLIAC team will square off in each contest, which will consist of eight matches happening simultaneously in each of three sessions over the two-day event.   The conference that boasts the best combined record at the end of the event will earn the Crossover traveling trophy, which has been in the GLVC's possession the past three years. 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 improve on that effort two years ago with a winning record of 29-19. Last season, the GLVC continued its three-year run with a 28-20 mark.

The GLVC and GLIAC are two of the premier NCAA Division II conferences in the country and feature strong volleyball programs. Each conference currently boasts at least one team in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll, as Truman State paced the GLVC in 17th place nationally in last week's poll, while the GLIAC's Grand Valley State was 20th and Ferris State rated 22nd overall. In addition, the list of teams receiving votes in the most recent AVCA poll included Indianapolis, Rockhurst and Lewis from the GLVC along with Ashland out of the GLIAC.

The GLVC is a 16-member NCAA Division II conference with members in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin and has been combining athletic and academic success at the NCAA Division II level since 1978.

The GLIAC, founded in 1972, consists of 16 league members from Michigan and Ohio and has been a leader in the advancement and promotion of intercollegiate athletics for men and women for more than 40 years.

For more information, log on to the event's official website:
http://www.gliac.org/sports/wvball/2013-14/crossover/Crossover_13