Ferris State Volleyball Wins Finale Over #24 Indy To Earn Split At Tampa Classic

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nationally 13th-ranked Ferris State University women's volleyball team split a pair of matches versus ranked foes on Saturday (Sept. 6) to wrap up its appearance in the University of Tampa Classic held in Tampa, Fla.

The Bulldogs fell to fifth-ranked Central Missouri 3-0 in the morning match before bouncing back to beat 24th-ranked Indianapolis by a 3-1 count in the finale. With the split, FSU concluded the three-day event with a 2-2 mark and both losses came versus top-five teams in the national rankings.

Central Missouri won a close first set 29-27 over FSU and then picked up the straight-set victory with a 25-14 triumph in the middle frame followed by a 25-21 win in the third.

CMU received 14 kills from Carly Sojka and 13 by Haley Thompson in topping the Bulldogs. Kourtney Thompson dished out 37 assists while Annie Reilly netted 23 digs and Shelby Winkelmann had 16 digs for Central Missouri.

Ferris State was held to a .113 attack figure in comparison with Central Missouri's .220 figure. FSU finished with 53 digs, eight blocks and two service aces to 71 digs, five aces and four blocks on the CMU side.

Sophomore Megan Vander Meer and junior Caroline Heitzman both tallied eight kills apiece for the Bulldogs with Danielle Dowd netting 16 digs and Alexis Huntey adding 14 digs in the match. Senior Courtney Rehm totaled five kills for the Bulldogs and Vander Meer had four solo blocks to lead Ferris State in that category.

Ferris State bounced back to beat 24th-ranked Indianapolis in the finale as FSU won the final three sets after the Greyhounds had recorded a 25-19 triumph in the opening frame. The Bulldogs recorded a 25-14 win in the second set before winning in extra points, 30-28, in the third. They then sealed the match at the Bob Martinez Athletic Center by taking a decisive 25-16 win in the fourth set.

Vander Meer had a team-high 16 kills for the Bulldogs, who hit .261 overall compared to UIndy's .156 effort. Heitzman added 12 kills with Huntey contributing 10 in the match.

Sophomore Stephanie Sikorski had a match-best 47 assists in the Bulldog victory while Dowd was one of four players in double-digits in digs with 13 overall. Vander Meer added 12 digs, Rehm had 11 and Huntey chipped in 10 for FSU.

Ferris State totaled 60 digs, 57 kills and 11 blocks to go with five aces and 13 service errors. In comparison, Indianapolis finished with 73 digs, 47 kills and one block in addition to four aces and eight mistakes at the service line.

The Bulldogs will open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action on the road next Friday, Sept. 12, as FSU visits Saginaw Valley State for a 7 p.m. (ET) league tilt in University Center, Mich.

FSU's home opener is not until Sept. 19 when Walsh visits the Ewigleben Sports Arena for an evening encounter starting at 7 p.m. (ET) in Big Rapids.