Second-Seeded Bulldogs Advance To GLIAC Semifinals With Dominating Quarterfinal Win

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nationally 18th-ranked Ferris State University women's volleyball squad left little doubt in Wednesday's (Nov. 12) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Quarterfinal match as the the Bulldogs stormed past visiting Hillsdale by a 3-0 score to advance to the league semifinals.

After a quick start by the Chargers in the opening set, the second-seeded Bulldogs answered and rolled from there to a 25-20, 25-19, 25-10 win inside the Ewigleben Sports Arena against seventh-seeded Hillsdale.

With the win, the Bulldogs will move on to the tournament semifinals for the first time in three years and square off against third-seeded Findlay on Saturday (Nov. 15) in the second round. Top-seeded Grand Valley State will host the final four and face Saginaw Valley State in the semifinals with the title match set for Sunday (Nov. 16) afternoon.

The Bulldogs and Findlay will square off in the semifinals on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. (ET) inside the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena following the opening match between Grand Valley State and fifth-seeded Saginaw Valley State at 4 p.m. The title match on Sunday is slated for 4 p.m.

In the win over the Chargers, the Bulldogs tallied a .288 attack figure with 43 kills and only 13 errors on 104 total attempts. FSU also dominated play at the net with 10 team blocks to only three for the visitors while limiting Hillsdale to a .029 attack percentage.

Junior middle hitter Caroline Heitzman keyed the victory with a match-best 10 kills. Meanwhile, junior outside hitter Megan Vander Meer added nine kills as did senior Courtney Rehm in yet another balanced Bulldog attack. Both junior Alexis Huntey and freshman Ayanna Buckley totaled five kills in the winning effort.

Huntey paced the Bulldogs with 13 digs while junior libero Danielle Dowd added nine for the night and Rehm managed eight digs as part of FSU's 43 total in the match. Vander Meer contributed six in the victory.

Meanwhile, sophomore setter Stephanie Sikorski recorded 31 assists in directing the attack while Rehm tallied three service aces and freshman Lauren Reminga chipped in with two. Overall, Ferris State had six aces and eight service mistakes.

Up front, six different FSU players had a role in at least two blocks each with both Huntey and Heitzman recording three each to lead the way. Rehm had two solo blocks as well.

On the Hillsdale side, the Chargers were led by Haylee Booms, who netted eight kills. Lindsay Kostrzewa added seven kills with Jordan Demark registering a team-high 12 digs. Setter Marissa Owen notched 24 assists.

The Chargers finished with 27 kills and 24 errors on 103 attempts. They also totaled 40 digs, three blocks and three service errors with no aces in the match.

Ferris State had a big second set in hitting .400 for the frame while FSU also limited the Chargers to a -.235 showing in the final set while rolling to the win.

The Bulldogs, who won a share of the GLIAC's Regular-Season crown along with rival GVSU, improved to 21-5 overall and have now won their last eight matches in a row this season. They also finished unbeaten at home this year with a perfect 10-0 mark. 

This year marks the Bulldogs' 17th consecutive appearance in the GLIAC Tournament and Wednesday's match marked the fourth-straight year in which FSU has hosted a quarterfinal-round home match. Hillsdale ended its season with a 12-14 overall record.

After conference tournament action is complete, the top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament with the top school likely to host regional action Nov. 20-22. The winner of the GLIAC Tournament will receive the league's automatic bid with official NCAA Tournament selections set to be announced late Sunday night.

Ferris State will host a special volleyball "Selection Show" event on Sunday night at Buffalo Wild Wings in Big Rapids starting at 10 p.m. (ET) and fans are invited to come out and watch the show.

The Bulldogs are presently fourth in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Rankings and expected to receive the school's 19th all-time NCAA Tournament berth regardless of this weekend's results.