Nationally 14th-Ranked Bulldogs Open 2017 Season With Back-To-Back Sweeps In Home Invite

Big Rapids, Mich. - Preseason nationally 14th-ranked Ferris State got off to a fast start on Friday (Sept. 1) as the Bulldogs swept two matches to open play in the annual FSU Volleyball Invitational inside the Ewigleben Sports Arena.

Ferris State took down visiting Missouri Western State in straight-sets by scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-18 in Friday afternoon's season opener before beating Cedarville (Ohio) 25-19, 25-17 and 25-14 in the evening finale to move to 2-0 on the year.

In the opener, the Bulldogs hit .208 for the contest and compiled 37 kills with only 17 attack errors while netting 42 digs, 14 blocks and five service aces. FSU also limited the Griffons to only a .071 attack figure for the match.

Ferris State was led in match one by sophomore outside hitter Allyson Cappel, who tallied a match-high 15 kills along with 10 digs. She hit .440 for the match in the victory.

Along with Cappel, Bulldog senior middle hitter Ayanna Buckley tallied seven kills with both Courtney Brewer and Maria Kronner totaling five each. Redshirt freshman setter Maeve Grimes distributed 32 assists while senior libero Lauren Reminga totaled 10 digs in the triumph.

After the impressive opening win, the Bulldogs came back strong in a decisive win over Cedarville, which reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Ferris State compiled a .321 attack percentage in the nightcap and produced 46 kills with only 11 hitting mistakes on 109 total attempts. The Bulldogs also notched 40 digs and had six blocks with five aces.

Brewer led the Bulldogs with nine kills in the final contest while Buckley added eight kills and Cappel had seven. FSU's Reminga tallied a team-high 12 digs with Cappel posting 10 in the win. Grimes compiled 39 assists and also had a match-high three service aces for the Bulldogs.

Overall, FSU also held Cedarville to a .125 hitting mark and the Yellow Jackets finished with 40 digs, five blocks and only a single service ace in dropping to 0-2 on the year.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday (Sept. 2) as they host two more matches to wrap up the FSU Invitational in Big Rapids. Ferris State squares off against Northwest Missouri State at 2 p.m. (ET) before battling Quincy (Ill.) in the final match of the event at 6 p.m. (ET).