Bulldog Volleyball Splits Two Matches In Day One Action At Tourney In Texas

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball squad opened action in the 2021 Dakota's Patriot Classic on Friday (Sept. 10) in Tyler, Texas, and came away with a split in a pair of day one matches.

The Bulldogs swept Harding (Ark.) 3-0 in morning action before falling to Oklahoma Baptist 3-0 in afternoon play.

In the opener, the Bulldogs recorded a 25-23, 25-20, 25-16 win over Harding, hitting .255 overall as a team with only eight errors on 106 total attacks. FSU also had nine service aces and forced the Bisons into 13 service mistakes.

Both senior Katie O'Connell and middle hitter Kira Merkle tallied 10 kills each in leading FSU to the win. O'Connell also had 16 digs while libero Nina Gorgijevska added 14 digs. Meanwhile, setter Kaylee Maat finished with 28 assists and 10 digs.

Freshman Keona Salesman also contributed six service aces for the Bulldogs.

In the second match, however, Oklahoma Baptist got off to a quick start and notched the 27-25, 25-18, 25-22 triumph. OBU limited the Bulldogs to only a .179 attack figure in the finale.

The Bulldogs were paced by middle hitter Samantha Hermann with 10 digs in the setback. Gorgijevska compiled a team-high 19 digs while Maat had 32 assists and 10 digs.

Ferris State will close out the tournament in Texas against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday (Sept. 11) starting at 11 a.m. (ET).