FEATURE: Year Away From Volleyball Has Sharpened Focus Of Ferris State's Emily May
By Sandy Gholston
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- Emily May's successful 2023 debut as a Ferris State volleyball player planted the seeds for future greatness for the young Bulldog.
As a promising first-year player, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Coopersville had 59 kills on a .257 attack percentage with 26 total blocks and 15 digs.
The numbers were solid for a rookie joining a talented and experienced squad led by head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm that had historic greatness ahead in 2024.
An early-season injury would limit May, though, to five matches as she tallied nine kills, two digs and two blocks on a senior-heavy team that would finish the season 34-1, win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships, the NCAA Division II Midwest Region championship and advance to the Elite Eight.
For most of Ferris State's 2024 historic run, May watched from close by and actively supported the cause behind the scenes as she couldn't get on the court.
May took the opportunity to learn.
"I watched our seniors very closely. I was able to see how they reacted to things on the court, how they handled situations. I learned," she said. "Watching closely helped me to better understand communication on the court and how to work better with my teammates to be better this year. While I wasn't able to play, last season helped me a lot as far as growing as a player."
May knew her opportunity was coming as she approached her preseason workouts and practices with renewed enthusiasm – hungry to step back on the court, returning to the sport she loves after a season away from it.
"I've been super excited and grateful to be with the girls on this team," she said. "I've felt even more of a super-deep love and passion for the game and the team."
That love and passion were evident in May's play so far this season as the Bulldogs have faced high-quality competition with matches in Texas and Colorado before returning to Michigan to open GLIAC play with wins over Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan.
Ferris State is off to a 7-3 overall start, including 2-0 in the GLIAC.
May has been a big part of the Bulldogs' early success, playing in all 10 matches and tallying 101 kills, 46 digs and 15 total blocks heading into this weekend's home GLIAC matches in Bulldog Arena against Grand Valley State on Friday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. and against Wayne State on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m.
"We're excited and we all have that pride in having this opportunity to play for our team, for our school and for our community," said May, who was a two-sport prep athlete at Coopersville competing in basketball and volleyball. May was all-state, all-region and all-academic in volleyball while leading her team to conference and district championships. "We were really excited about starting this season."
Graduating a large senior class from last season, this year's Ferris State team has successfully integrated new and talented Bulldog players into its 2025 lineup, including senior libero Jasmine Wellet and junior middle hitter Lilly Peterson – both of whom are making an immediate impact.
"We have a lot of fresh faces coming into the program who have come to the team with a lot of new ideas," said May, a Marketing major in Ferris State's College of Business. "They have brought in a lot of excitement and a different outlook that made us even more excited about this season. They have come in and shown who they are and that they can compete."
Beginning the week of Sept. 15, the Bulldogs were ranked 12th nationally in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 poll. Since then, the Bulldogs have earned wins over MTU and NMU, beginning their league schedule 2-0.