Bulldogs Advance to GLIAC Championship, Finish Off Huskies In Dramatic Four-Set Thriller
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan Tech (20-10) | 25 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 1 |
|
Ferris State (23-9) | 20 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 3 |
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball team defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 27-25, 26-24) in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Semifinals on Friday (Nov. 11) inside Jim Wink Arena.
Ferris State dropped the opening set before pulling away for a second set victory. The third frame was a see-saw affair. Ferris State led 17-13 before the Huskie scored five straight points to pull narrowly ahead by one. The Huskies pulled ahead 25-24 before the Bulldogs scored three straight points to win the third set. In the fourth set, the Bulldogs battled into extra points to take the match 3-1.
The Bulldogs were led by sophomore outside hitter Claire Nowicki's 17 kills, while sophomore middle hitter Syann Fairfield added 16 for Ferris State. Fairfield also registered nine total blocks, good for 23.5 points with her block assists.
At the net, the Bulldogs dominated with 14 total blocks.
Defensively, Ferris State sophomore libero Leah Bylut led all Bulldogs with 20 digs while both Alina Anderson and Emma Bleecher netted 12 digs.
Ferris State hit at a strong .280 hitting percentage, while Michigan Tech hit .258 on the evening.
The Huskies were led by Meg Raabe's 26 kills, while setter Lina Espejo-Ramirez had a match-best 55 assists. Carissa Beyer led the Huskies with 21 digs in the outing.
On the night, the match saw 15 lead changes and 33 tied scores included 17 tie scores and eight lead changes in the final set alone.
Ferris State also got eight kills out of sophomore middle hitter Olivia Henneman-Dallape, while Chelsie Freeman had seven kills and Bleecher tallied six for the Bulldogs. Ferris State also had six service aces, led by Fairfield's three, while three other Bulldogs tallied at least one on the night.
The Bulldogs will square off against West Michigan rival Grand Valley State on Saturday (Nov. 12) at 4 p.m. (ET) in the GLIAC Championship match. Tickets can be purchased in advance at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets and the first 150 FSU students with a valid ID card will receive free admission at the door.
