Women's BB Notes: GVSU (Nov. 30)
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* The Game: The Ferris State University women’s
basketball team hosts archrival Grand Valley State in its 2009-10
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opener on
Monday, Nov. 30, at FSU’s Jim Wink Arena. The “Big
Monday” tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (EST) in Big Rapids.
* Ticket Info: Tickets for Monday's men’s
and women’s doubleheader against Grand Valley State will be
available at the door starting one hour prior to the women’s
tipoff. All single-game general admission ticket prices are $7. FSU
students are admitted free with ID. For more info on home ticket
sales, please call the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231)
591-2888.
* Game Promotions: Free t-shirts will be given to
the first 100 students in attendance and a special "dance-off"
competition is scheduled to take place at halftime of the men's
game. The dance contest is open to anyone and prizes include 10
free tanning sessions at Tan Lines, a $20 gift card to Meijer, a
$25 gift card to the Blue Cow and first prize being awarded free
cover to The Gate for a full year.
* Media Coverage: The women’s game is
slated to be carried live by Bulldog Radio on Charter Channel 21 in
Mecosta County or online at www.bulldogradio.org. A live audio and
video pay-per-view webcast via B2 Networks will also be available
along with live internet statistics. Please visit FSU’s
Athletics Website at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com
to find links for all available coverage in the “upcoming
events” tab.
* Follow On Twitter: Bulldog fans can follow all
FSU games this year via Twitter. To access the service, please
visit www.twitter.com/ferrisathletics
to follow the tweet-by-tweet coverage with periodic scoring
updates.
* Last Time Out: Balanced scoring, strong
shooting and the home-court advantage helped Ferris post its first
victory of the 2009-10 campaign last Tuesday (Nov. 24) as the
Bulldogs defeated regional foe Lewis (Ill.) by a 74-66 count inside
Jim Wink Arena at Big Rapids. The Bulldogs shot 55.1% (27-49) from
the floor and converted 20-of-26 (76.9%) free throws. Ferris led by
five at halftime after limiting the Flyers to only 36.4% (8-22)
shooting in the initial frame. The score was tied (50-50) with 7:42
to play, but FSU closed the game on a 24-16 run in snapping a
four-game series’ losing streak. Junior guard Becci
Houdek paced the Bulldogs with a game-high tying 14 points
and added six assists in directing the FSU offense. Junior
Tiara Adams chipped in with 13 points, three
assists and three steals while sophomore guard Lindsey
Pettit added a personal career-high 13 points to go with a
pair of helpers. The Bulldogs also received a 12-point and six
rebound effort from junior forward Amy Joostberns.
* The Records: Ferris State (1-2, 0-0 GLIAC)
concluded the 2008-09 season with a 13-15 overall record after
winning seven of their final nine contests. The Bulldogs made their
10th consecutive and 11th overall berth in the GLIAC Tournament
where they advanced to the semifinals for the third-straight year
in 2008-09.
GVSU (2-1, 0-0
GLIAC) recorded a 20-10 overall record a season ago and posted a
15-7 mark to place second in GLIAC North Division competition. The
Lakers return eight letterwinners and four starters from a team
that advanced to the NCAA-II Tourney for the fourth time in five
years last season. GVSU is receiving votes nationally after being
ranked 25th in the WBCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll.
* The Coaches: Ferris State – Tracey
Dorow (Western Michigan, 1996), 12th season, 189-126 (.600)
– (12-12-0 vs. GVSU). Dorow presently ranks as Ferris’
all-time winningest coach. She guided FSU to a 22-7 mark and the
school's first NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Tourney appearance in
1999-00. She spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake
Michigan College (1994-97) and one season at Indianapolis
(1997-98). She also directed FSU to an NCAA Tourney berth in
2003-04 and the NCAA-II Sweet Sixteen in 2006-07.
Grand Valley State
– Janel Burgess (Iowa State, 1998), 3rd season, 38-23
(.623). Burgess came to GVSU after three years as an assistant at
Missouri State, four years at Michigan State and one year at Maine.
Burgess led the Lakers to a 16-12 mark her first season followed by
a 20-10 record and a berth in the NCAA-II Tourney last year.
* Welcome Back: Ferris State welcomes back eight
letterwinners to its official roster this season from a year ago,
including four players who started at least one contest last
season.
* The Injury Factor: The Bulldogs have battled
injuries and illness through the preseason with two veteran players
now sidelined for the forseeable future in junior guard
Stephanie DeNoyelles (Mt. Pleasant/Sacred Heart)
and senior center Andrea Clancy (Port Austin/North
Huron). DeNoyelles was injured in the offseason while Clancy played
four minutes in FSU’s exhibition at Oakland before likely
being lost for the year. Ferris used all 10 available players for
its home opener against Lewis.
* Coming Up Next: The Bulldogs continue a
three-game homestand this week with a pair of league games against
Ashland on Thursday (Dec. 3) and Tiffin on Saturday (Dec. 5) at
Wink Arena. Game times are set for 6 p.m. (ET) on Thursday with
Saturday’s outing starting at 12 p.m. (ET).
* New Wink Arena Look: Fans attending last
Tuesday’s women’s home opener had a chance to watch the
Bulldogs play their first contest at Wink Arena following the
facility's most recent renovation this past spring. The gym floor
was completely sanded down, refurbished and painted with a new
design and color corresponding with the university's graphic
identity. The new look in Wink Arena, which has been home to both
the Bulldog men's and women's basketball programs since the 1999-00
season, now includes an extra large "Bulldog" head in the center of
the floor replacing the former basketball design found in the
center circle. Additional wording includes both the GLIAC logo and
the "Wink Arena" designation in two seperate places. The floor is
outlined in Ferris' official crimson color with gold wording. In
addition, the lane found under both hoops now features a light
open-colored appearance replacing the old maroon background. The
women's three-point line maintains its black appearance with the
men's line in crimson. The Ferris signature line remains on both
baselines.
* Notes From Lewis Game: The home-opening win was
FSU’s fourth victory in its last five home openers at Wink
Arena. Overall, the Bulldogs have claimed a win eight times in the
last 11 seasons in their initial home contest
……… The Bulldogs utilized 10 different players
in the game, including a two-sport athlete in freshman guard
Ashley Huntey, who saw her first action after
joining the team following the conclusion of Ferris’
volleyball season which ended in the NCAA Division II Midwest
Regional Tournament ……… FSU freshmen post
players Katy Fox and Leah Kebler
combined for eight points and six rebounds off the bench
…… Ferris improved to 3-2 all-time against the Flyers
in Big Rapids and evened the series’ at five wins apiece.
* Looking At GVSU: GVSU recorded a 20-10
overall record a season ago and posted a 15-7 mark to place second
in GLIAC North Division competition. The Lakers return eight
letterwinners and four starters from a team that advanced to the
NCAA-II Tourney for the fourth time in five years last season. GVSU
is receiving votes nationally after being ranked 25th in the WBCA
Division II Preseason Coaches Poll under head coach Janel Burgess.
The Lakers are presently 2-1 overall with the lone loss coming in
the season opener (Nov. 16) at home to perennial regional power
Drury (Mo.) by a 92-85 score in overtime.
* Series Information: GVSU holds a 50-24
advantage heading into Monday’s 75th encounter. FSU has won
six of the last 14 series’ contests, including a 74-64
triumph at Allendale in the first meeting last year (12/1/08) for
its second-straight win at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. However, the
Lakers have earned the split with wins in Big Rapids each of the
last two years and posted a 78-63 victory in the most recent
matchup (1/12/09) last season at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs have won
three of the last five games overall. FSU head coach Tracey
Dorow currently has a 12-12 career coaching record against
the Lakers.
* The Last Meeting: GVSU won the last meeting
78-63 over FSU last year (1/12/09) at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs
trailed by six points, 38-32, at halftime but were outscored by the
Lakers 40-31 in the final half. Emma Veach paced the Laker attack
with 22 points and FSU was led by Kelsey DeNoyelles' 13 points.
* FSU Picked Third: Ferris was picked to finish
third in the 2009-10 GLIAC North Division Preseason Media Poll in
conjunction with the league’s annual media day
teleconference. The Bulldogs totaled 74 points in the balloting and
trailed Michigan Tech's 142 points and second place Grand Valley
State's 122 points in the North Division. The preseason nationally
top-ranked Huskies earned 22 of a possible 24 first-place votes
with GVSU earning the final two top votes. Northwood received 16
first-place votes in being selected the South Division favorite by
a group of 24 media members.
* Last Season: Ferris State concluded the 2008-09
season with a 13-15 overall record after winning seven of its final
nine contests. The Bulldogs made their 10th consecutive and 11th
overall berth in the GLIAC Tournament where they advanced to the
semifinals for the third-straight year in 2008-09.
* The Bulldog Roster: Ferris’ current
2009-10 roster includes one senior, four juniors, three sophomores
and five freshmen. Seven of the 13 players are guards while the
remaining six are frontcourt players. Eleven players on the roster
hail from Michigan with one each from Ohio and Indiana.
* Three Make Debut: Three Bulldog players made
their official debut in the season opener at Gannon (Nov. 20),
including freshman guard Kylie Muntz (Dayton,
Ohio/Wayne), freshman forward/center Leah Kebler
(Midland/Dow) and freshman forward/center Katy Fox
(Royal Center, Ind./Pioneer). All three played at least 13 minutes
and Kebler narrowly missed double-digits with eight points.
* The Bulldog Tradition: The Ferris State
women’s basketball program, which is midst its 36th season of
varsity competition, has compiled a 442-451 (.495) all-time mark.
The Bulldogs won their only GLIAC crown, advanced to their first
NCAA-II Regional Tournament and recorded the nation’s highest
grade point average in 1999-2000. FSU, which claimed GLIAC Tourney
runner-up honors in 1999-00 and 2003-04, has posted 10 or more
victories 13 consecutive seasons.
* Great Season: Ferris State advanced to the
NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championship Game for the first time
ever in 2006-07 and was ranked 25th nationally in the final 2006-07
USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll. The Bulldogs, who
prior to 2006-07 had never won a NCAA Tournament game, recorded
back-to-back wins in their first two national tournament contests
en route to the regional runner-up finish. Ferris also compiled a
second-place tying 13-5 GLIAC regular-season finish and earned the
program's eighth consecutive GLIAC Tournament bid in the historic
campaign.
* Coaching Staff Changes: Ferris head coach
Tracey Dorow put the finishing pieces of her
coaching staff together for the 2009-10 campaign with the
appointment of Mark DeNoyelles, who served as a
volunteer assistant coach for the Bulldogs in 2008-09, to the
assistant coaching post following the departure of former assistant
Crystal Harris, who left earlier this summer for a NCAA Division I
assistant coaching position in her home state at Cal-State
Fullerton. Former Bulldog standout Rachel Folcik
has also returned to the program as a student assistant coach for
this year. Folcik wrapped up her stellar Bulldog career in 2007-08
and spent last year playing overseas, but has returned to FSU to
pursue a Master's degree. The Bulldogs' staff this season will also
include Dorow's father, Rick Bloodworth, as a
volunteer assistant coach for the fourth season and current FSU
student Miles Prendergast in a student coaching
role.
* Bulldog Notes: FSU will play a 27-game
regular-season schedule this year with 22 league contests. Twelve
games are at home ....... Ferris has won nine or more home games
three of the last four years to date ...... Assistant coach
Mark DeNoyelles is the father of both
Stephanie and Kelsey DeNoyelles
and served as their prep head coach at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
...... FSU owns an all-time Jim Wink Arena mark of 81-32 (.717) in
the 11-year old facility ....... Kelsey DeNoyelles
notched her 150th career point versus Lewis while Becci
Houdek dished out her 150th assist in the same game
....... FSU is 6-4 all-time to date versus Grand Valley State at
Wink Arena ...... The largest crowd (1,640) to ever watch the FSU
women play at Wink Arena came two years ago (2/23/08) versus
GVSU.
* League Openers: Ferris has currently won its
first league game of the season seven consecutive years heading
into Monday’s matchup against the Lakers. The Bulldogs’
most recent league-opening loss came during the 2001-02 season at
Findlay. Overall, the Bulldogs are 8-3 to date under head coach
Tracey Dorow in their first GLIAC encounter of the
season, which includes a 5-1 mark in home contests. The lone home
loss under Dorow in a league opener came her first season (1998-99)
to Findlay in a game played at Big Rapids High School, meaning the
Bulldogs have never lost (5-0) a league opener played at the
current Wink Arena.
