2009 Ferris State Women's Volleyball Preview
More experienced, more skilled, and more intelligent is
what describes the 2009 edition of Ferris State University women's
volleyball as the Bulldogs set their sights on a Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) championship and a NCAA
Division II Tournament berth.
"We have all the makings to have a great season but performing at a
consistently high level will be the key," said 14th-year FSU head
coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm. "I believe our
players have a better grasp of how our structure fits into the team
concept."
But with a year of experience and a rigid spring season under their
belts, the Bulldogs are poised to bounce back from last season's
16-13 record. FSU welcomes back 12 letterwinners from last
year, which includes five starters and its regular libero.
The Bulldogs also return more than 85 percent of their kills
production, better than 83 percent of their blocks output, and at
least 70 percent of the squad's service
aces.
"We have a lot of players back who received court time last
season," said Brandel-Wilhelm. "While that's a positive,
we're looking for those who can be consistent in their play.
The ladies have performed with consistency in practice and the
spring scrimmages so now they just need to do the same in our
matches."
A notable change from this season's team compared to the 2008 squad
will be in the Bulldogs' style of play.
"We will be able to generate more offense than in the past few
years," stated Brandel-Wihelm. "A lot of our success this
season will depend on our offense to score more points. We
have considerable depth and a number of offensive weapons with
which to choose from.
"We will need them because this year's schedule is one of the
toughest we've ever had. We're sure to be tried and tested by
our non-conference opponents," added Brandel-Wilhelm.
SETTER
Ferris State's setting position will likely be the key to the
Bulldogs' 2009 success. A new face will occupy the position
this fall as both of last season's regulars, Andrea Rich and
Candice Marut have graduated. Both concluded their careers
with over 1,000 assists apiece. Samantha
Fordyce, who redshirted a season ago, is expected to be
the starter following a productive spring.
MIDDLE
BLOCKER
Ferris State's most productive position could well be at the net as
the Bulldogs return five blockers from last season's squad.
Highlighting the group should be as one of the conference's top
blocking tandems in senior Kristy Gilchrist and
junior Arielle Goodson return. Gilchrist
hopes to make the most of her final year of collegiate competition
after placing second among the 2008 team's leaders in blocks (79),
third in kills (233), and fourth in service aces (23) en route to
attaining honorable mention all-conference accolades. The
2007 All-GLIAC Second-Team pick recorded nine double-digit kill
match efforts a season ago while pacing or sharing the team lead in
kills on seven occasions. She enters this fall currently
ranking tied for 27th place on FSU's all-time leaders list with 48
service aces. A rapidly improving player, Goodson turned in
another highly-productive campaign last fall with single-season
highs in about every statistical category. A starter in 26 of
the squad's 29 matches, Goodson led the Bulldogs for the second
consecutive season with a career season-best 92 blocks. The
2008 All-GLIAC Second-Team honoree netted 16 block solos and 76
block assists as both represented team highs. She also placed
second on the 2008 squad with a career-high 262-kills total and
averaged a team second-highest 2.43 kills per set. Goodson appears
well on her way to etching her name in the program's annals for
blocking by ranking 23rd all-time in solos (37) along with 30th in
both assists (145) and total rejections (182). Senior
Sarah Lark should also play a key role in the
Bulldogs' success on the court following her most productive season
in a Bulldog uniform last fall. Lark's 151 kills in 29
outings marked the team's fifth highest total and set a career
single-season high as did her .208 hitting percentage. She
also generated a career-best 52 blocks in 2008 to place fourth on
the squad's blocking leaders list. As a result of her
experience and leadership, Lark has been tabbed as a co-captain for
the 2009 team. Danielle Hamilton returns for
her junior year after playing in 10 matches last season while
sophomore Mallory Kopa was on the court in five
encounters. Anne Sutton, who was redshirted
last fall, could also figure in the equation.
OUTSIDE
HITTER
If there's an area which may raise a question mark on the surface
it probably lies within the outside hitting position as Ferris
State is limited experience wise. With the competition on the
Bulldogs' schedule this season, this position will be vital to the
team's offensive production and subsequently, its success on the
floor. The veteran of the youthful group is senior
Katie Edwards, who hopes to equal if not surpass
her last season's statistical numbers. Edwards has proven
capable of being a capable offensive threat as evidenced by her
hammering a squad-high 274 kills in 29 matches last season.
She also led the team with a 2.49 kills per set average and chalked
up double digits in kills 16 times. Edwards either led or
shared top team honors in kills on 14 occasions last fall and is
eager to cap off a four-plus collegiate career with a
flourish. Joining Edwards on the outside is sophomore
Ashley Huntey, who wound up tallying a team
sixth-most 118 kills to go with a team third-best 256 digs and a
squad fifth-highest 22 service ace output in 29 matches.
Amanda Kettlewell also returns to the fold for her senior year and
has been hampered by injuries throughout her career.
Nevertheless, she posted 28 kills in 24 outings a season ago to
rank seventh among the squad's leaders. Sophomore
Karen Thompson was right behind Kettlewell in
kills (26), but was able to showcase her versatility with a squad
sixth-most 87 digs while being listed seventh in both service aces
(11) and total blocks (13). Redshirt frosh Aly
Brecht, an up-and-coming player, is expected to push the
others for playing time.
LIBERO/DEFENSIVE
SPECIALIST
The Bulldogs welcome back experience and quality depth in this area
which in turn will make multiple options available to the FSU
coaching staff. Sophomore Lisa Tobiczyk is
back as the incumbent at libero following a noteworthy display in
her initial collegiate campaign. Tobiczyk amassed a
team-leading 374 digs and a squad-best 3.28 digs pet set in 29
appearances last season. She recorded double-figure dig
totals in 21 matches, which featured five 20 or more digs in a
contest. Tobiczyk also proved to be effective in serving with
a team second-most 34 aces to go with a squad-leading .945 serve
percentage. For her efforts, she honored as a co-winner of
the 2008 team's Bulldog Award for displaying the most heart and
desire. An outstanding performer in the classroom, Tobiczyk
not only landed a spot on the GLIAC All-Academic Team last season
but also was recognized as the team's FSU President's Award
recipient for maintaining the squad's highest cumulative grade
point average. A pair of talented juniors, Dana
Ruttle and Whitney Rupp, are sure to
challenge Tobiczyk for playing time and the level of competition
will be a benefit to all. Ruttle, a third-year junior,
dispelled the sophomore jinx last season by making the most of her
on-court experience. A 2008 FSU Coaches Award co-recipient,
Ruttle ended up third among Ferris State's leaders a season ago in
service aces (24) and fourth in digs (164). Ruttle, a 2008
GLIAC All-Academic Team pick, collected at least 10 digs in nine
2008 matches. She will team up with Sarah Lark to serve as
co-captains for the upcoming campaign. Rupp saw action in 20
outings last fall while attaining GLIAC All-Academic Team accolades
for the 2008 season.
NEWCOMERS
Armed with arguably its best recruiting class in several years,
Ferris State is in the process of laying a solid foundation for
future success. Joining the program in 2009 are freshmen
middle hitters Lindsey Miller and Angi
Kent along with freshman outside hitter Brianna
Grover and frosh setter Paige
Wyers. The combination of this year's four-member
group with last season's class will have a significant impact on
the program's fortunes. Don't be surprised to see the
newcomers battle the regulars every step of the way.
