Women's Volleyball Weekly Notes (Matches 1-4)

Download FSU Women's Volleyball Notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK:

FERRIS STATE INVITATIONAL
vs. Lock Haven
Friday, Sept. 3 - 2 p.m. (EDT)
Ewigleben Sports Arena - Big Rapids, Mich.

vs. Glenville State
Friday, Sept. 3 - 6 p.m. (EDT)
Ewigleben Sports Arena - Big Rapids, Mich. 

vs. Minnesota State
Saturday, Sept. 4 - 12 p.m. (EDT)
Ewigleben Sports Arena - Big Rapids, Mich.

vs. Mercyhurst
Saturday, Sept. 4 - 3 p.m. (EDT)
Ewigleben Sports Arena - Big Rapids, Mich. 

* The Opening Serve: The Ferris State University women's volleyball will open the 2010 season and its 38th year of intercollegiate competition this weekend (Sept. 3-4), hosting the Ferris State Invitational.  Tournament action will be conducted on three courts between the the Ewigleben Sports Arena and Jim Wink Arena on the FSU campus in Big Rapids, Mich.  Ferris State's opposition features Lock Haven, Glenville State, Minnesota State, and Mercyhurst in the two-day event.

* 2010 FSU Invite Ticket Information: Tickets for the 2010 Ferris State Invitational will be available at the door.  Tickets are $3 for faculty, students, and K-12, $10 for adults and $15 for a tournament pass which includes both days of the tourney.  For more information, please contact the FSU Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. 

* Media Coverage: A live video and audio webcast will be available for all 2010 FSU women's volleyball home matches through AmericaOne.com (formerly B2 Networks) for a charge of $7 on FSU's Athletics Website at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com (Click on AmericaOneicon).  Live internet statistics will also be available for all Bulldog home matches.

* 38th Season: The 2010 campaign represents Ferris State's 38th season of women's volleyball.  The Bulldogs own an all-time mark of 790-451 (.637) to date.  Since the program's inception in 1972, the Bulldogs have won nine GLIAC titles, qualified 15 times for the NCAA-II Tournament, and registered 30 winning seasons.
 
* 2010 Record: Ferris State is currently 0-0 overall and 0-0 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (GLIAC) North Division to date.

* The Coaches: Ferris State  - Tia Brandel-Wilhelm (Alma, 1990), 15th season, 288-150 (.658); Career: 18th season, 406-170 (.705).  Brandel-Wilhelm enters the 2010 campaign ranking 24th in career best winning percentage (.705) among active NCAA Division II coaches while her 406 career victories prior to 2010 is 23rd-place on the NCAA-II active coaches wins list.  Brandel-Wilhelm is listed 25th by winning percentage for all-time winningest NCAA-II coaches who have a minimum of 10 years serving as a head coach in the Division II ranks since 1982.  The 2002 GLIAC Coach of the Year guided the Bulldogs to NCAA-II Tournament appearances in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005.  She became the program's fifth head coach in June 1996.

* Ferris State Invitational: The 2010 Ferris State Invitational will be held this weekend (Sept. 3-4) on three courts.  Comprising the eight-team tournament besides Ferris State are Glenville State, Hillsdale, Lock Haven, Mercyhurst, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State. Ferris State will take on Lock Haven and Glenville State in this Friday's (Sept. 3) action at 2 p.m. (EDT) and 6 p.m. (EDT), respectively.  The Bulldogs then conclude the tournament on Saturday (Sept. 4) with a pair of matches versus nationally-ranked Minnesota State and Mercyhurst at 12 p.m. (EDT) and 3 p.m. (EDT), respectively.  For more information and tournament pairings, click 2010 Ferris State Invitational to access.  

* This Week's Opposition: 

    Lock Haven: Ferris State has a 1-0 lead over the Lady Eagles in the all-time series as a result of posting a 3-2 decision in 2005 (8/26) at the Ferris State Invitational.  Lock Haven compiled a 34-6 overall record a season ago, which included a first-place 17-2 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division.  The Lady Eagles were finalists in the 2009 NCAA-II Atlantic Regional Tournament under head coach Tom Justice, who embarks on his 20th season at LHU this fall.  Tia Brandel-Wilhelm vs. LHU - 1-0. 

  Glenville State: The Bulldogs have a 1-0 edge versus the Pioneers following a 3-0 home triumph in the 2007 Ferris State Invitational (8/25).  GSC, directed by second-year head coach Camai Roberson, posted a 15-22 overall record and had a fifth-place 9-15 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) ledger.  Tia Brandel-Wilhelm vs. GSC - 1-0. 

  Minnesota State: FSU will meet for the seventh time in a series which is tied at 3-3.  The Mavericks prevailed 3-1 over the Bulldogs in the most recent meeting (9/6) at the 2008 Tampa (Fla.) Classic.  MSU went 26-7 overall and 16-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) a season ago while participating in the NCAA-II Central Region Tournament.  The Mavericks, under sixth-year head coach Dennis Amundson, were ranked 18th in the 2010 AVCA Top 25 Preseason Poll.  Tia Brandel-Wilhelm vs. MSU - 0-1.
 
  Mercyhurst: Ferris has a 14-1 advantage over Mercyhurst in the all-time series, which includes a 7-0 home record.  The Bulldogs notched a 3-0 home decision over the Lakers in the last meeting (10/6) between the two teams.  MC, a former GLIAC member, compiled a 21-15 overall record with an 11-8 mark in the PSAC West Division.  The Lakers, directed by sixth-year head coach Ryan Patton, also qualified for the 2009 NCAA-II Atlantic Regional Tournament.  Tia Brandel-Wilhelm vs. MC - 14-1.

  * 2010 GLIAC Volleyball Preseason Poll: Ferris State was selected as preseason co-favorites to claim the GLIAC North Division title as the Bulldogs received 32 points and two first-place votes in the 2010 conference divisional poll.  FSU’s points total matched Grand Valley State, which garnered three first-place votes.  Northern Michigan had the other first-place vote while earning 24 points followed by Saginaw Valley State’s 23-points total.  Michigan Tech (17 pts.), Northwood (13 pts.), and Lake Superior State (six pts.) rounded out the poll.  In the South Division, Hillsdale took top honors with a first-place 36 points and had six first-place votes.  Findlay picked up the other first-place vote and tallied a fourth-place 24 points.  Ferris State was selected fourth with 13 points in the 2009 preseason coaches poll.   


* 2010 Team Captains: Serving as the 2010 FSU team captains will be senior middle hitter Arielle Goodson (Grand Rapids/Central), senior libero Dana Ruttle (Reed City), junior libero Lisa Tobiczyk (Marysville), and sophomore setter Samantha Fordyce (DeWitt).  Ruttle was also a co-captain for the 2009 squad.

* The 2010 FSU Roster: Ferris State’s 2010 active roster includes three seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen.  Six of the 15 players are middle hitters, five are outside hitters, and the four others fill the squad’s setter, defensive specialist and libero roles.  All but one of the team’s 15 student-athletes hail from the state of Michigan. 

* What Returns For 2010: Below is a look at the 2009 statistical totals of the returnees and what percentage of the team totals they accounted for:
                       2009 Total          2010 Returning             % Returning
 Kills                   1,489                            693                                 46.5
 Aces                     205                            122                                  59.5
 Digs                   1,623                          1,193                                73.5
 Blocks               243.0                           217.0                                89.3
 

* Productive Span: Ferris State has won 20 or more matches nine times under 15th-year head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm. The Bulldogs are 255-120 (.680) over the past 12 years and have reached the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament six times in that span.  FSU has advanced to the GLIAC Tournament the last 12 consecutive years to date.

* No Place Like Home: The Bulldogs have posted a 44-4 cumulative record (.917) in non-conference home outings during head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm's tenure.  Overall, Ferris State has compiled a 128-35 (.785) ledger in home matches under Brandel-Wilhelm.

* Productive Career: Arielle Goodson enters the 2010 campaign currently ranked among Ferris State’s all-time leaders in several statistical categories.  She is listed sixth in block solos (81), 18th in total blocks (302), 21st in both kills (784) and block assists (221), and 29th in hitting percentage (.224).  The 2009 All-GLIAC First-Team and AVCA All-Midwest Region Team selection led the Bulldogs in kills (376), total blocks (120), block solos (44), and block assists (76) as a starter in 29 of 30 matches played last fall.  She also accumulated 25 double-figure kill match performances for the 2009 campaign.

* Ewigleben Sports Arena:  The Bulldogs have compiled a 281-78 (.783) record to date in 29 seasons of competition at the Ewigleben Sports Arena since moving from the Health and Physical Education (HPE) Building in 1981.  Ferris, which accumulated six undefeated home seasons in the facility, produced a 10-5 home ledger in 2009.  Overall, Ferris is 134-38 (.779) in home matches under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm.

* Season Openers: Ferris State is 31-6 (.838) all-time in season-opening encounters, which includes a 13-1 mark under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm.  FSU is 13-0 at home, 6-2 on the road, and 12-4 at neutral sites all-time in its first match of the season.  The Bulldogs have prevailed in 18 of their 20 season openers to date with the most recent being a 3-0 non-league triumph over St. Joseph's (Ind.) last season (8/27) in Big Rapids.

* 2009 Record: Ferris State concluded the 2009 season with a 19-12 overall record, which included a fourth-place tying 10-6 mark in the GLIAC North Division.  FSU appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 15th time in the program’s history.  The Bulldogs also registered the program's 12th consecutive winning campaign in 2009 and made their 12straight GLIAC Tourney appearance a season ago.

* 2009 Ferris State Invitational Recap: Ferris State posted a 2-2 record at the 2009 Ferris State Invitational (Aug. 28-29).  The Bulldogs claimed a 3-1 win over West Virginia State before suffering a 3-0 loss to Indianapolis in first-day action (Aug. 28).  FSU dropped a 3-1 decision to nationally-ranked California (Pa.) before concluding the tourney with a 3-0 triumph against Minnesota, Crookston in the tourney’s second day (Aug. 29).  Sarah Lark was named to the 12-member all-tournament team. 

  * Ferris State Invitational History: The Bulldogs have experienced recent success in the Ferris State Invitational.  From 1998-2001, the Bulldogs opened each of their four seasons with a 4-0 record after winning consecutive matches in the home event.  FSU went 3-1 in the 2006 tournament and produced a 4-0 ledger in three seasons (2004, 2005, and 2007).

* All-Conference Returners: The Bulldogs return two All-GLIAC performers from last season’s squad in middle hitters Arielle Goodson (Grand Rapids/Central) and Lisa Tobiczyk (Marysville).  Goodson earned first-team honors in 2009 after receiving second-team recognition in the 2008 campaign. Tobiczyk was named to the honorable mention squad.   
 
* Yearbook Available Online: The 2010 Ferris State University Women's Yearbook is available to view online in a PDF format. The publication features such information as 2010 player rosters, season outlook, player biographies, coaching staff information, 2009 season statistics, career and season statistical records, series records, game records, etc.  Click on this 2010 Yearbook link to view the online publication.