Won’t stop winning

FSU women’s volleyball team extends win-streak to eight

Posted by on October 5, 2011 in Sports.

Cleaning House: FSU junior setter Samantha Fordyce and junior middle hitter Anne Sutton leap to block an SVSU hit Oct. 1. The Bulldogs swept the Cardinals just as they have swept twelve of their last fourteen opponents. Photo By: Kate Dupon | Photo Editor
Cleaning House: FSU junior setter Samantha Fordyce and junior middle hitter Anne Sutton leap to block an SVSU hit Oct. 1. The Bulldogs swept the Cardinals just as they have swept twelve of their last fourteen opponents. Photo By: Kate Dupon | Photo Editor
Heading into the weekend the Ferris State University women’s volleyball team had swept opponents in six consecutive matches. Skeptics wondered if the Bulldogs would be able to continue the streak.

FSU answered with a resounding yes with two commanding victories over rivals Saginaw Valley State University and Grand Valley State University. The Bulldogs defeated SVSU at home before travelling to GVSU and sweeping the Lakers.

Saturday afternoon, FSU sported pink uniforms against visiting SVSU to kickoff the “Paint Big Rapids Pink Initiative” in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“It means a lot to be a part of this,” said senior libero Lisa Tobiczyk. “It’s a really big thing for us.”

Playing in front of the home crowd, the Bulldogs represented FSU proudly as they took the first three sets 25-16; 26-24; and 25-19.

Junior middle hitter Anne Sutton led FSU with 16 kills and two solo blocks while junior outside hitter Aly Brecht had 11 kills. In addition, junior setter Samantha Fordyce racked up 44 assits.

Senior outside hitter Ashley Huntey recorded her 1000th career dig as a Bulldog as she contributed a match-high 14 digs. She finished the contest with 1,006 digs in her collegiate career thus far.

Team Motivation: FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm gives her team a pep talk during the Oct. 1 game against SVSU. The Bulldogs are 13-1 overall for the 2011 season. Photo By: Kate Dupon | Photo Editor
Team Motivation: FSU head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm gives her team a pep talk during the Oct. 1 game against SVSU. The Bulldogs are 13-1 overall for the 2011 season. Photo By: Kate Dupon | Photo Editor
The Cardinals put up a fight in the second set as they forced the Bulldogs into extra points, but their efforts weren’t enough. With the loss, SVSU dropped to 7-6 overall and 6-3 in conference play.

Sunday, the Bulldogs travelled to Allendale to face off against GVSU, hoping to keep their winning-streak alive.

FSU defeated the Lakers for the second time this season as they swept the host school. Huntey paced the team with 16 kills and five digs. Sutton had 10 kills and five digs while Fordyce contributed 38 assists.

The Bulldogs took the three games 25-15; 27-25; and 25-22 to complete the sweep of GVSU.

The volleyball team has had a historic start to the season as they improved to 13-1 with the wins over the weekend. FSU has only surrendered a single set in two of the 14 matches this season.

“We have to make sure this continues on, and is more than just a start,” said Tobiczyk. “We still need to focus and work on our communication and always keep improving.”

The Bulldogs will travel to Ohio next weekend for the last conference action prior to the Mizuno GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Tournament. FSU will play Lake Erie College Oct. 7 and Ashland University Oct. 8.