14 Straight
Ferris State volleyball took down Findlay and Wayne State Saturday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Oct. 23, extending their win streak to 14. The Dawgs blew out Findlay 3-0 but had a tougher contest against Wayne State. Against Wayne State, Ferris rallied back after a 2-1 deficit and claimed the next two sets for a 3-2 win. The Bulldogs closed out the match with a 15-13 final set.
Ferris started the season 4-5 but has regained form as the season has progressed and now leads the GLIAC with a 9-1 conference record and an 18-5 overall clip. Outside hitter Allyson Cappel has been a major contributor to the Bulldogs’ success. This freshman has been named the GLIAC player of the week twice during the win streak.
There may be a new “big three” in Big Rapids with junior hitters Ayanna Buckley and Maria Kronner, along with Cappel being top-10 in the GLIAC in terms of hits. The Bulldogs look on pace to defend last year’s GLIAC title after defeating the second and third place teams in Findlay and Wayne State in one weekend.
Shutouts upon shutouts
Ferris women’s soccer has an opportunity to break the school record for shutouts in a season. Last year, the Bulldogs set a record with eight shutouts. With two games left in the regular season, this year’s team has six shutouts.
At fourth in the GLIAC, the Bulldogs will more than likely make the eight-team GLIAC tournament where they will have an opportunity for more shutouts. The success of this year’s defense has come with a young backline and a freshman goalie in Grace Kraft. Despite having an opportunity to break a record set last year, this season has shaped up to be much different. The Dawgs are 6-6-2 at this point compared to last year’s 14-5-1. They’ve suffered three one-goal losses this year but have gotten shutouts in all of their wins.
The difference in this year’s and last year’s teams is that Ferris was able to win those close games last year. If Ferris is to make waves in the GLIAC and break the record, they must find a way to finish on offense. They are fifth in the GLIAC with 240 shots but are 10th in goals with 15 goals. More efficient offense will lead to less pressure on the defense and allow them to have a better chance at breaking the record.
Running forward
Ferris cross country hosted the 2016 GLIAC championships Saturday, Oct. 22, with the Bulldog women taking fourth and the men taking eighth. This was the first time in 13 years that the GLIAC championships was held in Big Rapids.
The women tallied 161 points to place in the top half of the 15-team field. Ferris freshman Kathryn Etelamaki led the Bulldogs, placing 28th overall with a time of 23:09.6. Following behind was Ferris senior Racheal McDonald at 29th with a time of 23:12.1 and junior Molly Emerick at 33rd with a time of 23:27.2.
The men tallied 210 points and placed three runners in the top 50. Leading the way was Ferris junior Trevor Holowaty who placed 22nd with a time of 25:48.5. Ferris senior Logan Hammer placed 36th with a time of 26:26.7 and Ferris sophomore Damien Halverson placed 46th with a time of 26:41.9.
The cross country season is coming to a close with only the post season remaining. The Dawgs will be in action next in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Saturday, Nov. 5, in Evansville, Indiana.