More than halfway through the season, Ferris volleyball looks to secure their fifth straight GLIAC title after a difficult home conference
weekend.
Going into the weekend with a 14-3 record while being undefeated at home, the Bulldogs looked to add two more wins into their win
column after facing tough GLIAC opponents Wayne State and Ashland. Both teams are placed first and second, respectively, in the
south region of the GLIAC, while Ferris sits at first in the north region.
Ferris coaches and players knew beforehand that they were going to have to battle throughout the weekend to finish 2-0.
“They’re two really quality opponents, very good teams,” Ferris volleyball head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm said. “These teams will be in the consideration for rankings in the region, probably top 10 or 12 for sure.”
The highly skilled teams could not stop the Ferris volleyball team, however, as the Bulldogs swept Wayne State Friday, Oct. 5, and beat Ashland in a nail bitter that ended in five sets Saturday, Oct. 6. After the weekend of wins, The Bulldogs maintain their perfect 11-0 record
during conference play, where they have only dropped eight out of 41 sets played.
Part of the Bulldogs’ success has come from Ferris junior outside hitter Allyson Cappel, who was recognized Friday, Oct. 5, for achieving
1,000 kills so far in her career. Similarly, Ferris junior setter Maeve Grimes was recognized Saturday, Oct. 6, for her 2,000th assist that
she recorded the night prior.
On top of the success from those two, the Ferris volleyball team has been clicking on every level while feeding off the energy of the enthusiastic home crowd.
“We’re so lucky we have such great student support and faculty, administration and the community,” Brandel-Wilhelm said. “So much fun to play in front of that environment.”
Although the Bulldogs have had much success to date, there is always room for improvement.
“We’ve been working on getting the ball up at crucial times like when we’re in a crunch,” Ferris junior outside hitter Courtney Brewer said. “We need to improve on and keep working at just pursuing our blocking assignments and making sure we get the ball down when we need to.”
The Bulldogs will travel to Indianapolis (Indiana) Friday, Oct. 12, and Saturday, Oct. 13, to compete in the 2018 Midwest Region Crossover. Their first game is 11:30 a.m. Friday, where they face the Findlay Oilers (Findlay, Ohio).