Back-to-back weekend victories, which included a sweep against rival Grand Valley, fueled No. 2 Bulldog volleyball to remain undefeated.
The Bulldogs (24-0, 13-0 in GLIAC) took down the Wayne State Warriors (11-11, 8-4 in the GLIAC) on Friday, Nov. 1 by a score of 3-1, then on Saturday, Nov. 2, Ferris defeated the No.12 ranked Grand Valley State Lakers (19-2, 10-2 in the GLIAC) by a score of 3-0. With their weekend sweep, the Bulldogs still hold the best record in all of NCAA DII volleyball at 24-0.
Senior outside hitter Olivia Henneman-Dallape credited hard work and dedication for this historic season.
“This season has been a picture of what we have been working for, our hard work and dedication is paying off,” Henneman-Dallape said. “This season has shown us that we have to work harder every single day no matter what, I am so incredibly proud of every person associated with this team.”
The Bulldogs, who haven’t lost to the Warriors in 748 days, took home another win against them in four sets. Ferris claimed the first set 25-16, then lost the second set by a score of 29-27. The Bulldogs won the third set by a score of 27-25 and finished off the Warriors in the fourth set 25-18.
Henneman-Dallape led the way with 18 kills and 20.5 total points in the match. Freshman outside hitter Gabby Piazza had 11 kills and 11 total points on the match, and senior setter Kaylee Maat added 38 assists.
The GLIAC-leading Bulldogs then faced off against the Lakers in a rivalry matchup. Grand Valley’s only loss this season came at the hands of the Bulldogs earlier this year, and Ferris served the Lakers their second loss of the season on Saturday. The Bulldogs swept Grand Valley in straight sets, winning the first by a score of 25-19, 25-22 in the second and sent the Lakers home by winning the third set 25-15.
Henneman-Dallape and Piazza both led the match with 12 kills. Henneman-Dallape had 15 total points and Piazza tallied 12.5 total points. Senior outside hitter Claire Nowicki contributed five kills of her own and led the match with 16 digs.
Senior middle hitter Chelsie Freeman was ecstatic after defeating a highly-ranked Grand Valley team to keep their undefeated season alive.
“We knew coming into this game that it would be a battle, Grand Valley is a nationally ranked team, and as a team we knew we needed to perform at our highest level to be successful against them on the court, and we did that perfectly,” Freeman said. “Each player on the court did their job in such a perfect way that we all meshed together and that led us to this win.”
With four matches left in the regular season, the Bulldogs aim to go a perfect 28-0 for the first time ever and keep their record-setting season rolling. Ferris faces off against the Northern Michigan Wildcats and the Michigan Tech Huskies this week before finishing the season off on the road with matches against Purdue Northwest and Wisconsin-Parkside.
Maat knows the team will take the rest of the season one game at a time, and isn’t focusing on the playoffs just yet.
“Our plan for the rest of the season is to just take it one day at a time and get a little bit better every day in the gym,” Maat said. “Focusing on our game and how we can continue to improve with the final four matches of this season will help us in the long run.”
The Bulldogs will have their final home matches of the season at Ewigleben Sports Arena on Friday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. against the Northern Michigan Wildcats, then the following day against the Michigan Tech Huskies at 5 p.m. Ferris defeated both teams earlier this year to complete a weekend sweep in late September.