After finishing the final 10 games of the season with a 9-1 record, the Ferris State women’s basketball team looks ahead to the GLIAC Tournament.
Ferris State finished their final week of the 2025-26 regular season with a 70-44 loss to No.2-ranked Grand Valley State and then a 71-62 victory over Davenport.
Senior forward Mya Hiram spoke about the season and is looking forward to the playoffs.
Northern Michigan defender on Feb. 21 Photo by: Clark Vance | Torch Photographer
“I am very proud of the way our team played in the regular season,” Hiram said. “We had another winning season and positioned ourselves to be in a good spot for the conference tournament and the national tournament. We are all excited and ready to fight for a tournament trophy. We have got some great competition to play and I am just ready to compete with my girls again.”
The reigning national champion Grand Valley has been a tough opponent for the Bulldogs this season, serving the Bulldogs two 25-plus point losses this season. In the 70-44 loss, senior guard Mia Riley recorded a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Bulldogs struggled with the Lakers’ solid defense, shooting 13-56 from the field and 3-27 from beyond the three-point line.
The Bulldogs bounced back in the game against Davenport, playing a stifling defense of their own, holding Davenport to a 25-65 night of shooting, while holding them to 2-22 from the three-point line.
Riley recorded another double-double, shooting 6-17 for 18 points, while securing 13 rebounds on the night. Senior guard Emma Schierbeek had an efficient night of her own, shooting 7-13 for 18 points and eight rebounds.
The No.13-ranked Bulldogs (24-5, 17-3 in GLIAC) will look to take on the Wisconsin Parkside Rangers (14-14, 9-11 in GLIAC) in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinal.
The Bulldogs have had success over the Rangers in the last seven matchups, holding a 6-1 record in those games. The Bulldogs are riding a five-game winning streak over the Rangers, spanning back to 2024.
This season, Ferris has defeated Wisconsin Parkside by scores of 82-69 on Feb. 9 and 96-90 on Jan. 5.
Ferris State is led in scoring by senior guard Kadyn Blanchard, who is averaging 16.6 points per game on 45.1% shooting. She is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game and 2.3 steals per game which is good for sixth in the GLIAC.
The Bulldogs’ solidified three-point shooter is Schierbeek, who is averaging 38.8% from beyond the arc, which is good for fifth in the division.
Wisconsin Parkside is led on offense by sophomore Katie Hamill and senior Cassidy Arni. Arni leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game on 45.3% shooting, while averaging 1.6 steals per game. Hamill is averaging 13.4 points per game on 41.2% shooting, with 5.3 rebounds per game and 1.8 steals per game.
With the regular season over, even mounting a 9-1 record in the final 10 games of the season, this was not enough to secure the regular season GLIAC championship, with Grand Valley securing the title.
Blanchard spoke about the end of the regular season and how the team wanted to secure that title.
“Well, obviously, there are always things we want to be better at, and goals we want to accomplish,” Blanchard said. “Winning the GLIAC is a great goal that we came up short for, but we’d rather win it all when it’s important than to grab that one. We are all hungry for the next one.”
The Ferris State Bulldogs women’s basketball team will take on the Wisconsin Parkside Rangers on Wednesday, March 4, at 6 p.m. at Jim Wink Arena. If the Bulldogs win this game, they move onto the semi-finals to take on either Grand Valley or Lake Superior on Saturday. With the GLIAC Tournament championship coming on Sunday.