Number One Bulldogs remain undefeated (courtesy: Ferris State)
Big Rapids, Mich. – The nation’s top-ranked Ferris State University women’s volleyball squads advanced to the 2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship match as the Bulldogs beat Michigan Tech 3-2 on Saturday (Nov. 23) afternoon in semifinal-round play inside Bulldog Arena.
In a hard-fought battle, the top-seeded Bulldogs pulled out a 25-17, 20-25, 25-9, 22-25, 15-9 win over the fifth-seeded Huskies in the first league semifinal.
With the win, Ferris State will now face second-seeded rival Grand Valley State on Sunday (Nov. 24) in the title match starting at 3 p.m. (ET) in Big Rapids.
Ferris State improved to a nation-best 30-0 overall this year with its third win over the Huskies this season. FSU hit .290 on the afternoon and totaled 68 kills with 21 attack errors on 162 attempts. The Bulldogs also finished with 73 digs to go with 12 block assists, six solo blocks and seven service aces.
Senior standout Olivia Henneman-Dallape, who earned GLIAC Player of the Year honors this season, tallied 23 kills in leading FSU while adding 11 digs and five total blocks. Meanwhile, freshman Gabby Piazza had a strong day with 14 kills and senior middle hitter Chelsie Freeman finished with 10 kills. The Bulldogs also got nine kills and a team-high tying 17 digs from Claire Nowicki along with 54 assists from senior setter Kaylee Maat and 17 digs from senior libero Leah Bylut.
FSU held Michigan Tech to a .129 attack figure with the Huskies recording 46 kills and 26 attack errors on 155 attempts. MTU finished with 64 digs, 10 block assists, six solo blocks and four aces.
Meg Raabe led the Huskies with 12 kills and Kate Loch finished with 11 kills. Tess Hayes contributed 35 assists and a match-high 20 digs as Michigan Tech dropped to 17-12 on the year.
Tickets for Sunday’s GLIAC Tournament Championship match can be purchased in advance online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com/Tickets. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance with the potential for a capacity crowd inside Bulldog Arena. The first 100 FSU students with a valid student identification card can pick up a free ticket beginning on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at the Ewigleben Sports Complex.
Sunday’s championship match will also be streamed live on a pay-per-view basis via FloSports.
