ELITE EIGHT PREVIEW! Ferris State Volleyball To Make Second-Straight D2 Elite Eight Appearance This Week

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This Week's Action
The Ferris State University women's volleyball squad will make its second-straight NCAA D2 Elite Eight appearance this week, Dec. 11-13, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldogs are the eighth seed for the Elite Eight and will face top-seeded Tampa in the national quarterfinals on Thursday night. The semifinals are slated for Friday (8 p.m.) with the national championship match on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. (ET).

Media Coverage
FSU's Elite Eight matches will be carried live by local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network at FerrisStateBulldogs.com with Brandon Wirth providing the play-by-play coverage. A free live audio webcast will be offered by FSU along and all matches will be streamed on ESPN+. For a complete listing of links, please visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

NCAA Elite Eight
The Bulldogs will be making their second-straight trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight and last year's appearance was the first since 2013. Saturday night's regional championship victory marked the fifth time in which FSU had claimed a regional championship as the Bulldogs previously won crowns back in 1987 and 1989 along with 2013 and 2024.

A Look At The Bulldogs
Ferris State, which is coached by 30th-year head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, is presently 27-7 overall this year heading into the D2 Elite Eight. The Bulldogs finished the regular-season as the GLIAC Champions with a 14-3 league mark. Along with winning this year's GLIAC regular-season crown, Ferris State earned runner-up honors as the host institution in the 2025 GLIAC Tournament. This year's GLIAC Regular Season Championship was the 19th in program history.

NCAA Tourney Notebook
Ferris State is making its 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, not counting the 2020 season in which no event was held due to COVID-19, and has advanced to at least the regional semifinals 13 of the past 14 years. FSU's tourney appearance this year represents the program's 29th all-time as the Bulldogs have compiled a 31-29 overall record in NCAA Tournament competition.

Strong FSU Success
FSU has advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen seven times in the past 10 years, including now five consecutive years. FSU had fell in the Midwest Regional final three years in a row prior to earning back-to-back regional championships in 2024 and 2025.

The Elite Eight Bracket
With a win on Thursday in the quarterfinals, the Bulldogs would advance to the NCAA D2 National Semifinals and play the 8 p.m. (ET) match again on Friday (Dec. 12) night. The national championship match is scheduled for Saturday (Dec. 13) at 6 p.m. (ET) in Sioux Falls. The other national quarterfinal matchups include second-seeded Concordia-St. Paul squaring off against seventh-seeded Gannon with third-seeded Point Loma meeting sixth-seeded Bentley. On FSU's side of the bracket, the other matchup features fourth-seeded MSU Denver versus fifth-seeded Wingate.

AVCA Award Recipients
A pair of Ferris State sophomore standouts, outside hitter Gabby Piazza (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) and right-side hitter Emily May (Coopersville) claimed 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Midwest Region recognition this fall.

Historic Season
This year's trip to the Elite Eight comes only a year after Ferris State capped off a memorable 2024 season with a 34-1 overall record, winning the Midwest Regional Championship for the first time since 2013 and reaching the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm claimed AVCA D2 National Coach of the Year honors in 2024. Last year, the Bulldogs fell to Bentley (Mass.) in the national quarterfinals.

A New Look This Year
The Bulldogs had to replace virtually their entire starting unit entering the 2025 season following last year's historic finish. The losses included 2024 AVCA National Player of the Year Olivia Henneman-Dallape and fellow All-Americans Kaylee Maat and Claire Nowicki among others. Championship Success Ferris State has a long and proud volleyball tradition, which includes 19 conference regular-season championships and 29 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including 14 years in a row. The Bulldogs have also won 11 GLIAC Tournament Championships in program history, including 10 of the last 12 years to date. Since 2014, Ferris State has won a combined 19 league regular season and tournament titles.

Midwest All-Tourney Team
Four Ferris State standouts claimed Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team honors following this past weekend's run to the regional crown, including sophomores Gabby Piazza, Lyndsey Urick and Hayley Wegener along with senior Logyn Geren.

Special Pregame Reception
A special Ferris State Volleyball Elite Eight Pregame Reception will be held on Thursday in Sioux Falls prior to the national quarterfinals! The event is open to Bulldog alumni, family and friends. Additional details and a form to RSVP can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/5497srer