VOLLEYBALL: Ferris Hopes To Get The Better Of Strong Lewis Squad In NCAA Regionals

BIG RAPIDS - The Ferris State University volleyball team is competing this week in the 2009 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament in Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs, seeded seventh in the tournament, enter the tournament with a record of 19-11 overall as they prepare to enter the regional competition with a first-round contest against a very good Lewis University team, seeded second in this regional event, which starts post-season play with a 27-4 record.

This will not be the first time the Bulldogs and Flyers have competed against each other this season as the two teams were matched up on Oct. 17 during the 2009 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference/Great Lakes Valley Conference Asics Crossover Tournament in Lansing. Lewis, currently ranked 11th in the nation, was a solid 3-0 winner of that match by scores of 25-18, 25-21, 31-29. In that contest, standout middle hitter Arielle Goodson led the Bulldogs with 13 kills. Lewis, however, was strong with an attack percentage of .244 as it claimed the three-set win.

Ferris will attempt to knock that balanced and efficient Lewis offense off its stride a bit in this rematch with the season on the line.

The winners of each of the 2009 eight regional tournaments will advance to the national finals (Dec. 3-5) which will be conducted on the campus of a participating institution.

2009 NCAA-II Midwest Regional Tournament
Quarterfinals (with seeds)

1 Indianapolis (32-1) vs. 8 Michigan Tech (14-14)
2 Lewis (27-4) vs. 7 Ferris State (19-11)
3 Saginaw Valley State (21-9) vs. 6 Grand Valley State (16-12)
4 Northern Michigan (18-11) vs. 5 Hillsdale (23-7)