Memorable Ferris State Volleyball Campaign Ends In NCAA Midwest Regional Championship Match
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hillsdale | 22 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Ferris State | 25 | 24 | 21 | 16 | 1 |
Postgame Highlights 
Postgame Press Conference
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's volleyball squad had a memorable season come to an end in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship match on Saturday (Dec. 4) as the Bulldogs fell to Hillsdale 3-1 in the title contest at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.
The Bulldogs won the opening set 25-22 and led late in the second before the Chargers rallied for a 26-24 win to knot the match. They then took the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-16, respectively, to win the region and advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
In the D2 Sweet Sixteen, the Bulldogs saw their season come to an end with a 27-5 overall record. FSU had won 22 consecutive matches, including an impressive 3-0 sweep over Missouri-St. Louis in Friday night's regional semifinals, before falling to the Chargers.
Senior standout Katie O'Connell finished her impressive Bulldog career with a team-high 17 kills and 16 digs in the contest while freshman Keona Salesman posted 15 kills in the setback.
FSU also received 11 kills from freshman Claire Nowicki in addition to eight from Olivia Henneman-Dallape.
Ferris State senior libero Nina Gorgijevska came up with 30 digs in her final contest as a Bulldog with freshman setter Kaylee Maat adding 11 digs in addition to 52 assists.
Hillsdale was led by Marilyn Popplewell, who totaled 18 kills. Alli Wiese posted 26 digs and the Chargers had three players with 21 digs or more.
The Chargers finished with a .239 hitting figure and also totaled 91 digs in comparison to FSU's .192 attack percentage and 83 digs overall.
This year marked the sixth time in school history in which the Bulldogs hosted NCAA Tournament competition and the first since previously hosting the Midwest Regional in both 2015 and 2016 at Wink Arena.
This fall, the Bulldogs captured both the GLIAC South Division Championship and the GLIAC Tournament Championship under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm.
A quartet of Ferris State standouts earned NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team recognition, including Gorgijevska, O'Connell, Maat and Salesman.
