#7 GLIAC NORTH
FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS
(10-14 ALL, 10-12 GLIAC)
2014-15 Ferris State Preview (by Brian Lester, GLIAC contributor)
Coach: Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate is entering her third season as the head coach of the Bulldogs
Overview: Eleven letterwinners are back for FSU and that experience should translate into a winning season for the Bulldogs. Seven of those players started at least seven games. Junior guard Dena Droste will lead the way after averaging 12.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last year. Christina Branch, a junior center, averaged 9.7 points per outing and pulled down 7.1 rebounds per game. Junior guards Katie Mavis (8.0) and Destiny Robinson (6.0) will also be key contributors. FSU only averaged 69.8 ppg last year but is likely to be more productive this year because of the experience it has back. The Bulldogs were tough defensively, allowing only 70.1 ppg. Several newcomers could play roles for FSU as well, including sophomore guard Natalia Bukur out of Russia. She is a Kirtland Community College transfer.
Noteworthy: Droste’s talent extends beyond basketball.. In high school, she helped her team place in the top five in the state golf tournament three times, including third place twice.
Ferris State Sports Information Preview
The Ferris State University women's basketball squad will welcome back 11 squad members from a year ago, giving FSU a deeper and experienced unit in its third season under head coach Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate. FSU, which lost only a single senior from last year's team in three-time All-America guard Sarah DeShone, had a strong finish to the 2013-14 season a year ago, winning four of its final five games.
This season, the Bulldogs return seven players who received at least five starts a year ago, including senior guard Destiney Robinson, junior guard Katie Mavis, senior forward Kara Hess, senior guard Dena Droste, senior forward Heidi Highstreet, junior center Christina Branch and senior center Hannah Hoffman. Additionally, the returnees include a three-year letterwinner with significant experience in senior forward Ashley Rando, who missed all of last year due to injury.
The other returnees back for the women's team include sophomore guards Emily Evans and Ally Christman in addition to sophomore forward Kendra Enszer. FSU also added a pair of incoming freshmen along with a junior college transfer in the offseason.
The Bulldog women are slated to open the 2014-15 season by squaring off against Division I power Notre Dame in exhibition action on Nov. 5 in South Bend, Ind. FSU also squares off with another NCAA-I opponent on the road during the exhibition season in Toledo on Nov. 8 before opening the regular-season against Kentucky Wesleyan at the Pops Duncan Classic hosted by Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville (Tenn.) on Nov. 21.
Last year's double-digit win total marked the 17th time in the last 18 seasons in which the Bulldog women have accomplished the feat.
