HOME FINALE
For its final home matches of the 2011 regular season, the Wayne State University volleyball team (11-11, 7-7 GLIAC) will host Ashland University (10-10, 8-5 GLIAC) at 4:00 on Saturday and Lake Erie College (2-17, 1-12 GLIAC) at 2:00 on Sunday at the Matthaei.

Wayne State picked up its fifth win in six matches Tuesday, a 3-1 result at Tiffin University.  Ashland comes into its Friday match at Hillsdale having lost seven of its last eight, while Lake Erie has not tasted victory since Sept. 16 against Michigan Tech.

Fans who attend the Wayne State-Saginaw Valley State football game at Adams Field can bring their ticket to the Matthaei and receive free admission to the volleyball match.  A Halloween costume contest will also take place at Saturday's match.  On Sunday the WSU athletic department is sponsoring a food drive for the 2011 home finale.


AT THE HELM
Phil Nickel is in his fourth season as Wayne State's head volleyball coach and has a record of 62-44.  In his six-year career, which includes two seasons at Thomas More College, Nickel is 96-87.

Ashland's Cass Dixon and Lake Erie's Brian Goughlin are in their first seasons at their respective schools.  Dixon previously spent five years (1999-2004) as the head coach at Walsh, posting a 16-43 record and three NAIA regional championships.


SERIES HISTORY
While the Eagles took this season's first meeting in September, Ashland and Wayne State split last year's two meetings, with the road team winning each time.  The Warriors are 3-4 against the Eagles since 2008, when WSU snapped an 11-match skid against Ashland dating back to 2003.

The Warriors have shut out the Storm in all three meetings including both in 2010, LEC's first season in the GLIAC.


SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Ashland snapped a six-match losing skid with a 3-1 victory last Friday at Lake Superior State.  Anesian Benton, AU's lone senior, hit .667 with 13 kills against the Lakers.  Sophomore Baley Bernthisel hit .469 with a season-high 17 kills in a five-set loss Saturday at Northwood.

Bernthisel came into this week ranked ninth in the GLIAC with a .316 hitting percentage.  Benton is third on the team in kills and is hitting .282 on the year.  Brittany Snider is also  a weapon, averaging a team-best 2.55 kills per set.

Lake Erie is looking to put the brakes on a 12-match losing streak this weekend as the team travels to Findlay and Hillsdale before arriving in Detroit on Sunday.  Mary Walter leads the team with a 1.81 kills per set average and ranks second in the GLIAC averaging 0.52 service aces.


WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
Following Tuesday's win at Tiffin, the Warriors' record is at .500 overall for the first time in a month.  Wayne State comes into this weekend in third place in the GLIAC South Division, narrowly trailing Ashland.

Nicole Arends, who had a career-high 17 kills against the Dragons, and Candice Ottey hit .516 and .429, respectively.  Those figures account for two of the five-highest by any Warrior this season.

Kristen Bulkiewicz tied Arends for team-high honors Tuesday with 17 kills.  She also had 15 digs to tally her 10th double-double of the season.

Finishing one shy of her season-high, Cydney Biessel totaled 55 assists at Tiffin.  She had 56 on Oct. 14 against UMSL, and has totaled at least 42 in five of the last six matches.

Lindsey Graciak, who had 21 digs Tuesday, entered this week still the GLIAC leader in digs per set (4.83), significantly ahead of second-place Laura Ward of Saginaw Valley State (4.33).


LOOKING AHEAD
The regular season will conclude with road matches against Findlay (Nov. 1), Northern Michigan (Nov. 4) and Michigan Tech (Nov. 5).  Wayne State is looking to clinch its fourth consecutive berth in the GLIAC Tournament, which begins Nov. 10.