LIVE STATS  |  WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS

HOMECOMING
The Wayne State volleyball team will host Ohio Dominican on Saturday and Tiffin on Sunday in its first home matches of the 2011 season.  Saturday's match with the Panthers will be part of WSU's Homecoming festivities and will follow the Wayne State-Michigan Tech football game at Adams Field.

Wayne State split two matches in Ohio last weekend to start GLIAC play, losing in four sets at Ashland and sweeping Lake Erie.

SATURDAY • 2011 schedule card giveaway • FREE ADMISSION with ticket stub from Saturday's football game SUNDAY • High School Team Day - meet and greet with the Warriors after the match (RSVP to ttranter@wayne.edu by noon Friday for free admission) Passport Pizza serving contest between sets 2 and 3 of both matches

ODU's trip to Detroit will be the midpoint of a three-match weekend swing which will take the Panthers to Hillsdale on Friday and Findlay on Sunday.  Tiffin has a similar schedule, facing the Oilers and Chargers on the road before Sunday's match with the Warriors.


AT THE HELM
Phil Nickel is in his fourth season as Wayne State's head volleyball coach and has a record of 53-37.  In his five-plus year career, which includes two seasons at Thomas More College, Nickel is 87-80.

ODU's Sandy Rowley has a 23-year career record of 450-387.  Dana Cordova is in his second season at Tiffin with a career record of 15-22.


SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State and Ohio Dominican had not played each other prior to last season, ODU's first in the GLIAC.  The Warriors swept both meetings in straight sets.

A 3-2 loss at the Matthaei last October was the first blemish for WSU against Tiffin.  The Warriors had won the previous six matches versus the Dragons.


SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Panthers will enter Friday's match at Hillsdale with a 6-1 overall record, already two victories shy of their 2010 total.  ODU went 4-0 in the Glenville State Tournament to open the weekend, earned a 3-1 win at Lake Superior State last Saturday, and blanked Urbana on Tuesday.

Senior outside hitter Rachel Billing is averaging 3.08 kills per set, and freshman middle hitter Caitlin Kusan has a team-best .394 hitting percentage and 40 blocks.

Tiffin comes into this weekend yet to taste victory, having been shut out in five of its seven matches.  The Dragons are led up front by sophomore outside hitter Danielle McQuade, who has a .310 hitting percentage and 83 kills.


WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Bulkiewicz was named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week on Monday.  She led WSU with 28 kills and nine blocks last weekend, posting her second double-double of the season (17 kills, 10 digs) at Ashland and hitting .556 with 11 kills and five blocks against the Storm.  Bulkiewicz ranks seventh in the conference at 3.17 kills per set.

Junior libero Lindsey Graciak, who leads the GLIAC with a 4.87 digs/set average, had six service aces Sunday at Lake Erie, two shy of the school record.

Junior setter Cydney Biessel needs 13 assists to pass Laura Hayes (1986-87) for fifth-most all-time.  Biessel has 2,235 career assists.

Thirteen (13) of the 14 players on WSU's roster participated in at least one set of Sunday's win at Lake Erie.


LOOKING AHEAD
Wayne State will hit the road for its next four matches, including three against GLIAC North Division foes - Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State, and Ferris State - on Sept. 23-25.  The Warriors will travel to Hillsdale on Sept. 30 before returning to the Matthaei to host Findlay on Oct. 1.