ROAD TRIPLEHEADER
The Wayne State University volleyball team will face a trio of GLIAC North Division schools on the road this weekend, including two nationally ranked teams in No. 20 Grand Valley State on Friday and No. 23 Ferris State on Sunday.  The Warriors will also meet Saginaw Valley State on Saturday.

Wayne State is on a three-match winning streak, earning shutouts in all three victories including its first two home matches last weekend.

The Lakers, in the midst of a five-match homestand, defeated LSSU and Northwood last weekend.  The Cardinals have won all four of their conference matches as they prepare to host Hillsdale on Friday, while the Bulldogs – who will host Findlay and Hillsdale before Sunday's match with WSU – are unbeaten at home and 8-1 overall.


AT THE HELM
Phil Nickel is in his fourth season as Wayne State's head volleyball coach and has a record of 55-37.  In his five-plus year career, which includes two seasons at Thomas More College, Nickel is 89-80.

GVSU's Deanne Scanlon has a 17-year career record of 435-125.  Will Stanton is 112-136 in his ninth season at Saginaw Valley State.  Tia Brandel-Wilhelm is in her 16th year at Ferris State with a 314-161 record, and in 19 seasons – which includes three at West Virginia Wesleyan – has a 432-181 career mark.


SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State has lost 13 of its last four meetings with Grand Valley State.  A 3-1 victory over the Lakers in Allendale two years ago snapped a 12-match skid dating back to 1999.

The Warriors defeated the Cardinals, 3-1, last year at the Matthaei to snap a four-match losing streak to SVSU.  Prior to that skid, Wayne State won 12 of 14 meetings.

In the 2010 regular season Wayne State earned a five-set victory over Ferris State, its first win against the Bulldogs since 1998.  FSU avenged the loss, however, by eliminating the Warriors from the GLIAC Tournament in November.


SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
One year removed from an NCAA Elite Eight appearance, Grand Valley State boasts the GLIAC's kills leader in sophomore Stacey Catalano, who ranks among the top 25 in the nation at 4.06 kills per set.  Catalano is also third in the conference in digs (4.28).

After starting the year 1-3, the Cardinals have won four straight.  SVSU senior Annie Buxton ranks fourth in the GLIAC in kills (3.50) and ninth in service aces (0.44).  Classmate Laura Ward is second to WSU's Lindsey Graciak in digs per set (4.88).

The Bulldogs have seven shutout wins this season including three in a row.  The top hitting team in the conference is led by junior Anne Sutton, whose .446 hitting percentage ranks second in the GLIAC and sixth in Division II.  The GLIAC's third-best hitter is freshman Courtney Rehm (.398), who is also fifth in blocking (1.00 per set).


WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
The Warriors' opponents are hitting just .134 against them this season, the lowest figure in the conference.  Wayne State is also the conference leader in digs per set (15.41), thanks in large part to the pace set by Graciak (4.93).

Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Bulkiewicz, who has reached double-digit kill totals in seven of eight matches, tied her career-high with 17 kills Saturday against Ohio Dominican.  It was also the highest three-set total of any Warrior this season.

Junior setter and co-captain Cydney Biessel has eclipsed the 30-assist mark in every match this season.  She ranks third in the GLIAC (39th in Division II) with a 10.14 assists/set average.  With 2,302 assists in her career, Biessel surpassed Laura Hayes (1986-87) for fifth place all-time at WSU.


LOOKING AHEAD
The Warriors will travel to Hillsdale on Sept. 30 before returning to the Matthaei to host Findlay on Oct. 1.  After a non-conference match against Lewis on Oct. 5, Wayne State will host Northwood (Oct. 7) and Lake Superior State (Oct. 8).