DETROIT -- A new season is here for the Wayne State University volleyball team (2-5 overall) as it begins GLIAC play on Friday and Saturday at home inside the Matthaei Center.  The Warriors will host Davenport (2-6 overall) on Friday at 7 p.m. before seeing ninth-ranked Ferris State (7-0 overall) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Coach's Corner
"We're looking forward to opening the conference slate at home this weekend," said head coach Tim Koth.  "The GLIAC always features extremely competitive, exciting volleyball and this weekend should be exactly the same!"

Scouting Davenport
At 2-6 overall, Davenport is coached by first-year leader (second season on staff) Charley Andrews.  As a student-athlete, Andrews played in 64 career matches for Western Michigan during the 2019-20 seasons.  Andrews served on WMU's Leadership Committee and Diversity Task Force during the 2019-20 school year.  She was also an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Diversity Award recipient in 2020.  Prior to enrolling at Western Michigan, Andrews competed as a heptathlete for the Michigan State ersity women's track and field team during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Individually, the Panthers' offensive attack has been spearheaded by a pair of underclassmen in freshman Rachel Youngblood and sophomore Abby Alan.  Youngblood and Alan are responsible for 85 kills and 84 kills respectively.  Alan is the team's leader in points with 99 while hitting .105 and Youngblood's hitting percentage sits at .174 eight matches into the fall.  Also on offense, DU's primary setter has been junior Mehl Hansen (182 assists) while Alan has accounted for 11 service aces to Hansen's 10.  Defensively, another pair of rookies in Hayley Carr and Kaitlyn Marsh have accounted for a team-high 130 digs and 26 total blocks, respectively.

Scouting Ferris State
Unlike Davenport, Ferris State is led by a seasoned veteran in 29th-year head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, who has her team off to a 7-0 start.  Only two of those seven matches have lasted longer than three sets while the one that went the distance came in the season opener against third-ranked West Texas A&M.  That defeat marked the Lady Buffs' first loss in a season opener since the 2020-21 and first loss at home to begin a campaign since 2016.

Under Brandel-Wilhelm, the Bulldogs have made 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and advanced to the regional semifinals or beyond 11 of the last 12 years.

This season, Ferris State returned five All-GLIAC honorees from a year ago including senior setter Kaylee Maat (GLIAC Setter of the Year) and senior outside hitter Olivia Henneman-Dallape (GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year).  FSU had three All-GLIAC First Team picks last season including Maat, Dallape and senior outside hitter Claire Nowicki.  All three were also named to the AVCA All-America Team.  Aside from those three, senior libero Leah Bylut and senior middle hitter Syann Fairfield were both chosen to the All-GLIAC Second Team.