Presenting our first episode of the Ferris Sports Update for the 23-24 season! In this episode, host Rob Bentley along with the assistant football coach Sam Parker, discuss the team’s most recent victory over Mercyhurst this past weekend. Bentley also covers the women’s soccer team’s opening two victories over Maryville and Northwood, with the team’s head coach, Greg Henson. Finally, Bentley converses with the head coach of the volleyball team, Tia Brandel-Wilhelm about the team’s three winning games over Thomas More, Adelphi, and Indianapolis, in this weekend’s home invitational. Read the full article or watch the full episode to catch all the action!
Football
School starting up means our Ferris State Bulldogs Football team is back in full swing! For the first episode of the school year of the Ferris Sports Update, our host Rob Bentley sits down with Sam Parker, the assistant coach of the football team. The Ferris State Bulldogs kicked off their 2023 season on home turf last Thursday with a decisive victory over the Mercyhurst University Lakers. With a final score of 54-12, the Bulldogs shook off the home-opener jitters and gave spectators a glimpse of what is sure to be an exciting and winning season.
The first quarter showed the Bulldogs making big plays on defense, but it was a punt return by special team’s sophomore Deion Small that put them in an early lead. Both teams played exceptionally well, finishing the first quarter with the Bulldogs leading 21-12. In the second quarter, the Bulldog’s offense scored an additional seven points, while the defense dug in and allowed no additional points for Mercyhurst. An interception from Ferris State Junior Jacarvis Alexandre punctuated the end of the first half of the game, with the Bulldogs leading 28-12 going into halftime. The Bulldog’s offensive cracked open the lead with an additional 12 points in the 3rd and 14 points in the 4th quarter, bringing the final score to 54-12 for the first Ferris State victory of the season. The massive victory at home is sure to set the tone for the rest of the season. This Saturday, September 9th the Ferris State Bulldogs will be visiting Ashland University in Ohio to meet the Ashland Eagles on Fergusen Field.
Soccer
Returning from a tremendous 2022 Ferris State women’s soccer season, began their 2023 season with two victories at home. Playing Maryville in the home opener, the Bulldogs secured a 2-0 victory in a strong second half. Following the win over Maryville, Ferris State went head-to-head with rival Northwood. The Bulldogs started off with a strong offense, scoring two goals in the first half of the game. The second half showed both teams scoring one goal each, but it was Ferris State that came out on top with a 3-1 victory over Northwood.
In upcoming games, we’ll see the Bulldogs visiting Findlay on September 8th, followed by a trip to Ashland on September 10th to play the Eagles.
Volleyball
Ferris State women’s volleyball team kicked off their season by hosting an Invitational tournament in their new home, the Bulldog Arena. The Bulldogs ended with three wins and one lone loss in four games over the course of the weekend; other teams competing in the Invitational were Adelphi (New York), Malone (Ohio), Thomas More (Kentucky), Indianapolis, Wayne State, and the nationally ranked powerhouse Minnesota Duluth.
The Bulldogs’ first game came against Thomas More where they would win in dominant fashion, ending 3-0 with scores of 25-8, 25-7, and 25-10. Their second matchup of the day Friday came against the tenth Minnesota Deluth, one they would end up losing 1-3 in the battle of the Bulldogs. Ferris would bounce back nicely on Saturday, winning 3-0 in both games. Both Adelphi and Indianapolis put up a good fight, but the Bulldogs prevailed, nonetheless. Multiple Ferris players were recognized for their stellar play throughout the tournament as both Kaylee Maat and Olivia Henneman-Dallape would be named to the all-tournament team as well as GLIAC player of the week awards.
Head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhem and the Bulldogs will see their next action this weekend when they ship to the Rockies to participate in one of the nation’s largest college volleyball tournaments, the Colorado Premier Invitational; their first game takes place Friday, September 8th, at 12:00 pm against Western Washington, followed by their second game at 8:00 pm against Concordia-St. Paul (MN).
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