Ferris State athletics weekend recap

Bulldogs suffer setbacks on Saturday

It probably was a tough day to be a Bulldog fan on Saturday as three FSU athletic teams suffered losses. Here is a recap of the football, hockey and volleyball teams’ games from the weekend.

Football
With a winning record on the line on the final Saturday of the season, the Ferris State football team suffered a 41-35 loss at Northwood.

Ferris held a 28-14 lead at the half behind rushing scores from four different Bulldog ball carriers. Ferris has had trouble closing out teams in second halves of games this season and Saturday’s contest was no exception. The Bulldogs surrendered 21 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves erased the deficit and held on for a six-point win.

After a 5-1 start, Ferris finished the 2010 season on a five-game losing streak for a 5-6 overall record. The Bulldogs finished tied for sixth in the GLIAC with a 5-5 record in conference play after holding a share of the conference lead midway through the season.

Hockey
One week after a colossal upset of the nation’s top team, the Ferris hockey team failed to score a goal in back-to-back games as it was swept by Lake Superior State.

The questions directed to Ferris head coach Bob Daniels during the week were mainly focused on how the team would respond after its sweep of the Miami RedHawks last weekend.

The Bulldogs followed those emotional victories by being shutout twice in the U.P. over the weekend. Laker goaltender Kevin Kapalka stopped all 63 shots he faced in the series while Ferris senior goaltender Pat Nagle surrendered five goals in the two games.

Ferris dropped a 1-0 decision on Friday in a closely contested game. On Saturday, Lake Superior used four second-period goals on its way to a 4-0 victory.

The Bulldogs are tied with the Lakers for sixth place in the CCHA standings and have a 2-4-2-2 record in the conference. Ferris was ranked 20th in the nation prior to the series, but will fall out of the top 20 when the latest poll is released on Monday.

Volleyball
The Ferris State volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision on the road against the top-seeded Hillsdale Chargers in the semifinal match of the GLIAC Tournament on Saturday.

The Bulldogs made their 13th consecutive appearance in the GLIAC Tournament and won their opening-round match 3-1 against Wayne State.

Ferris dropped the first two sets of the match 25-23 and 25-17 before taking the third set 26-24. The Chargers jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the fourth set and maintained a lead throughout, closing out the Bulldogs 25-17.

Hillsdale is ranked ninth in the nation according to the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll and boasts a 27-1 overall record. The Chargers are also the No. 1 team in the Midwest Region with a perfect 19-0 record against conference opponents this season.

Ferris’ season may not have ended with the loss to Hillsdale, as there is a slight chance that the team could compete in the Division II NCAA Tournament. The NCAA will announce the tournament participants this evening with the release of the Regional brackets.

Pick up the Nov. 17 edition of the Torch on Wednesday for more details and reaction from these contests.