Western Wayne Today

Wayne State University's women's volleyball team will return to its home court at the Matthaei Center after a 20-day stretch of away games. The Warriors, holding a 16-4 overall record and an 8-2 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), are scheduled to face No. 15 Ferris State on Halloween night at 7 p.m., followed by a match against Davenport for Senior Day on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Head coach Tim Koth commented on the upcoming home matches: "We're looking forward to being at home in the Matthaei Arena. After several weeks of long road trips, the Warriors are looking forward to being in front of our fans and celebrating our seniors on Saturday."

Last week, Wayne State players Giroux and Dulgar received GLIAC Offensive Player and Setter of the Week honors for their performances. Giroux recorded a .419 hitting percentage with 33 kills and only seven errors over 62 attacks, along with 13 blocks—seven of them solo. Dulgar contributed 89 assists, eight kills with a .533 hitting percentage, nine aces (including a career-high six in one match), 17 digs, and three block assists. Both athletes have now earned these weekly honors six times in their careers and three times this season.

The team achieved notable milestones during recent road games, including their first win at Michigan Tech since 2016 and sweeping both Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan on the road for the first time since that same year. With their latest five-set victory over Northern Michigan, Wayne State improved to a perfect 4-0 record in five-set matches this season after struggling in similar contests over the previous two years.

Nationally, Wayne State ranks among the top 50 teams in several statistical categories such as assists per set (22nd), kills per set (29th), blocks per set (36th), winning percentage (36th), hitting percentage (42nd), opponent hitting percentage (45th), and total team blocks (50th). Individually, Giroux is ranked within the top 50 nationally for hitting percentage, points per set, total kills, and kills per set. Dulgar is also among national leaders in assists per set and total assists.

Ferris State enters Thursday's matchup with an 18-4 overall record and leads the GLIAC at 9-1. Under head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm—now in her thirtieth season—the Bulldogs have won eleven consecutive matches since defeating Wayne State on September 27. Ferris State ranks highly among Division II programs for digs per set, kills per set, winning percentage, hitting percentage, and opponent hitting percentage.

Key contributors for Ferris State include sophomore setter Hayley Wegener—ranked nationally for assists—and sophomore outside hitter Gabby Piazza—recognized for her performance in kills and points.

Davenport University holds an overall record of 11-10 with a conference mark of 7-3. The Panthers recently ended a three-match losing streak by defeating Purdue Northwest in straight sets last Friday. Head coach Charley Andrews is leading his team through a challenging schedule that features ten out of eleven matches played away from home.

Offensive leaders for Davenport include junior outside hitter Abby Alan with over two hundred kills this season; freshman setter Madison Berry has provided more than seven hundred assists; sophomore libero Hayley Carr leads defensively with over three hundred digs; senior middle blocker Kaitlin Jordan has recorded fifty-two total blocks.