On this week’s episode of Ferris Sports Update, host Rob Bentley covers the football game between Ferris and Grand Rapids with Head Coach Tony Annese, before talking about Ferris Volleyball with Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, and finally closing the show with a discussion about men’s basketball with Ferris Head Coach, Andy Bronkema.
Heartbreaking Ending to 2023 Season
We begin our show on a bittersweet note as our host Rob Bentley talks with Head Coach Tony Annese about the team’s disappointing loss against Grand Valley this weekend.
In the first and (unfortunately) last game of the playoffs for the Bulldogs, the game was kept highly competitive throughout. Grand Valley was able to get the first touchdown, but Ferris got one before halftime putting the halftime score at an even 7 – 7. Both teams had incredibly strong defense throughout, but ultimately Grand Valley gained the upper hand, with a final score resting at a close 14 – 21 in favor of Grand Valley.
Due to the single elimination of the playoffs, this loss marked the end of the season for the Bulldogs. Looking back at the season, Annese was quite proud of how the team did, while admittedly being disappointed by the final loss. While he wasn’t allowed to coach the game due to certain circumstances, he was still watching on the TV in anticipation. He noted how sorry he was to not be able to coach the seniors in their final game after many years of coaching them and watching them grow as men. He stated how proud he was of them and their impact on the program and hoped that the program had just as much an impact on their lives as they impacted it.
This game marked the 9th consecutive year that Ferris State has made it into the playoff and is proof that the Bulldog Football program is still going strong as well as the high quality of Western Michigan Football as a whole. Annese remains optimistic that the strength of the program will continue into the next season, as the Bulldogs start to look towards the future.
Photos by Joe Washington, Bill Simpson & Joey VanAllen
GLIAC Victory
Head Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm returns to Ferris Sports Update to discuss the Ferris Volleyball Team’s recent success. Over the weekend, the Bulldogs competed in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in their post-season. The Quarterfinals started Wednesday, kicking off the GLIAC Conference. The Bulldogs started out strong securing a win 3-0 against Purdue Northwest. The winning streak continued to the weekend the Ferris Bulldogs took on the Parkside Rangers, winning 3 to nothing. At the end of the tournament, Claire Nowicki was named MPV of the GLIAC Tournament. Brandel-Wilhelm was thrilled at that stating Nowicki was deserving of the title because of the effort she had put into volleyball throughout the season.
Finishing strong, Ferris competed against in the GLIAC Championship Finals against rival school Grand Valley State University on Sunday. They were tough opponents, but our Bulldogs pulled through winning 3-1. Brandel-Wilhelm states that she is immensely proud of her players and the amount of effort they put into so many games in such a short time. She felt that they really pulled together as a team, not just the players on the court but even the players on the sidelines helped out pointing out weaknesses in Grand Valley’s defense.
Blowout Victory
Bentley talked with head coach Andy Bronkema about Ferris basketball’s successful week. The team started the week standing on all business with Wednesday’s massive blowout victory. Ferris outscored Cleary 109-42 with leading scorers Ben Davidson dropping 15 points and Ethan Erickson coming off the bench dropping 5 three-pointers. Excellent effort from you guys.
Saturday’s game was a little more intense, being a hard-fought victory for Ferris. The boys were blessed with some late-game fouls that secured the bag for the team. After holding off their lead, the boys leave victorious 80-77 at Findlay with leading scorers Dolapo Olayinka with 13 points and Ben Davidson with 17 points shooting 60% from the field. After a statement-making weekend, Ferris basketball remains undefeated in the GLIAC.
Photo Captured From: https://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mbkb/index
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