Big Rapids, Mich.- In their first ever appearance in the NCAA DII Midwest Regional Final, the University of Findlay volleyball team fell in a heartbreaking five set match to the unbeaten, and top team in the nation, Ferris State University on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Oilers, seeded sixth in the tournament, fell short of an underdog story falling by a score of 3-2 (27-25, 22-25, 19-25, 15-13). Findlay concludes their season with a 24-9 record on the year. Meanwhile, Ferris State improves to 34-0 and ultimately punches their ticket to the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship in Sioux Falls, S.D.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Bulldog Arena, the Oilers surged to an early 7-4 lead in the opening set. Ferris State responded with a 5-2 run, evening the score at nine. The teams battled closely, with the score tied four more times, the last at 20-20. Findlay then went on a 4-1 run to reach match point, but the Bulldogs answered with four straight points to gain a 25-24 edge. The Oilers managed to tie it at 25, but Ferris ultimately secured the first set, 27-25.

The second set featured tight back-and-forth action, with neither team gaining more than a three-point advantage until freshman Grace Auer's kill put Findlay ahead 17-13. A Ferris State error extended the Oilers' lead to five, but the Bulldogs responded with six straight points to take a one-point lead. Findlay then mounted a strong rally, scoring seven of the final ten points. Junior setter Emma White sealed the set with a decisive kill, tying the match at 1-1.

The third set began as a back-and-forth battle, but the Oilers carried their momentum from the second set to build a commanding 20-12 lead. Despite a late push from Ferris State, Findlay held firm to secure a 25-19 victory, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

Backed by an energized home crowd, Ferris State built a commanding 23-16 lead late in the fourth set. Despite a determined effort from the Oilers, the Bulldogs closed out the set 25-21, pushing the match to a decisive fifth set.

With 1,200 fans packed in the arena, Findlay surged to an early 8-3 lead in the fifth set. After the teams switched benches, Ferris State responded with five straight points to even the score. The set remained tight, with three more ties, before Ferris earned its first match point at 14-12. The Oilers saved the initial match point but ultimately fell to a decisive kill by Region Player of the Year, Ferris State's Olivia Henneman-Dallape.

Head Coach Wick Colchagoff shared his thoughts on the match, saying, "this one was super close, it could have gone either way and I am just really proud of my team."

Findlay posted a .230 hitting percentage with 69 kills and 31 errors, matching Ferris State's .230 mark, though Ferris tallied 50 kills with only 16 errors. Defensively, Findlay excelled, out-digging Ferris State 75-57.

Leading Findlay's offense was sophomore Hannah Miller who recorded 29 kills on 71 attempts to hit .239 on the night. Her 29 kills is a career-best and just two shy of the program record of 31 which is held by assistant coach, Hannah Tong. The Tiffin, Ohio native also recorded 15 digs. In the postgame interview, Hannah Miller commented on Findlay's offense, saying, "offensively we are a very short team and Ferris is a very tall team and all year we have worked on high hands and one of the key points for us was to get that challenge of the high hands."

Juniors Alana Pohlman and Kenzie Hoelscher delivered strong performances for the Orange and Black. Pohlman tallied 12 kills with a .320 hitting percentage, while Hoelscher matched her with 12 kills, hitting .280. Hoelscher also shined from the service line, racking up five aces.

All-region selection Emma White led the offense recording 55 assists. The junior also recorded 12 digs. White concluded the season with 1,377 assists, ranking seventh in Division II this season and ninth all-time in Findlay program history.

Playing in her final game for the Orange and Black, senior Ava Doster recorded a team-high 19 digs. She ends her career with 1,348 digs, the fifth most in program history. When asked about her time at Findlay, Doster replied, "it is really just a family, that's a cliche but it really is." She continued, "this team especially has been special, regardless of how many games we won or lost, it doesn't really matter because they are my family and that is what I will take from it."

Following the match, both Hannah Miller and Alana Pohlman were named to the 2024 Division II Midwest Region All-Tournament team.

Findlay's 24-9 record on the year marks the most wins in a season since 2018. 

Coach Wick Colchagoff reflected on the year saying, "it has been a great season, it was a little bit up and down. We started off really strong, we had some struggles in the middle, but we changed lineups two or three different times and finally settled on this one. And this lineup had a great run at the end of the year."

Midwest Region All Tournament Team

Bella Ray, Lewis
Chloe Tyrrell, Rockhurst
Marilyn Popplewell, Hillsdale
Luna Van Baars, Quincy
Alayna Santel, Missouri-St. Louis
Jordyn Gates, GVSU
Kendall Stover, GVSU
Alana Pohlman, Findlay
Hannah Miller, Findlay
Olivia Henneman-Dallape, FSU
Kaylee Maat, FSU
Leah Bylut, FSU