EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State volleyball is set to open the Breslin Center for the first time in 2024, hosting the second annual Kathy DeBoer Invitational presented by Auto-Owners Insurance on September 6-8. Action gets underway for the Spartans on Friday night when they face Western Kentucky at 7:00 p.m.
Every match this weekend will stream on B1G+, including neutral site matches. All three games will have a live radio broadcast on MSUSpartans.com with John Kreger calling the action in his 20th season.
Parking is $5 in Lot 63 and Ramp 7. Re-Entry is allowed each individual day if wanting to attend multiple matches.
Entering the weekend at 2-1, Western Kentucky is garnering votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll following wins over Morehead State (3-1) and Northern Kentucky (3-0) last weekend. The Hilltoppers dropped their lone match of the weekend at then No. 9-ranked Kentucky, 3-1. WKU finished the 2023 season with a 30-5 record and an unblemished 16-0 mark in CUSA matches en route to a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Under the direction of Travis Hudson, Western Kentucky is one of the premier mid-major teams in the country with a 754-228 record over the last 30 seasons.
Kaylee Cox and Alivia Skidmore paced WKU in kills last week with 32 apiece, with Cox leading the team in points per set at 3.45. Callie Bauer handled the setting with 115 assists on the weekend, good for 10.45 per set. As a team the Hilltoppers hit .240 on 391 attempts.
Izzy Van De Wiele put up a strong block all weekend tallying 21 blocks on 1.91 per set. Van De Wiele ranks No. 10 nationally in blocks per set and No. 11 in total blocks as WKU ranks No. 17 in blocks per set as a team (3.00). Libero Abby Schaefer led the team in digs with 40 on 3.64 per set.
Marist was 0-3 in its opening weekend of matches falling to Old Dominion (3-0), Virginia (3-0) and UTSA (3-0). The Red Foxes were 14-16, and 12-6 in the MAAC a year ago for head coach Sean Byron who is entering his sixth season at the helm.
Sara Dasic led Marist in kills last weekend with 15, hitting .104 on 48 attempts. Taylor Miller and Alyssa White both finished the weekend with 11 kills. White was the team's leading blocker with five blocks (three solo). As a team, Marist hit .008 over three matches. Jamison White tallied 54 assists on 6.00 per set. At libero, Katherine Thompson collected 21 digs for Marist on 2.63 digs per set.
Loyola is 1-2 after defeated Loyola Marymount (3-0) in Kalamazoo, Mich. last weekend. The Ramblers were defeated by Clemson (3-0) and Western Michigan (3-1) to open the 2024 season. Head Coach Amanda Berkley is no stranger to the B1G as a 2008 graduate from Wisconsin, now in her seventh season as head coach at Loyola owning a 115-67 overall record.
Libero Jae Fitting ranks No. 24 nationally in digs per set at 5.10, helping the Ramblers to rank No. 38 in digs per set nationally as a program (16.5). Avary DeBlieck led Loyola in blocks last weekend with 11 on 1.10 blocks per set.
Offensively Loyola hit .181 as a team in Kalamazoo, led by Marta Cvitkovic's 31 kills and 3.50 points per set. Kate Maley (23) and Ann Marie Remmes (22) each finished with 20+ kills last weekend, with Remmes hitting a team-best .306. Bree Borum tallied 89 assists on 8.90 assists per set and posted a double-double against Western Michigan (39 assists, 13 digs).
- Michigan State is 2-0 all-time against Western Kentucky, last facing the Hilltoppers on the road in 2016 in a 3-2 victory over the then No. 23-ranked WKU.
- This is the second time WKU has played in an Auto-Owners Insurance sponsored invitational, falling to MSU 3-0 at the Spartan Invitational in 2014.
Marist
- MSU is 1-0 all-time against Marist, winning 3-0 at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational in 2016.
Loyola
- Michigan State is 2-1 against Loyola all-time, having never hosted the Ramblers in East Lansing. MSU is 2-0 in neutral site matches and 0-1 on the road.
- The Spartans last faced Loyola at the Western Michigan Invitational in 1999, winning 3-1.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
Every match this weekend will stream on B1G+, including neutral site matches. All three games will have a live radio broadcast on MSUSpartans.com with John Kreger calling the action in his 20th season.
Parking is $5 in Lot 63 and Ramp 7. Re-Entry is allowed each individual day if wanting to attend multiple matches.
ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY (RV)
Entering the weekend at 2-1, Western Kentucky is garnering votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll following wins over Morehead State (3-1) and Northern Kentucky (3-0) last weekend. The Hilltoppers dropped their lone match of the weekend at then No. 9-ranked Kentucky, 3-1. WKU finished the 2023 season with a 30-5 record and an unblemished 16-0 mark in CUSA matches en route to a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Under the direction of Travis Hudson, Western Kentucky is one of the premier mid-major teams in the country with a 754-228 record over the last 30 seasons.
Kaylee Cox and Alivia Skidmore paced WKU in kills last week with 32 apiece, with Cox leading the team in points per set at 3.45. Callie Bauer handled the setting with 115 assists on the weekend, good for 10.45 per set. As a team the Hilltoppers hit .240 on 391 attempts.
Izzy Van De Wiele put up a strong block all weekend tallying 21 blocks on 1.91 per set. Van De Wiele ranks No. 10 nationally in blocks per set and No. 11 in total blocks as WKU ranks No. 17 in blocks per set as a team (3.00). Libero Abby Schaefer led the team in digs with 40 on 3.64 per set.
ABOUT MARIST
Marist was 0-3 in its opening weekend of matches falling to Old Dominion (3-0), Virginia (3-0) and UTSA (3-0). The Red Foxes were 14-16, and 12-6 in the MAAC a year ago for head coach Sean Byron who is entering his sixth season at the helm.
Sara Dasic led Marist in kills last weekend with 15, hitting .104 on 48 attempts. Taylor Miller and Alyssa White both finished the weekend with 11 kills. White was the team's leading blocker with five blocks (three solo). As a team, Marist hit .008 over three matches. Jamison White tallied 54 assists on 6.00 per set. At libero, Katherine Thompson collected 21 digs for Marist on 2.63 digs per set.
ABOUT LOYOLA (CHICAGO)
Loyola is 1-2 after defeated Loyola Marymount (3-0) in Kalamazoo, Mich. last weekend. The Ramblers were defeated by Clemson (3-0) and Western Michigan (3-1) to open the 2024 season. Head Coach Amanda Berkley is no stranger to the B1G as a 2008 graduate from Wisconsin, now in her seventh season as head coach at Loyola owning a 115-67 overall record.
Libero Jae Fitting ranks No. 24 nationally in digs per set at 5.10, helping the Ramblers to rank No. 38 in digs per set nationally as a program (16.5). Avary DeBlieck led Loyola in blocks last weekend with 11 on 1.10 blocks per set.
Offensively Loyola hit .181 as a team in Kalamazoo, led by Marta Cvitkovic's 31 kills and 3.50 points per set. Kate Maley (23) and Ann Marie Remmes (22) each finished with 20+ kills last weekend, with Remmes hitting a team-best .306. Bree Borum tallied 89 assists on 8.90 assists per set and posted a double-double against Western Michigan (39 assists, 13 digs).
SERIES HISTORY
Western Kentucky- Michigan State is 2-0 all-time against Western Kentucky, last facing the Hilltoppers on the road in 2016 in a 3-2 victory over the then No. 23-ranked WKU.
- This is the second time WKU has played in an Auto-Owners Insurance sponsored invitational, falling to MSU 3-0 at the Spartan Invitational in 2014.
Marist
- MSU is 1-0 all-time against Marist, winning 3-0 at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational in 2016.
Loyola
- Michigan State is 2-1 against Loyola all-time, having never hosted the Ramblers in East Lansing. MSU is 2-0 in neutral site matches and 0-1 on the road.
- The Spartans last faced Loyola at the Western Michigan Invitational in 1999, winning 3-1.
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
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