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MSU volleyball sweeps Aztec Invitational, will open at home on Saturday

August 30, 2016
<p>Sophomore middle blocker Megan Tompkins gets ready to spike the ball at the volleyball game against Michigan on Sept. 30, 2015 at Jenison Field House. The Spartans defeated the Wolverines, 3-0. </p>

Sophomore middle blocker Megan Tompkins gets ready to spike the ball at the volleyball game against Michigan on Sept. 30, 2015 at Jenison Field House. The Spartans defeated the Wolverines, 3-0.

Photo by Catherine Ferland | The State News

The MSU volleyball team started off their regular season going undefeated after they traveled to San Diego, Calif. to compete in the San Diego State Aztec Invitational. There, they took part in a round robin style tournament as they faced the University of Denver, Marist College, and host, San Diego State University.

Over the weekend, the Spartans only dropped one set on their way to winning the invite on the west coast. They swept in straight sets against Denver and Marist, going 3-0 in both games. They also defeated San Diego State on their home court by a final of 3-1.

The Spartans' weekend sweep marks the eighth time MSU has started a season off with three straight wins, under the tenure of head coach Cathy George now in her 12th season at MSU.

Now 3-0 on the season, the Spartans were led by Holly Toliver and Chloe Reinig, who both took All-Tournament Team Honors. Toliver, a junior, played in all 10 sets for the Spartans over the weekend, where she finished with a double-double against Marist, recording 11 kills and 10 digs.

Reinig, in her final season being a Spartan, also posted double-digit kills in two of MSU's three games. The senior only played the first set against Marist, but still recorded three kills and three service aces.

The team worked well off their pre-season Big Ten ranking, where they were ranked at No. 7 in the conference. The team also received some votes in the AVCA pre-season national polls.

Next up, the Spartans will head home for the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational Sept. 3 and 4. There, they will play host to Morgan State University, Central Michigan University, and No. 10 University of Florida.

Fans will have the opportunity to get their first glimpse of this team come this weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 3, they are scheduled to face Morgan State at 12 p.m. and Central Michigan at 6:30 p.m. at Jenison Field House.

The Spartans will wrap up their home invitation on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m. against Florida. The game will be the marquee matchup for the team as Florida boasts a top-10 national ranking heading into the matchup.

The next time the Spartans will be back home in East Lansing will be from Sept. 16 to 17 in the Spartan Classic, as they wrap up their non-conference schedule. Big Ten conference play will begin Sept. 23 as the team will host the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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