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Volleyball's Reinig living up to high expectations

October 7, 2013
	<p>Freshman Chloe Reinig gets congratulated on a play, Sept. 21, 2013, at Jenison Field House. <span class="caps">MSU</span> beat Cincinnati, 3-0. Margaux Forster/The State News</p>

Freshman Chloe Reinig gets congratulated on a play, Sept. 21, 2013, at Jenison Field House. MSU beat Cincinnati, 3-0. Margaux Forster/The State News

Though she was listed as a starter early in the season, a bout with mononucleosis delayed freshman Chloe Reinig’s season debut.

But judging by her performance since returning to the lineup three weeks ago, it’s easy to see why PrepVolleyball.com rated her the No. 4 recruit of the 2013 class.

Since making her debut a few weeks ago, Reinig has emerged as one of MSU’s top weapons on offense.

Though the illness sapped Reinig of some of her strength, she said her recovery has gone well, and she feels stronger than she did pre-mono.

“It really is a blessing to be able to be out there and be as strong as I can,” Reinig said. “I worked really hard to be stronger than I was even before being sick. It’s amazing to be out there.”

The freshman out of South Lyon, Mich., totaled 12 kills on .579 hitting in last Friday’s win over Illinois, and followed with 11 kills on .562 hitting against Northwestern Saturday.

Reinig has now totaled double-digit kills in all four Big Ten games and has formed a potent 1-2 punch on offense with senior outside hitter Lauren Wicinski.

“Both of them are stellar outside hitters and (are) able to really put the ball down,” George said. “With Chloe, she’s just getting stronger and stronger. She missed a lot of the season early on, and it’s great to see her kinda picking up different concepts every day and getting better in every area of the game.”

Reinig also has showcased her ability as a blocker, totaling four in the victory over Northwestern.

“She took that other hitting spot that needed to be filled and she’s a big presence,” Wicinski said after the Northwestern victory. “She’s a tall girl, she blocks well and hits well. It’s just easy to work with her. She keeps her emotions in check, and she did a really good job.”

Reinig has been a major in MSU’s perfect start to Big Ten season. For MSU to continue winning, they will rely on Reinig to continue her solid play.

“It’s a long road, and we have lots of great teams that we have to play yet,” George said. “It’s just such a difficult conference from time to time. So we just stay right there and not even worried about end of the season goals. We’re keeping our minds right in front of us.”

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