The MSU field hockey team looks to improve on their 1-1 record with a trip out West this weekend where they will face California, Pacific and Stanford in four days. After earning a win to start the season, the Spartans were shutout by Duke in their second game.
Starting Sunday, the MSU men's soccer team will open its regular season play by hosting the MSU/Radisson Soccer Classic. MSU, Michigan, UMass, and Denver will be the four teams competing during the weekend. The Spartans will open at 11 a.m.
After winning its season opener against Kent State, the MSU volleyball team is preparing to host the 10th annual Spartan Invitational, where Wichita State (2-1) will be its first opponent.
Preseason Mid-American Conference favorite Bowling Green will get a chance to put its skills to the test when it heads into a renovated Camp Randall Stadium to meet a Barry Alvarez-led Wisconsin Badgers team this Saturday. Although Alvarez already announced that this will be his last year as head coach, he knows this season's opener could present more of a challenge than past ones, as he plans to take on a qualified Falcons team. "We'll certainly have our hands full this weekend," Alvarez said.
It has always been a tradition here at The State News to have our two football reporters give predictions for several college football games each week, including the MSU game.
Entering her 13th season as the MSU field hockey head coach, Michele Madison is looking to improve on last year and win the national championship, something that has never been done in field hockey for the Spartans. "She likes seeing us win," senior midfielder Jessica Miller said.
The swagger is finally back for Ashton Watson. After a trying first three years, the senior cornerback has finally regained his confidence and the results have shown on the field. He is expected to be starting at left cornerback when MSU opens its season Saturday against Kent State. "I'm stronger mentally," Watson said.
It didn't take long for volleyball head coach Cathy George to get her first win at home - it came Saturday in a sweep against Kent State. But after this weekend, it'll be awhile before the Spartans come back to Jenison Field House.
Izzoned out? Now there's a place for you. A section of upper bowl seats will be set aside this year for students who want season tickets for men's basketball but aren't interested in the Izzone student section. "It will be a reserved section - reserved in more ways than one, I guess," senior associate athletics director Mark Hollis said. The new section will give students another seating option but won't change the way the Izzone is run, Hollis said. "The Izzone is our student section and that's something we want to support for the long term," Hollis said.
As the new school year begins at MSU, so does a new year of Spartans athletics. And with that comes high expectations, especially after the success that last year brought. Unfortunately, the Spartans were unable to capture any national championships, but they found quite a few teams in contention to capture one of those elusive titles. Both the men's and women's basketball teams found their way to the Final Four.
Football season tickets have sold out, but not all students are sold on the new policy for redeeming them. The MSU Athletics Department announced Saturday that sales of both public and student season ticket packages have been suspended after exceeding 60,000 for just the fourth time in school history. More than 12,000 student packages have been sold, up almost 1,500 from last season. But many students are still looking for answers to the new ticket policy that was announced late last month. Under the new system, tickets will be attached to student IDs, replacing printed vouchers.
MSU head coach John L. Smith has experienced his most turbulent off-season going into his third year on the Spartan sidelines.
The MSU field hockey team was unable to defend its title at the Champions Invitational after dropping the championship game Sunday to Duke 3-0 and are now 1-1.
In practice, which the MSU volleyball team has been doing twice a day for almost three weeks, new MSU head coach Cathy George is showing sophomore outside hitter Katie Johnson that she needs to keep her hands up and be ready to attack.
The auditorium in Wilson Hall was packed with incoming freshman. Classes weren't starting for almost three months, and we had all spent the entire day in that very room listening to whatever it was they told us at orientation, which I can honestly say I don't remember.
• In Cathy George's head coaching debut, the Spartans swept Kent State. Maybe John L. Smith should ask George about her game plan, since the football team opens against Kent State.
More than 1,120 screaming fans Saturday night filled Jenison Field House to watch the MSU women's volleyball team earn their 10th consecutive season-opening victory, sweeping Kent State 3-0 (30-25, 30-19, 30-27). Cathy George received her first victory as MSU head coach and was thrilled to be greeted by a cheering crowd.
Head coach: John L. Smith 1. Wide receiver No. 6 Matt Trannon 6-6 227 Sr. 2.
For many students on campus, sports is life - whether they choose to watch or play - and MSU offers several intramural and club activities to keep sports fans interested. Although only a select few are able to participate in varsity sports, several options are available to everyone else.
With senior Eric Smith moved back to safety after a brief stint at bandit, the linebackers have now become the youngest group on the team. The starting group consists of junior linebacker David Herron Jr., sophomore linebacker Kaleb Thornhill and sophomore bandit Sir Darean Adams.