Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Volleyball Selected For Ninth Straight NCAA Tournament
12/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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Dec. 1, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State volleyball team will be making its ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the team learned tonight. The Spartans will face Colonial Athletic Association champion George Mason (22-7) in the opening round Saturday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. in South Bend, Ind. Big East Conference regular season and tournament champion Notre Dame is the host of the four-team sub-regional, and will face College of Charleston in the other first-round matchup Friday at 6 p.m. The winners of the two first-round matches will meet on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 4 p.m.
"I'm excited about the draw and about our opportunities," said MSU head coach Chuck Erbe. "I think we got an excellent draw. It's definitely better than last year. I think this year is very favorable."
Michigan State finished the regular season with a 19-11 overall record, and an 11-9 mark in the Big Ten, which placed the Spartans fifth in the league. Michigan State owns wins against four teams ranked currently in the AVCA Top 25, including victories against current No. 16 Penn State, No. 20 Ohio State, No. 22 Kansas State and No. 23 South Carolina.
This will be the first ever meeting between George Mason and Michigan State. The Patriots are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and are riding a seven-match winning streak. George Mason is led by two-time CAA Player of the Year Aline Pereira and CAA Setter of the Year Jesica Umansky.
"I don't know anything about the other teams," added Erbe. "I know George Mason's coach but I haven't seen them play in three or four years."
"It's nice to get this part over with and to be able to say we're in," said junior Nikki Colson. "We're just like everybody else now, we're all 0-0. It's nice that its not too far away."
Notre Dame is the NCAA Tournament's 16th seed overall and owns a 23-7 (11-2 Big East) record. The Fighting Irish won the Big East's regular season and tournament championships. MSU leads the all-time series against the Irish 6-3, including a four-game victory in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament. College of Charleston finished with a 29-5 record and claimed the Southern Conference Tournament championship by defeating Georgia Southern in the title game.
NCAA Notes:
? Michigan State is making its ninth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament - all under head coach Chuck Erbe.
? The Spartans own an all-time record of 9-8 in the NCAA Tournament.
? MSU's all-time record in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is 4-3 (two first-round byes).
? In last season's NCAA Tournament, MSU defeated then-No. 25 Notre Dame, 3-1, in the opening round in Madison, Wis., before falling to host Wisconsin, 3-0, in the second round.
