Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Volleyball To Hold Green And White Scrimmage On Saturday
8/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 17, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Season Ticket Information
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The Michigan State volleyball team will hold its annual Green and White scrimmage at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 at Jenison Field House. The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, will showcase MSU's eight returning letterwinners and introduce Spartan fans to eight newcomers. Players will compete in full uniform, concessions will be available, and the entire MSU volleyball staff will be on hand. A special autograph session will take place at the conclusion of the match.
After nearly two weeks of preseason practice, second-year head coach Cathy George is very pleased with the progress her team has made and looks forward to the opportunity to compete in a match-like atmosphere.
"We always look forward to the Green and White scrimmage. It is a great opportunity for our team to focus and prepare for our first tournament," George said. "Our team approaches this match exactly like a regular-season contest. We are able to set our warmup routine and give our newcomers an opportunity to play in front of a crowd. Our event management staff and support staff also have a chance to make sure everything runs smoothly throughout the match."
Michigan State opens the 2006 season against IPFW on Aug. 25, when it competes at the Ball State Nike/Active Ankle Weekend, Aug. 25-26, in Muncie Ind. The Spartans open their home season at the Spartan Invitational, Sept. 1-2, at Jenison Field House.
NOTE: Season tickets are still available for Spartan volleyball. Please visit www.msuspartans.com or call the MSU athletic ticket office at (527) 355-1610.
Green and White Match Notes
• Michigan State returns eight letterwinners and welcomes eight newcomers to the court in 2006. Former Okemos High School standout Allison Ianni joins the Green and White at the setter position for her senior year after competing for three seasons at the University of the Pacific.
• Head coach Cathy George enters her second season at the helm of the Spartan program. George led MSU to a 5-0 start a year ago, the best start by a first-year head coach since the 1974 Spartans began the year 7-0 under the direction of first-year head coach Annelies Knoppers.
• Junior outside hitter Katie Johnson returns for the Spartans in 2006 and will serve as team co-captain alongside senior Nicole Colaluca. Johnson posted a team-best 4.95 kills per game, including 4.31 kills per game in Big Ten play in 2005. She also posted nine of MSU's top 10 kill totals for a single match, and tallied 15 matches with at least 20 kills.
• Libero Nicole Colaluca posted 628 kills and 5.41 digs per game in 2005, both single-season Spartan records. She also set a single-match record for five game matches with 45 digs against Sacramento State. The mark also ranked as the highest total among Big Ten competitors last year.
