The Michigan State volleyball team will have four of its matches televised this season as part of the Big Ten Conference television package. Two of the Spartans' matches will be carried by SportsChannel/Fox, while the other two will be televised on ESPN2.

MSU's home match with Illinois and its road match against Wisconsin are a part of the eight-match package between the Big Ten and SportsChannel/Fox. Both matches will be moved from Saturdays to Sundays with the start times still to be determined. All eight conference matches will be televised live using the traditional, volleyball format.

The match with the Illini has been moved to Sunday, Sept. 28, while the contest against the Badgers is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 16.

The Spartans' road match against Illinois on Friday, Nov. 14, will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 8 p.m., CST. MSU's Nov. 28 contest against Penn State at Jenison Field House will be taped and shown on a date and time still to be determined. That match is still scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Green & White Match To Provide Sneak Prview Of Spartan Squad

Spartan fans can get a sneak preview of the 1997 MSU volleyball squad at the annual Green & White match on Saturday, Aug. 23. The match begins at 7 p.m., at Jenison Field House. There is no admission charge for the contest.

Spartans Ranked 6th In Preseason Coaches Poll

The Michigan State volleyball team is ranked No. 6 in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll. The Spartans, who were 26-7 last season and captured their second-straight Big Ten title, finished the 1996 campaign ranked No. 6.

Stanford, the defending national champion, is the top ranked team following by 1996 Big Ten co-champion Penn State, Nebraska, Florida and Long Beach State. In addition to Penn State and MSU, the Big Ten is represented by Ohio State (No. 14) and Wisconsin (No. 18).

Four of MSU's non-conference opponents are also ranked among the top 25. Goff/MSU Volleyball Classic (Aug. 29-30) participant, Southern California, is ranked 15th. The Spartans will face the Trojans on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 8 p.m. UC-Santa Barbara (No. 12), Loyola Marymount (No. 16) and South Florida (No. 22) are the other three foes to appear in the national ranking. MSU will face all three squads in the UC Santa Barbara/Judy Bellomo Classic, Sept. 12-13.

USA Today/AVCA Coaches Preseason Top 25 Poll
                             Total
    School(1st Place Votes) Points
 1. Stanford (58)            1,498
 2. Penn State (2)           1,369
 3. Nebraska                 1,354
 4. Florida                  1,289
 5. Long Beach State         1,220
 6. Michigan State           1,074
 7. Washington State         1,039
 8. Brigham Young            1,000
 9. Texas                      933
10. Pacific                    897
11. Hawaii                     802
12. UC Santa Barbara           707
13. Texas A&M                  663
14. Ohio State                 649
15. Southern California        617
16. Loyola Marymount           613
17. Notre Dame                 567
18. Wisconsin                  555
19. Washington                 485
20. Arizona                    402
21. UCLA                       254
22. South Florida              195
23. Colorado                   166
24. Colorado State             162
25. Arkansas                   157














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