Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Home Tournament Highlights 2017 Bobcat Volleyball Schedule
5/10/2017 11:49:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
“The big news is that we are hosting our own tournament where we will do battle against Big Ten powerhouse Illinois, Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference, and Air Force from the Mountain West Conference,” Riley said. “Not only are we excited that we get the chance to play in front of our amazing fans early in the season, but we have three teams coming in from great conferences. It is definitely a tough tournament but we expect great volleyball to be played and it will make us better.”
Its first home tournament since 2008 highlights the 2017 Montana State volleyball schedule, announced Bobcat head coach JJ Riley Wednesday afternoon. MSU opens its season Aug. 25-26 when its hosts Illinois, Gonzaga and Air Force in Shroyer Gym.
"The big news is that we are hosting our own tournament where we will do battle against Big Ten powerhouse Illinois, Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference, and Air Force from the Mountain West Conference," Riley said. "Not only are we excited that we get the chance to play in front of our amazing fans early in the season, but we have three teams coming in from great conferences. It is definitely a tough tournament but we expect great volleyball to be played and it will make us better."
Illinois went 17-14 overall last fall and was 10-10 in Big Ten play, which included a pair of top 25 victories over Purdue and Michigan State. Gonzaga posted a 17-11 overall slate and 10-8 ledger in WCC action, while Air Force knocked off the Bobcats 3-2 in Colorado Springs last August.
Following its opening weekend, MSU will travel to Logan, Utah, Sept. 1-2 for the Utah State Tournament. Participating along with MSU and USU are UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. "Utah State, Pacific and UCSB are all great teams who have a history of success and play in great conferences where they have to battle every night," Riley said.
The Bobcats will take the following weekend off when it hosts the annual alumni match on Sept. 9.
Montana State returns to action Sept. 15-16 in its final non-conference tournament as it travels to southern California. The Bobcats will play in the UC Irvine/Long Beach State Classic. Aside from matches with the Anteaters and 49ers, MSU will face Cal State Bakersfield.
"When we look at scheduling our preseason matches, we as a staff agreed that we want to push our team by playing against tough competition," Riley said. "We feel that this is the best way for us to improve in the long run and to establish what we are looking for in our program. This preseason we have put together a schedule that we feel will stretch us and force us to play high level volleyball. We are very excited about the competition and we know our team and program will grow from it."
MSU will open its Big Sky Conference season at Idaho on Sept. 21. The Bobcats will host Portland State in its league home-opener Sept. 28.
The annual Brawl of the Wild matches will be held Sept. 30 in Bozeman and Nov. 4 in Missoula.
Bobcat volleyball ticket information and promotional schedule will be released at a later date.
#GoCatsGo
"The big news is that we are hosting our own tournament where we will do battle against Big Ten powerhouse Illinois, Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference, and Air Force from the Mountain West Conference," Riley said. "Not only are we excited that we get the chance to play in front of our amazing fans early in the season, but we have three teams coming in from great conferences. It is definitely a tough tournament but we expect great volleyball to be played and it will make us better."
Illinois went 17-14 overall last fall and was 10-10 in Big Ten play, which included a pair of top 25 victories over Purdue and Michigan State. Gonzaga posted a 17-11 overall slate and 10-8 ledger in WCC action, while Air Force knocked off the Bobcats 3-2 in Colorado Springs last August.
Following its opening weekend, MSU will travel to Logan, Utah, Sept. 1-2 for the Utah State Tournament. Participating along with MSU and USU are UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. "Utah State, Pacific and UCSB are all great teams who have a history of success and play in great conferences where they have to battle every night," Riley said.
The Bobcats will take the following weekend off when it hosts the annual alumni match on Sept. 9.
Montana State returns to action Sept. 15-16 in its final non-conference tournament as it travels to southern California. The Bobcats will play in the UC Irvine/Long Beach State Classic. Aside from matches with the Anteaters and 49ers, MSU will face Cal State Bakersfield.
"When we look at scheduling our preseason matches, we as a staff agreed that we want to push our team by playing against tough competition," Riley said. "We feel that this is the best way for us to improve in the long run and to establish what we are looking for in our program. This preseason we have put together a schedule that we feel will stretch us and force us to play high level volleyball. We are very excited about the competition and we know our team and program will grow from it."
MSU will open its Big Sky Conference season at Idaho on Sept. 21. The Bobcats will host Portland State in its league home-opener Sept. 28.
The annual Brawl of the Wild matches will be held Sept. 30 in Bozeman and Nov. 4 in Missoula.
Bobcat volleyball ticket information and promotional schedule will be released at a later date.
#GoCatsGo
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