KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Fresh off a Mid-American Conference West Division Championship this spring, Western Michigan volleyball returns to action for the 2021 campaign on Friday, August 27, at the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational, hosted by Michigan State. The Broncos face the host Spartans on Friday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. ET. The tournament continues Saturday, Aug. 28, when Western faces Wright State (10 a.m. ET) and Canisius (5 p.m. ET).
Colleen Munson opens her 17th season at the helm of the Western Michigan program this fall. The Broncos need to replace one of the best players in program history in
Rachel Bontrager, who capped her career this spring as the program's all-time leader in kills per set. As the Broncos look to defend their division title, they will lean on
Maggie King and
Logan Case, a pair of preseason All-MAC West selections, to do so.
Case was the MAC Freshman of the Year and Co-Setter of the Year this spring. She led the nation with 12.27 assists per set in the 2020-21 year. King was a first team All-MAC pick after ranking eighth in the league with 3.59 kills per set. She enters the fall having reached double-digit kills in 13 straight matches.
Munson will see a familiar face this weekend, as the Spartans are led by former WMU head coach Cathy George. Munson was an assistant for George at Western before being named the head coach when George departed for Michigan State.Â
All the matches at the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational are open to the public, although masks are required at all times in Jenison Field House. In addition, all matches of the tournament are available to watch on BTN+ (subscription required). Visit MSU's
Tournament Central for more information.
After opening the season with three matches in East Lansing, the Broncos will open the home portion of their regular season schedule with the Discover Kalamazoo Classic. Indiana, Purdue Fort Wayne and Southeast Missouri State will join Western for matches Friday-Saturday, Sept. 3-4.
