Lansing Sun

Michigan State Athletics has a busy week ahead, with several teams competing in various sports from November 13 to 19.

The women's soccer team is set to participate in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. They have secured the No. 5 seed and will host Western Michigan at DeMartin Stadium on Saturday at noon. "This is the first time in program history the Spartans have appeared in three straight tournaments," a statement noted. The winner of this match will face either Texas or Boston University next weekend.

In volleyball, Michigan State will play against Michigan on Friday night in what is being called the Battle at Breslin. Fans are encouraged to wear white for this rivalry game. Following that, they will travel to Iowa for another match on Sunday.

The ice hockey team, ranked No. T-3/4, continues its Big Ten series by hosting Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday nights. Last weekend, they achieved a sweep over Ohio State, thanks partly to sophomore goaltender Trey Augustine's performance, which earned him Big Ten Second Star of the Week honors.

After a break last weekend, Michigan State football will visit Illinois for their final road game of the season on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. This matchup marks their 49th meeting with Illinois; Michigan State leads the series with a record of 27-19-2.

Women's basketball returns with two games this week: hosting Eastern Kentucky on Thursday and traveling to Kalamazoo to face Western Michigan on Sunday. The team boasts a scoring margin of +55.7 through their first three games.

Both men's and women's cross country teams aim to qualify for the NCAA Championships as they compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Norton, Ohio this Friday. Freshman Rachel Forsyth was recently named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Men's basketball has two home games before heading to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational next week. They will play Bowling Green on Saturday and Samford on Tuesday. Junior Jaxon Kohler has been averaging a double-double early this season.

In men's tennis, junior Ozan Baris and redshirt junior Aristotelis Thanos are set to compete at the NCAA Individual Championships from November 19-24 at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.

Finally, wrestling resumes dual action as they travel to Ohio University on Sunday after hosting last weekend's Michigan State Open where redshirt freshman Caleb Weiand won his bracket.