Spartans to Play Western Michigan Broncos in CCLA Semifinals April 29

Michigan State has earned the #1 seed for the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (CCLA) Division 1 tournament April 29-30 at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh. They will face the #4 seed, Western Michigan, in the first D1 semifinal game on Friday, April 29 at 5:00 pm EDT.

The University of Pittsburgh (#2 seed) and Davenport University (#3 seed) will square off later on Friday night and the winners of both games will meet for the CCLA Championship Saturday, April 30 at 4:00 pm.

Michigan State closed their regular season CCLA schedule at home on April 13 with a 19-7 victory over Western Michigan. The Spartans have been using the two weeks off before the CCLA tournament to rehab players with minor injuries and continue their normal practice schedule.

MSU will travel to Pittsburgh on Thursday, April 28 to be ready for the back-to-back game schedule of the conference tournament and avoid any potential delays due to transportation. Last year the Spartan's semifinal opponent, Central Michigan University, was forced to forfeit their game with MSU due to their motor coach breaking down multiple times on the trip from Mount Pleasant to Pittsburgh. 

Spartan head Coach Cam Holding reflected on the back-to-back conference tournament format: "Two collegiate games within 24 hours is a lot of lacrosse to play for sure. We hope to come out on top Friday night and then rest & stay hydrated for the game Saturday afternoon. There's a lot on the line with a trip to the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) national championship for the conference tournament winner and I think our team is as well positioned as anyone to win the CCLA Tournament."

Michigan State has won the CCLA Division 1 conference tournament seven years in a row and is currently ranked #18 in Laxpower.com and #32 in the MCLA coaches poll.