MONTGOMERY—Alabama State University is ready to open the 2012 volleyball season as they will host the ISTAP Collegiate Cup beginning tomorrow (Friday) and running through Saturday.
 
Teams participating in the Cup along with ASU are Jacksonville State, South Dakota, Southeastern Louisiana, Stetson and Tennessee State.  Each team will play two games per day with Stetson and Jacksonville State opening play with a 9 a.m. match Friday morning.
 
The Lady Hornets will play at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day.  Friday they will face Southeastern Louisiana in their first match and Tennessee State to end play on Friday.
 
Saturday's action will again begin at 9 a.m. between South Dakota and Jacksonville State.  ASU will face Stetson in their early game and will end the Cup against Jacksonville State Saturday evening.
 
After three weeks of practice, the Lady Hornets are ready and excited to get the season started.
 
“We are all very excited and I think the girls have responded extremely well to preseason and we are just ready to play,” head coach Penny Lucas-White said.  “I don't think there is anything else we can work on.  We don't know what we need to work on now until we are tested.”
 
This year's team is made up of 12 newcomers and only three returning players off last season's team that finished third in the SWAC's Eastern Division, and with such a young team there will be a lot of ups and downs.  The coaching staff does have in mind what they are looking for from this team in these early season tests.
 
“I told my team the only two things I want us to work on is one, that we have a positive attitude about everything that we do, the controllables, and two, to give 100 percent effort 100 percent of the time,” Lucas White said.  “I think with those two elements being implemented on a daily basis, I think we will be pleased with the way they perform.”
 
Lucas-White thinks the teams that are coming into the ISTAP Collegiate Cup will not only bring some exciting play into the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, but will be a good test for her young team.
 
“I think this will be a great test for my team,” Lucas-White said.  “Although they are from all over different regions of the country I think we will have some parity in the caliber of play, but at the same time, I know a couple of the teams were successful last year and again, it is going to be a great test for us.”