MONTGOMERY—For the third consecutive weekend the Alabama State University volleyball team will play in a tournament.  On Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7-8 ASU will play in the Bama Bash hosted by the University of Alabama.
 
Teams participating in the Bash will be the host Crimson Tide who enters the tournament with a 6-1 record.  Austin Peay State University is 2-8 and Lamar University is 6-4.  The Lady Hornets opening round game will be against East Tennessee State University which sports a 7-2 record coming into the event and ASU stands 0-7, still looking for their first win.
 
Just like last weekend when ASU participated in the Cougar Challenge at Washington State, the Lady Hornets will again take a step up in competition which should make the Lady Hornets better in the long run.
 
“It is a very strategic move to play in these tournaments and to build their character,” Head Coach Penny Lucas-White said.  “Last year you knew us by our tenacious play.  It did not matter how small we were in numbers we were not going to ever lay down.  You were going to have to beat us.  Now we are great in number as well as in size, but we lack experience.  So we are laying a foundation right now that is going to epitomize who Alabama State is going to be in the future.”
 
“This is what we are talking to them about so they understand in every great building that has ever been built it wasn't built over night so what we are doing is laying brick by brick and we don't ever want to tear down one brick because we didn't get it.  We want to lay it right so we are laying it down very carefully and that is my goal with this youthful group is they understand in building this empire we must build it very strategically and carefully.”
 
Another aspect of playing in these tournaments is the fact the team is getting the opportunity to play a lot of matches in a short amount of time and for a young team, they are gaining a lot of experience.
 
“I think the more we play the better we are going to get,” Lucas-White said.  “I think it is important that I keep their focus on the preseason and that it is what it is and that is a prerequisite before you compete in your real season which is the conference.  Our goal is to win our conference and as long as we can keep our focus up there and learn from every experience that we encounter during preseason then we can grow.”
 
“I think they are doing a very good job in not allowing the losses to get them down, but to look at it as an opportunity to learn and get better.  I have seen great progress in practices and with this young bunch it is about repetition and it is just a matter of time before it all makes sense, because it doesn't always make sense to them.”
 
“They are eager to learn and they are asking tons of questions and that lets me know they are still open to learning and that's important.”
 
ASU will open the tournament against East Tennessee State at 9 a.m. Friday, and will also play Lamar at 4:30 p.m.  On Saturday, ASU will face Alabama at 11:30 a.m. and will end their play against Austin Peay State at 4:30 p.m.