With a slight challenging pre-conference tournament schedule this may have been a contributor to the Alabama State's volleyball team's 1-6 season start-and it may not become much easier for the Lady Hornets.  This weekend ASU will host the ISTAP Collegiate Cup Invitational in Lockhart gym where they will face off against Troy, Savannah State and Chicago State.  The first match is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. with SSU and Chicago State.
 
With only one opponent entering this weekend boasting a winning percentage of at least .500, the Lady Hornets will have a challenge ahead of them with both Savannah State (0-8) and Chicago State (0-6) which are both looking for their first win of the season.  Troy (3-4) hosted its own tournament last weekend and walked away with a 1-2 record.
 
"Although Troy lost a big gun from last season they still have a lot of returnees that are going to be on the court," said head coach Penny Lucas White.  "They look relatively the same in experience on the court with a few new faces, but as usual that is one of our in-state rivals."
 
"We've played Savannah State every year that I have been here.  With them being under a new coach, new tutelage I expect to see some changes.  I am not sure where some of those changes will come from, but I do expect to see probably a different look for them."
 
"Chicago State also has a new coach and I know him (Coach Brand Reeves), very well.  He's already changed the face of that program.  They are pretty heavy with international athletes, so I am sure that will be quite a different look.  I have played them in the past however this will be the first match between us since I have been at Alabama State.  I am really excited to play all three of these teams, but I will say that Chicago State is seasoned with international players with experience, but yet trying to play in America is a transition."
 
Despite the tough conference road ahead, ASU has reason to believe that this weekend will be a successful one.  The Lady Hornets, who came into the season with inexperience at some key positions, are learning how to play with one another and are beginning to show signs of what they are capable of.  That was evident last weekend.
 
"I am so excited to get this weekend started," said Lucas White.  "We played in a high volume tournament in Arizona so I can't wait for the growth to be displayed.  This week in practice I was actually able to witness everything that they learned from the previous weeks tournaments.  To watch them make dramatic changes in their performance this week.  So I am really excited about seeing them grow as a team and jellying together."
 
Several players have elevated their play of late, including freshman Bayle Bennett who was selected as SWAC Newcomer of the week for her performance during the Arizona Wildcat Invitational.  Briana Dorsey and Jamie Coleman have also played a part.
 
Outside hitter Bennett is third on the team with kills (33).  She led the team in kills, tallying 19 while adding 17 digs during the tournament. Her best game came against SMU, where she put down 10 kills, adding four digs and three block assists in the loss. For her efforts, she was named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team.
 
Coleman was recently named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week after posting 27 digs during three matches at the University of Arizona Wildcat Classic.  She dug a team high of 12 balls against SMU.  Coleman has pushed pass former teammate Brooke Beasley (589) with a career high of 597 digs where she currently stands at the fifth spot as a career top player in her three-plus seasons at ASU.
 
Middle blocker Dorsey leads the team in kills with 47 and stands tall in the middle with 20 blocks thus far this season.  Outside hitters Ni'yesha Brown, Krysta Medearis and Brittany Brown are also playing well entering this weekend's tournament. 
 
N. Brown is second on the team with 44 kills, while Medearis a Tennessee native is third with 37 kills and is second on the team with 15 blocks (4 solo and 11 assisted).  B. Brown has 33 kills, four service aces and nine assisted blocks.
 
State will need strong performances across the board this weekend, beginning on Friday night at 6 p.m. when the Lady Hornets take on Troy in their first match of the tournament.  The team will then face Savannah State at 10 a.m. on Saturday before wrapping up the tournament Saturday evening against Chicago State at 2:30 p.m.
 
Live stats will be available for all matches http://www.sidearmstats.com/alasu/wvball/.
 
All the latest information about Alabama State Athletics can be found on bamastatesports.com or Twitter (twitter.com/asubuzz) and Facebook (facebook.com/asubuzz). 
 
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