MONTGOMERY, ALA. | The two-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champion Alabama State University volleyball team opens the 2018 season Friday, August 24 in Cartersville, Ga. The Lady Hornets will compete in the SWAC/MEAC Challenge with a doubleheader on Friday and Saturday.
Alabama State begins the year with a match against North Carolina Central (11 am EST) at the Lakepoint Champions Center. The Lady Hornets are 2-0 in their two previous contests with the Eagles, winning in 2013 (3-0) and 2015 (3-1).
A 4 pm showdown with North Carolina A&T will conclude the opening-day doubleheader. The Lady Hornets have won three consecutive matches over their MEAC counterparts, last dropping a match to the Aggies in 2013.
An unfamiliar foe, Gardner-Webb, will stand across the net at 1 pm on Saturday. The Big South opponent last faced Alabama State in 2003 and holds a slight 2-0 series edge. The final match of the weekend pits Coach
Penny Lucas-White's club against South Carolina State at 6 pm. The previous match between the two (October 20, 2015) was highlighted by freshman
Kori Kutsch's 16 assists which helped catapult the Lady Hornets to a 3-0 victory.
Alabama State was picked to win the conference for the third season in a row and led the way with five players named as All-SWAC members.
Bayle' Bennett (outside hitter) and
Payten Clark (middle blocker) grabbed first team honors, while
Krysta Medearis (outside hitter) and
Candace Martin (middle blocker) represented the Lady Hornets on the second team.
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