BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Alabama State University women's volleyball team, a semifinalist in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Volleyball Tournament a season ago, has been projected to finish fifth in the conference, matching its spot from the preseason rankings from a season ago, according to the Predicted Order of Finish that was voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors released on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Five programs, including Alabama State, came away with at least one first-place vote, led by Florida A&M, the top projected finisher, with six total first-place votes. Following the Rattlers is Prairie View A&M (No. 2) with five, Alabama A&M (No. 4) with four, and the Hornets (No. 5) and Southern (No. 7) each collecting a single vote.
 
This will be a unique season for the Lady Hornets women's volleyball team, as the team will not only play a majority of its 2026 regular-season home games in the 7,400-seat Joe L. Reed Dunn-Oliver Acadome, but it welcomes in an NCAA-high 15 newcomers and 10 transfer student-athletes to the program.
 
Head Women's Volleyball Coach Penny Lucas-White, now entering her 16th season at the helm of the program, is no stranger to these changes, as she has been able to find success using an array of different teams to amass over 450 career victories, with 261 of those coming at Alabama State.
 
Lucas-White returns three student-athletes from the 14-win 2025 campaign, two of whom – Setter of the Year/All-SWAC First Team Setter Kamrynn Clay and All-SWAC First Team Middle Hitter Kaylen Hines – return to the squad after being recognized with honors a season ago.
 
The Preseason Order of Finish has reigning SWAC Volleyball Tournament Champion Florida A&M on top, with regular season champion Prairie View A&M close behind. The top five are rounded out by regular season runner-up Jackson State, Alabama A&M, and Alabama State, with Bethune-Cookman and SWAC Tournament runner-up Southern finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Texas Southern, Grambling State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State round out the 12-team poll.
 
The 2026 edition of the Lady Hornets women's volleyball team will take the court on Saturday, August 22, in an exhibition game against UAB inside Lockhart Gymnasium at 3:30 p.m. It travels to a pair of tournaments in Troy, Ala., and Spartanburg, S.C., and a solo non-conference match before coming home to make its debut in the Acadome at the ISTAP Collegiate Cup on Friday, September 11, with the opener against South Carolina State taking place at 10 a.m.