Lady Hornets unveil 2016 Volleyball schedule
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (bamastatesports.com) – The 2016 season schedule has been released for the Alabama State volleyball team as the Lady Hornets embark on a schedule that involves a heavier home slate, a return to being hosts of two big tournaments and a long trip out west to the University of Arizona.
The schedule shapes up to be in direct contrast of last season’s in terms of home and away matches.
Of the 30 scheduled matches, 18 will be held in Montgomery whereas only four home matches were played on the campus of ASU in 2015.
The season marks the return of hosted tournaments as well as Alabama State hosting an eight-team ISTAP Collegiate Cup I from Friday, Aug. 26-Saturday, Aug. 27.
The tournament will feature 16 matches split up between two venues at Lockhart Gymnasium and the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Teams planning to compete will be Tennessee State of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), and North Carolina A&T and Maryland Eastern Shore of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Towson of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and SWAC schools Texas Southern, Jackson State and Alabama A&M.
Maryland Eastern Shore and Towson are both coming off 20-win seasons.
Tennessee State (16-14 in 2015) had a winning record and Jackson State is the defending SWAC champions.
The second hosted tournament at ASU will be the ISTAP Collegiate Cup Invitational, which will be held from Friday, Sept. 9 to Saturday, Sept. 10 and will feature Troy of the Sun Belt Conference, Savannah State of the MEAC, and Chicago State of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
In between the hosted tournaments, Alabama State will take a trip to the University of Arizona in Tucson to take part in the Wildcat Classic and face Arizona of the PAC-12, Pepperdine of the West Coast Conference (WCC) and Southern Methodist of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) from Sept. 2-3.
Arizona and SMU each qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
“I think with us being young, it’s about preparing the team regardless of the outcome. In order to be the best, you’ve got to play the best,” said ASU head volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White.
“I think it’s important to compete at a high level. The only way my kids are going to understand that is if they see that across the net. In order to be it, they’ve got to see it. We’re jumping in with all hands on deck. When our past teams were exposed to bigger and stronger programs, they were able to see what that looks like and it made them that much better in the long run.”
After only playing eight conference matches last season, the SWAC will add a beefier conference schedule with 18 matches slated for 2016.
Conference play opens on the road at Alcorn State on Sept. 16 and continues with a trip to Southern on Sept. 17.
The Lady Hornets will take only two short breaks from SWAC play once it has started; to host Alabama on Sept. 20 and to host against UAB on Oct. 19 in rematches from last season’s tilts.
Home SWAC matches include visits from Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 30), a SWAC championship rematch against Jackson State (Oct. 1), Alabama A&M (Oct. 15), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Oct. 21), Grambling State (Oct. 22), Prairie View A&M (Nov. 4), Texas Southern (Nov. 5), Southern (Nov. 14), and Alcorn State (Nov. 15).
The SWAC Tournament will begin on Nov. 18 and will once again be hosted by Jackson State in Jackson, Miss.
