RUSTON, La. – The No. 17 Louisiana Tech bowling team will put months of practice and preparation to the test this weekend, competing against 13 other programs (including eight other teams ranked or receiving votes in the NTCA Preseason Poll) in the sixth annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Bowling Invitational, hosted by Tulane in Harahan, Louisiana.
 
"We've set some goals as a team and this will be a good test for us to see where we're at early on," head coach Matt Nantais remarked. "I think we're going to surprise a lot of people this season. There are a lot of good teams at this tournament this weekend. I think we're excited to get on the lanes and show people what we can do. Having four freshmen will be a challenge, keeping everyone in the moment, but we're up for it."
 
The Lady Techsters, who enter the season ranked 17^th in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Preseason Poll, return a pair of sophomores in Kaitlyn Eder and Ashley Channell, as well as senior Kendall Hickman. Incoming freshmen Sara Howell, Lindsay Manning, Kalia Patterson and Emily Rettig will add necessary depth to head coach Matt Nantais' squad.
 
Nantais enters his third season in Ruston, having improved his overall record in each of his first two seasons at the helm.
 
The tournament field, consisting of 14 schools, includes eight teams ranked or receiving votes in the NTCA Top 25. Joining the Lady Techsters is No. 4 Sam Houston State, No. 6 Stephen F. Austin, host No. 10 Tulane, No. 11 North Carolina A&T, No. 16 UAB, No. 25 Texas Southern, (RV) Valparaiso, (RV) Jackson State, (RV) Alabama State, Southern, Alabama A&M, Florida A&M and Grambling State.
 
The three-day tournament will feature five, five-game Baker matches on Friday starting at 9:55 a.m. followed by five traditional team matches on Saturday at 8:55 a.m. In the final bracket round on Sunday, the teams will participate in three Baker best 4-out-of-7 matches at 8:30 a.m. to determine final team standings, with an awards ceremony following shortly after the competition.
 
Last season, the Lady Techsters placed fourth in the Sugar Bowl Invitational, finishing ahead of three ranked programs.
 
To watch the Lady Techsters in action this weekend and throughout the season, subscribe to the LA Tech Bowling Channel on YouTube and follow @LATechBowl on both Twitter and Facebook for updates, results and breaking news.