EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University's women's volleyball team heads to Dallas, Texas this weekend for four matches at Texas Woman's University to open its 2010 campaign.

While the Warriors will start their season in the Lone Star State, they already have an eye on a trip to the PSAC tournament for the second time in three years led by four returning starters, all seniors.

Brianne Bachman, Emily Detter, Lindsey Lullo and Alyson Stark were all key contributors on ESU's conference tournament team in 2008 and will aim for a return to that level as they close their careers this fall.

Lullo, an AVCA All-Region selection at libero last season, will anchor a defense that is expected to be one of the strengths of the team. She was eighth in Division II with 5.7 digs per game last season, posting 562 digs, and has more than 1,000 in her career entering her second full year as a starter. Sophomore Katie O'Neill and freshman Heather Norris will also see time in the lineup as defensive specialists.

Stark and Detter will anchor the Warriors at outside hitter and are both experienced offensive and defensive players, while sophomore Kristina Perri and freshman Elizabeth Madden are also expected to contribute.

Stark has been named to two straight All-PSAC East teams and has led the team in kills per game in each of the last three seasons. Limited to 20 matches due to injury a year ago, Stark still had team-highs in kills (174) and aces (27) and had a season-high 18 kills vs. Shippensburg in her return to the floor. The senior from Council Rock South should reach ESU's career top 10 in kills, aces and blocks by the end of the season.

Detter gives ESU another strong all-around player and had career-highs with 119 kills and 182 digs last season. A solid passer and blocker, Detter has been a three-year starter and posted double-figures in kills in four of the final eight matches last year as a springboard into her senior year.

Bachman, high school teammates with Detter at Red Lion HS, is another three-year starter and will lead the Warriors at middle blocker. At just 5-8, her timing has helped her accumulate almost 150 blocks in her career, and also allowed her to hit a team-best .220 and rank second on the team in both kills and kills per game as a junior.

Freshman Ashley Lesniak will open the season in the starting lineup at middle blocker. Sophomore Kaitlin Behrens (83 kills in 2009) and sophomore Jennifer Forbes, a transfer from Marymount University, will also be in the rotation in the middle. Sophomore Megan Plumb had 119 kills and hit .182 as a starter last season but will miss the 2010 season with a medical redshirt.

Freshman Allye Preziosi will run the club as the starting setter, coming to ESU from Trabuco Hills HS in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Preziosi has already proven to be a strong strategic setter during the preseason and will be backed up by sophomore Kara McDowell and senior Tatiana Lattimore.