Sacramento State’s volleyball team will acquire a new addition during the 2006 season that could bring more hype into the program and people to the Hornets Nest.

Beginning Sept. 28, friends, family and Hornet fans began collecting limited edition trading cards of each volleyball player and the three coaches. Outside hitter Atlee Hubbard likes the trading cards, saying that they could give the team more support that they need.

“I think the trading cards are an awesome addition to the program,” she said. “It gets our names out there and I think it will bring more people and support, which we need.”

Since fans will have to attend the next six matches to collect all 18 cards there should be a boost in attendance.

Head coach Debby Colberg wasn’t as sure as Hubbard about the increase in the attendance and was unsure if it would bring more people in or help keep the current flow to return.

“It’s hard to say. You don’t really know until you try it,” she said. “For the people who do come they may come back.”

The attendance ranges from 250 to 350 for regular matches, almost 500 during the Sacramento State Invitational, and a season-high of 652 during the sweep over 25th-ranked Long Beach State.

This is the first time that trading cards have been created and will only be used for the volleyball team for the fall season according to Adam C. Primas, Director of Marketing and Promotions. “I wanted to do something special for the team,” he said.

“We do posters for every sport, but I like to so something special for other sports,” he added since the volleyball team has won many conference titles.

Colberg said that she and the team feel honored that the volleyball program was picked and that their efforts are appreciated.

Three cards will be handed out during the next six home matches, starting with Hubbard, senior Leah Klemenhagen and freshman Chara DeLoney.

“It was like a raffle,” Primas said about choosing which three would go with which game.

Each card sports a photo of a Hornet player with their statistics on the back.

The photos appearing on the cards were shot by Bob Solorio, who takes most of the photos for the Sac State athletic department and were designed by Assistant Media Director Ryan Bjork.