MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will open the 2017 season this weekend at the Barcelona HBU Classic at Sharp Gym in Houston, Texas.

The Jaguars will play three matches in two days, and will open with Texas Southern on Friday at 4:30 p.m. USA will then face tournament host Houston Baptist at noon Saturday, and will close the weekend with a 4:30 p.m. match Saturday afternoon against Texas Tech. Live streaming will be available for the Jags' contest against Houston Baptist, and live stats will be provided for every match at HBUHuskies.com. In-game updates will be provided through the Jaguar volleyball Twitter account (@USA_Jags_VB).

Friday's season opener with Texas Southern will mark the first meeting between the schools. The Jags are 1-0 all-time against HBU after defeating the Huskies in five sets on Sept. 11, 2015, at Jag Gym. TTU won the only meeting between the schools in straight sets in a matchup in Las Cruces, N.M., in 1996.

South Alabama returns 12 letterwinners from last season's squad, which earned the program's best regular-season finish with a second-place finish in the Sun Belt Conference East Division. The Jags welcome four newcomers to the roster after the departure of six letterwinners from last year's team that recorded the most wins (16) by a USA squad since the 1994 season. 

USA was picked to finish in second place of the SBC East Division this season by the league's head coaches. HBU went 18-15 last season and 10-6 in the Southland Conference, while Texas Southern finished 22-11 overall and 16-2 in the SWAC. TTU went 10-21 and 0-16 in the Big 12 Conference in 2016.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Rally Score Club, the volleyball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Rally Score Club go directly to support the South Alabama volleyball program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/rallyscoreclub.