MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will open Sun Belt Conference play with a pair of road matches this weekend.

USA (5-5) will square off with Texas State Fri., Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos, Texas. The Jaguars will then face Texas-Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. Live streaming and live stats for each match will be available and can be accessed through the Jaguar volleyball schedule page at USAJaguars.com. Updates will also be provided via the Jaguar volleyball Twitter page (@USA_Jags_VB).

South Alabama split a pair of matches at Ole Miss last weekend to close the non-conference portion of its schedule. The Jags defeated the Rebels in five sets on Friday before falling in four sets to UM on Saturday.

Texas State (8-6) carries a three-game losing streak into Friday's match with South Alabama. The Bobcats fell to Baylor, Texas-San Antonio and St. John's at the Baylor Classic in Waco, Texas. 

UTA (6-7) will open SBC play with Troy on Friday before hosting the Jags on Saturday. The Mavericks enter the weekend 4-3 at home this season after dropping three of four matches last weekend at their Maverick Classic, falling to UC-Davis, Houston Baptist and Arizona State while defeating Lamar for its lone victory of the tournament. 

Texas State ranks third in the SBC in kills per set (13.09), assists per set (12.36) and digs per set (16.25). UTA leads the league in opponent hitting percentage (-.033), and ranks second in service aces per set (2.33). The Mavericks' Zhanelle Geathers leads the conference in service aces per set (1.00), while the Bobcats' Madison Daigle ranks third in blocks per set (1.19).

South Alabama ranks third in the SBC in opponent hitting percentage (.165), and fourth in blocks per set (2.23). Sophomore middle blocker Kelley Hartman leads the league in blocks per set (1.45), while Morgan Stalcup ranks 10th in the league with an average of 0.88 blocks per set. Abby Baker, who needs 19 digs to move into fourth on the career records list at USA, ranks sixth in the conference in digs per set (4.52).

Texas State holds a 7-2 all-time lead over South Alabama in a series that began in 2013, and has won the last four meetings in the series. The Jaguars last defeated the Bobcats in five sets in Mobile in 2015.

UTA holds a 7-1 all-time lead over USA in a series that began in 1995. The Mavericks have won the last five meetings in the series. South Alabama last defeated UTA in four sets in 2013 in Mobile.

South Alabama enters conference play with the best overall winning percentage (.500) in the SBC East Division.

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.