MOBILE, Ala. – On Tuesday night, the University of South Alabama volleyball team will host in-state rival Troy in its final home match of the season.  First serve versus the Trojans is set for 7 p.m. at Jag Gym.  Prior to the match, USA will honor its four seniors – Juliana Almeida, Kari Frazier, Jillian Jordan and Jaclyn Nickels.

“This season, all four of our seniors have contributed at different levels,” South Alabama head coach Nicole Keshock said.  “They have all bought in to what we are trying to do here and to the goals that we want to achieve.  They have been good leaders as far as us trying to build tradition, work ethic and academics.”    

With the regular season winding down, the match also has significant importance for the Jags as they try to position themselves for a spot in the Sun Belt tournament.  USA currently holds a one-match lead over Florida Atlantic and a two-match advantage over both Troy and UALR for the eighth-seed.  The Jags have already defeated Troy and UALR this season.

“There are so many teams vying for a conference tournament position and with us being one of those teams, I am glad to have this match at home,” Keshock said.  “This is an important match for us.  I think we will have a great crowd on Tuesday night to honor our seniors.”

South Alabama (9-17, 4-7 SBC) will be looking to snap a four-match skid on Tuesday night.  Over the weekend, the Jags fell 3-0 to both Florida International and Florida Atlantic.

Almeida continues to lead USA on offense with 3.01 kps. Entering the match against the Trojans, the San Jose Dos Campos, Brazil, native is just seven kills shy of 1,100 for her career.  She has eight double-doubles this season and 26 for her career.

Fellow outside hitter Samia Salomao is averaging 2.53 kills per set and ranks second on the team in digs with 3.36.  Freshman libero Jenna Hassell leads the club in the latter category with 3.56 per set.  As a team, the Jags enter play ranked first in the league in digs with 16.1.

Like South Alabama, the Trojans come into the midweek match after dropping both their matches to FIU and FAU over the weekend.  The loss to the Golden Panthers on Saturday was the seventh-straight loss for Troy.  The Trojans are currently 10-18 overall and 2-9 in the Sun Belt.

Devin Von Pingel (2.45 kps) and Natasha Kolunija (2.41 kps) have been the offensive leaders for Troy for most of the season. Freshman libero Courtney Cohen anchors the defensive back court as she is averaging 4.04 digs per set – fifth in the SBC.

South Alabama holds a 35-20 advantage in the all-time series, and picked up a 3-2 victory over the Trojans on the road earlier this season.  USA won the first two sets of the match only to see Troy take the next two.  In the fifth and final set, the Trojans set at match point on three different occasions, but the Jags were able to rally back and picked up the 19-17 victory on a kill from Almeida.  

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).