2014 South Alabama Volleyball Schedule (.pdf)MOBILE, Ala. – Coming off the program's best season in nearly 20 years, the University of South Alabama volleyball program will look to continue to build momentum as it faces a solid non-conference schedule, as well a 20-match Sun Belt Conference schedule in the schedule released by Jaguar head coach Amy Hendrichovsky on Thursday. The non-conference portion of the 2014 schedule is highlighted by match ups with four 20-plus win teams from a year ago, as well as a tournament on a Southeastern Conference foes home court.
USA returns all six starters from a year ago, led by the sophomore duo of Mechell Daniel and Jessica Lewis. Daniel was selected as the league's freshman of the year, as well as being named first-team all-conference, while Lewis took home second-team honors. The South Alabama roster will also welcome back Jenna Hassell and Savanah Stewart who each missed last season due to injury. Along with the list of returning players, the Jags welcome Sarah Richardson – a 6-0 transfer from Rutgers – and a pair of freshmen – Emma Anderson and Kolby Meeks.
Hendrichovsky believes that the scheduling from the previous two seasons have prepared the 2014 Jaguars and that they are up for the early challenges.
"When scheduling preseason matches the past two seasons, we have wanted to challenge our team to compete against nationally competitive teams in order to learn what it will take to reach that level and what we needed to improve on to get to that level," Hendrichovsky said. "We feel the team has gained the valuable experience and for the first time since arriving at South Alabama we return everyone and add only three. With that, when filling our preseason schedule we aimed to schedule matches that we now feel we can compete at a high level and win."
South Alabama closed out the 2013 campaign as one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt, winning seven of its final nine regular-season matches. The only school that was better was Western Kentucky, who captured the regular-season title.
"We are excited to get back on the court this season," said the third-year head coach. "Last season we built momentum on the second round of conference play and finished 7-2. We are capable of taking this program another step forward."
USA will open up the year out on the West Coast as the Jaguars will compete at the Asics Classic (Aug. 29-30) hosted by Pepperdine University at Firestone Fieldhouse. USA will face three new opponents as the meetings with Pepperdine, Oral Roberts and Nevada will be the Jaguars' first-ever versus the three programs. The host Waves will be under the direction of first-year head coach Troy Tanner – a three-time All-American for Pepperdine and an Olympic Medalist. This past spring in Gulf Shores, Ala., Pepperdine won its second AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championship in the past three seasons. South Alabama will then take on Oral Roberts out of the Southland Conference. The Golden Eagles finished with a 22-7 overall record and a 14-4 mark in the SLC in 2013. USA will close out the tournament versus Mountain West member Nevada.
Following the opening weekend of play, South Alabama will move one time zone closer as it will compete at the UnivWyo Cowgirl Classic (Sept. 5-6) hosted by Wyoming. USA will face its second-straight opponent from the MWC as it will open up with the tourney host. South Alabama is also scheduled to take on Montana from the Big Sky Conference and Ball State from the Mid-American Conference. The meetings versus Wyoming and Ball State will also mark the first for South Alabama against the two programs, while the meeting versus Montana will be just the second and first versus the Grizzles since the 1995 season.
Wyoming finished last season with a 21-13 and the 21 wins were the most in program history by a first year head coach (Chad Callihan). Callihan arrived in Laramie after spending the previous five seasons at new Sun Belt Conference member Georgia Southern. Montana comes into the 2014 campaign after one of their most successful seasons in recent years. The Grizzles made their first Big Sky tournament appearance since 2010 last season and earned its first postseason win since 1996 with a five-set victory over Northern Arizona. Ball State was also a 20-match winner a year ago as it finished with a 24-8 mark and won a share of the MAC West title last season, tying with Toledo after finishing with a 12-4 league record.
The Jaguars will then travel to Starkville a week later for their final non-conference tournament as they compete in the Maroon Classic hosted by Mississippi State (Sept. 11-13). South Alabama is scheduled to play four matches in three days at the MSU tournament.
USA and the Bulldogs will open up tournament action on Sept. 11. The meeting with MSU will mark the first between the two clubs since the 1992 season. The host Bulldogs return a strong line up which features junior libero Roxanne McVey and sophomore opposite side hitter Kimmy Gardiner who both earned honorable mention AVCA All-American honors last season. McVey posted 632 digs in her second season in Starkville, while Gardiner led non-seniors in the SEC with a 4.03 kills per set average and 399 kills.
USA will then face Northwestern State which also ended last season with 20-plus wins with a 21-12 overall mark. The Demons were second in the Southland with a 15-3 record finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the country, closing out the year with 18 wins over the course of its final 22 matches. The Demons graduated just one senior from a club which nearly advanced to the NCAA tournament, falling to Central Arkansas in five sets in the championship match.
South Alabama will face Nicholls State and Memphis on Sept. 13 to close out tournament play.
The conference will have a bit of a new look this season as perennial favorite Western Kentucky has moved on to Conference USA, while the league welcomes first-year members Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, both of which come from the Southern Conference.
"Our conference schedule will be tough," Hendirchovsky stated. "We add two strong programs, travel will increase and the competition in the conference the past two seasons has been competitive. We don't see that changing. The girls know they have their work cut out for them and with the leadership we return, we feel they will be prepared and accept the challenge."
APSU won 19 matches a year ago and advanced to the SoCon semifinals, while GSU won both the regular season and conference tournament titles. With the tournament title, the Eagles made the program's fourth NCAA tournament appearance, ending the season with a 28-6 overall mark and a 13-3 record in the league.
After opening up the 20-match round-robin league schedule at Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 17, USA will host Georgia State on Sept. 21, the Jags' first home match of the season.
The remainder of South Alabama's 2013 home slate will be matches versus Arkansas State (Sept. 27), Texas-Arlington (Oct. 10), Georgia Southern (Oct. 11), Arkansas-Little Rock (Oct. 19), Texas State (Nov. 2), ULL (Nov. 7), Appalachian State (Nov. 14), Louisiana-Monroe (Nov. 21) and Troy (Nov. 22).
USA will also travel to Texas State (Sept. 25), to Appalachia State (Oct. 3), to Georgia State (Oct. 4), to Troy (Oct. 8), to ULM (Oct. 24), to Arkansas State (Oct. 25), to Georgia Southern (Oct. 31), to UTA (Nov. 9) and to UALR (Nov. 16).
This year's conference tournament will be held in San Marcos, Texas, on the Texas State campus (Nov. 27-29. The Bobcats are the defending tournament champ after defeating in-state rival Texas-Arlington last season. Texas State also ended their first season in the SBC with 23 wins and finished second in the conference during the regular season.
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).
AUGUST – at Pepperdine (8/28 – Asics Classic), vs. Oral Roberts (8/29 – Asics Classic), vs. Nevada (8/29 – Asics Classic)
SEPTEMBER – at Wyoming (9/5 – UnivWyo Cowgirl Classic), vs. Montana (9/5 – UnivWyo Cowgirl Classic), vs. Ball State (9/6 – UnivWyo Cowgirl Classic), at Mississippi State (9/11 – Maroon Classic), vs. Northwestern State (9/12 – Maroon Classic), vs. Nicholls State (9/13 – Maroon Classic), vs. Memphis (9/13 – Maroon Classic), at Louisiana-Lafayette* (9/17), vs. Georgia State* (9/21), at Texas State* (9/25), vs. Arkansas State* (9/27)
OCTOBER – at Appalachian State* (10/3), at Georgia State* (10/4), at Troy* (10/8), vs. Texas-Arlington* (10/10), vs. Georgia Southern* (10/11), vs. Arkansas-Little Rock* (10/19), at Louisiana-Monroe* (10/24), at Arkansas State* (10/25), at Georgia Southern* (10/31)
NOVEMBER – vs. Texas State* (11/2), vs. Louisiana-Lafayette* (11/7), at Texas-Arlington* (11/9), vs. Appalachian State* (11/14), at Arkansas-Little Rock* (11/16), vs. Louisiana-Monroe* (11/21), vs. Troy* (11/22), Sun Belt Conference Tournament (11/27-29 – San Marcos, Texas)
—USA—
