MOBILE, Ala. – Thirteen home dates and matches against two preseason top 25 teams highlight the 2017 University of South Alabama women's tennis schedule, released Thursday.

The season runs Jan. 28 through the Sun Belt Conference Championships Apr. 20-23.

"I think it's a good schedule," USA head coach Jaco Keyser said. "It should do a good job of preparing us for conference and postseason play."

South Alabama opens the year Jan. 28 at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Miami, Fla. against No. 21 Texas A&M. The Jaguars will take on either Brown or the host Hurricanes the following day.

The next weekend sees USA commence its home schedule with Xavier (La.) on Feb. 4, before entertaining a doubleheader on Feb. 5 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette and Nicholls State.

Samford will host a pair of matches Feb. 11-12, where the Jags will take on the Bulldogs on Saturday and UAB on Sunday, then return home for another twinbill Feb. 16 against Jacksonville State and Jackson State. USA closes out the mini-homestand Feb. 18 vs. Southeastern Louisiana.

A trip to Starkville, Miss. to face No. 24 Mississippi State will take place Feb. 19. The Jaguars will then travel to Wichita State on Feb. 24 and Oklahoma on Feb. 25.

"We've really been trying to increase the strength of schedule each year," Keyser said. "But the bottom line is, we have 25 matches and those are 25 opportunities to get better and prepare us for the postseason."

The Jaguars will have a three-match homestand before departing on an extended road trip. On March 3, South Alabama will face Louisiana Tech, then Southern Miss a day later, before hosting USC Upstate on March 8.

March 10 sees the start of six straight matches on the road, beginning with a contest at Central Florida. USA stays in Florida for a March 12 match at North Florida.

South Alabama closes out the month of March with a trip to Georgia Southern to take on the Eagles (Mar. 25) and Appalachian State (Mar. 26), and opens April with a swing through Virginia, going against Norfolk State (Apr. 1) and Old Dominion (Apr. 2).

The Jaguars will close out the season with four consecutive matches at home. Sun Belt opponents Georgia State (Apr. 7) and Coastal Carolina (Apr. 8) come to the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts first, then the regular season concludes April 14 and 16 against Middle Tennessee and Troy, respectively.

"It's definitely good to play conference teams at home," Keyser said. "The last couple of years we've been on the road and traveling takes a toll on you. Hopefully by being at home, we'll be better rested going into the conference tournament."

New Orleans, La. will once again be the host site for the Sun Belt Championships, where the Jags will be seeking their second league title in three seasons.

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

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