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

USA (6-7) will open league play on Fri., Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. against Little Rock (8-5) at Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark. The Jaguars will then travel to Jonesboro, Ark., on Sun., Sept. 23, to face Arkansas State (8-5) at noon in First National Bank Arena. Friday's match will be streamed live and available through the All-Access section of LRTrojans.com, as well as through the Jaguar volleyball schedule page at USAJaguars.com. Live stats for all South Alabama matches are available through the multimedia section of USAJaguars.com.

South Alabama ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.231), and fifth in service aces per set (1.40). Kelley Hartman ranks second in the league in hitting percentage (.367), tied for third in service aces per set (0.40) and eighth in kills per set (3.16). Ashlyn Roberts ranks eighth in the conference in digs per set (3.42), while Parker Harrell ranks ninth in assists per set (6.46). 

USA dropped two of three matches last weekend at the Crimson-White Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after sweeping Alabama State on Tue., Sept. 11, at Jag Gym. The Jags fell to No. 25 Alabama in four sets Friday morning before defeating Southern Miss in straight sets Friday evening. South Alabama fell to No. 15 Purdue in five sets to close the tournament. 

Little Rock leads the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.253), opponent hitting percentage (.127) and digs per set (16.00), ranks second in blocks per set (2.61) and third in assists per set (12.41) and service aces per set (1.47). The Trojans' Veronica Marin ranks second in the league in blocks per set (1.45), while Carol Barbosa ranks third in hitting percentage (.352) and Sydnee Martin ranks fourth in digs per set (4.12). 

Little Rock dropped two of three matches last weekend at the AllState Sugar Bowl Collegiate Volleyball Classic in New Orleans, falling to Tulane and Clemson before defeating Villanova in four sets to cap the weekend.  The Trojans hold a 30-6 all-time series lead over the Jaguars, but South Alabama has won the last two meetings in the series and three of the last four dating back to 2015.

Arkansas State carries a six-match winning streak into its Friday match with Troy. The Red Wolves defeated Central Arkansas, Southern Illinois and Jackson State last weekend to win the A-State Invitational. ASU ranks tied for second in the Sun Belt in opponent hitting percentage (.171), and fourth in kills per set (12.94). Ellie Watkins ranks third in the conference in assists per set (10.05), while Tatum Ticknor ranks third in the league in digs per set (4.29). ASU holds a 30-5 all-time series lead over USA, and has won the last six meetings in the series dating back to 2014. 

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).

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