MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will host a pair of Sun Belt Conference matches this weekend at Jag Gym.

USA (6-9, 0-2 Sun Belt) will host Georgia Southern (4-10, 0-1 Sun Belt) on Fri., Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. at Jag Gym. South Alabama will then host Georgia State (3-8, 0-1 Sun Belt) at 6:30 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 29, to cap the weekend. Both matches will be streamed live and available for free through JagNationTV.com, while live stats will also be available and accessed through the multimedia section of USAJaguars.com.

South Alabama dropped a pair of matches last weekend to open conference play, which extended its losing skid to three matches. The Jags fell to Little Rock in four sets last Friday in Little Rock, Ark., in the Sun Belt opener, and lost in five sets at Arkansas State on Sunday. 

USA ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.232) entering the weekend. Kelley Hartman ranks third in the league in hitting percentage (.345), tied for fifth in service aces per set (0.37) and ninth in kills per set (2.98). In Sun Belt matches, Iva Durdanovic ranks sixth in the conference in hitting percentage (.368), while Rachael DeMarcus ranks 10th in assists per set (5.33).

Georgia Southern fell to Appalachian State in straight sets last weekend in Statesboro, Ga. The Eagles' matchup against Coastal Carolina, originally scheduled for Sat., Sept. 22, was postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.

Georgia Southern ranks 11th in the Sun Belt in assists per set (9.78), kills per set (10.59) and digs per set (1.207), and last in the league in hitting percentage (.136). Lauren Reichard ranks third in the league in blocks per set (1.34), while Madison Brown ranks fifth in assists per set (9.03). The Eagles lead the Sun Belt in digs per set (19.67) in league matches, and rank 11th in hitting percentage (.133) and service aces per set (0.33). In conference matches, Reichard ranks second in the league in blocks per set (1.67), Joscelin Morrow ranks third in digs per set (4.67) and Lauren Hager ranks fifth in hitting percentage (.400).

Georgia State's match last weekend against Coastal Carolina in Atlanta was also postponed. The Panthers fell to App State last Sunday in five sets at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta. GSU will face Troy at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening.

The Panthers rank fourth in the Sun Belt in digs per set (15.42), but are 11th in the league in hitting percentage (.147). Morgan Hash ranks tied for second in the conference in service aces per set (0.40), while Crystal Lee ranks seventh in kills per set (3.08). Sarah Renner ranks tied for second in service aces per set (0.40) in conference matches, while Lee ranks sixth in kills per set (3.80) in league contests.

Georgia Southern holds a 6-4 all-time series lead over South Alabama, but the Jaguars won both contests in straight sets last season. USA is 2-2 all-time against the Eagles in Mobile. The Jags hold a 10-4 all-time series lead over Georgia State, and have also won the last two meetings in that series after taking both matches last year. South Alabama is 5-0 all-time against Georgia State in Mobile.

Promotions scheduled for this weekend's matches will feature a Jag car decal giveaway for Friday's match with Georgia Southern, while Saturday's contest with Georgia State will feature a mini volleyball giveaway. 

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 South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give.