NCAA Tournament Bracket

INDIANAPOLIS – The University of South Alabama volleyball team will open the 2021 NCAA Tournament against Miami (Fla.) on Thu., Dec. 2, at 3:30 p.m. (CT) at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.

USA (25-6) will square off with Miami (24-4) in a single-elimination match, with the winner advancing to face the winner of Florida A&M and Florida, who received a No. 16 national seed, on Fri., Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. (CT) in a single-elimination match. The winner will then advance to NCAA Regionals Dec. 9-11.

"It is such a big deal for us, and a tremendous opportunity," Jaguar head coach Jesse Ortiz said. "It is the culmination of a lot of hard work and grind throughout the season with a little bit of luck sprinkled in there. We're extremely excited and looking forward to the opportunity. Florida is not that far away in terms of travel, but I think at this point in the season you just work as hard as you can, do the very best you can in scouting and prep for the couple of days you get, and you enjoy it. We want to make sure we're having fun here at the end of the season and try to get just a little bit better before the season ends up.

"We've proven through the season that we have good defense. We're in the top 10 in the country in opponent hitting percentage, and we're offensive. We have every ability to go pass, set and attack and develop that rhythm throughout every match. We're just excited, it's pretty sweet."

The Jaguars earned the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Foley, Ala. South Alabama set a program record for conference wins (15) in a season, and enters the NCAA postseason with a 13-game win streak.

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

Join the Rally Score Club, the volleyball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Rally Score Club go directly to support the South Alabama volleyball program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/rallyscoreclub.