MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama volleyball will open the 2022 season at the USF Invitational this weekend in Tampa, Fla.

The Jaguars will face Ball State at 9 a.m. (CT) to kick off the season, followed by a 3:30 p.m. (CT) match against William & Mary. USA will square off with tournament host South Florida at noon (CT) on Saturday to close the tournament.

Saturday's match against USF will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and available through the WatchESPN app, and can also be accessed through the Jaguar volleyball schedule page at USAJaguars.com. Live stats for all three matches will also be available through the multimedia section of USAJaguars.com, and also accessible through the schedule page.

The USA-Ball State all-time series is tied 1-1 after the Cardinals defeated the Jaguars in five sets in the last meeting between the schools in 2018. USF owns a 17-5 all-time lead over USA after a 3-1 victory in 1994, which marked the last meeting, and carries a three-match series win streak into Saturday's contest. The Jags' Friday afternoon match with William & Mary will mark the first-ever matchup between the schools.

South Alabama was picked to win the Sun Belt Conference West Division in the predicted order of finish voted on by the league's head coaches. 

USA enters the 2022 season as the defending SBC champions after winning the 2021 regular season championship, the first in school history, as well as last year's SBC Tournament title to earn the program's first-ever NCAA postseason appearance and competed in the NCAA Gainesville Regional in Gainesville, Fla.

Jaguar middle blocker Niki Capizzi was voted as the SBC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and Rachel Hickey was selected as the SBC Preseason Libero of the Year. Capizzi, Maddie Soboleski and Kailey Keeble were also voted preseason all-SBC.

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