MATCH 1
South Alabama (0-0, 0-0 SBC) vs. No. 20 Baylor (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Location: Baton Rouge, La. (Pete Maravich Assembly Center)
Date: Friday, Aug. 29
First Serve: 2:30 p.m. CT
Live Stats: USAJaguars.com
Watch: None
Social: @SouthAlabamaVB

THE SERIES
Series: 3rd Meeting (BU, 2-0)
Home: -- | Away: -- | Neutral: 0-2 
3-set: 0-1 | 4-set: 0-1 | 5-set: -- 
Current Streak: BU 2
Last Meeting: BU, 3-0 (9/7/91)
Last Time in Baton Rouge: --

SERIES NOTES
–    South Alabama and Baylor have met two previous times, but not since the 1991 season (34 years) 
–    That meeting came during the second week of the season where the Bears won 3-0 (15-2, 15-5, 15-10) on the final day of the Sam Houston State Invitational in Huntsville, Texas
–    The only other meeting in the series came during the 1989 season where Baylor defeated South Alabama in four sets (15-7, 13-15, 15-8, 16-14) at the Tulane Invitational

A QUICK LOOK AT BAYLOR
–    Baylor enters the 2025 season ranked 20th in the preseason AVCA Top 25 Poll after posting a 23-8 and 14-4 in the Big 12 last season
–    BU has been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for 105-straight weeks, the fifth-longest active streak in the nation
–    The Bears earned their ninth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance last fall and return four starters from that squad
–    Middle blockers Victoria Davis and Gabrielle Essix were selected for the Preseason All-Big 12 team, while Baylor was chosen to finish sixth in the preseason Big 12 poll
–    BU returns 10 letterwinners and welcomes seven newcomers

MATCH 2
South Alabama (0-0, 0-0 SBC) vs. LSU (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Location: Baton Rouge, La. (Pete Maravich Assembly Center)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 30
First Serve: 7 p.m. CT
Live Stats: USAJaguars.com
Watch: SECNetwork+
Social: @SouthAlabamaVB

THE SERIES
Series: 9th Meeting (LSU, 7-1)
Home: 0-2 | Away: 0-5 | Neutral: 1-0
3-set: 1-1 | 4-set: 0-3 | 5-set: 0-1 
Current Streak: LSU 4
Last Meeting: LSU, 3-1 (9/5/98)
Last Time in Baton Rouge: Same

SERIES NOTES
–    South Alabama and LSU have met eight previous times with the Tigers holding a 7-1 advantage in the series
–    The meeting this weekend will be the first between the two programs since the 1998 season
–    LSU won that meeting 3-1 (16-14, 6-15, 15-12, 15-4) at the Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge during the opening weekend of the season
–    South's lone win in the series came during the 1982 season when the Jags earned a 2-1 (15-9, 9-15, 15-12) victory over LSU in Beaumont, Texas, at the Lamar Invitational
–    The series dates back to the 1981 season where the two teams met in a home-and-home series

A QUICK LOOK AT LSU
–    LSU enters the 2025 season after posting a 15-12 mark and a 7-9 record in the SEC last fall
–    LSU is picked to finish eighth in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, and outside hitters Jurnee Robinson and Nia Washington were named Preseason all-SEC 
–    Washington was also selected to the 2025 AVCA Division I Player of the Year Watch List during the preseason
–    The Tigers return 11 players from the 2024 roster (one redshirt freshman) and will have eight newcomers, highlighted by four transfers

JAG NOTES
–    South Alabama enters the season after going 15-12 a year ago and an 11-5 mark in the Sun Belt
–    The Jags were picked to finish third in the West Division in the preseason coaches' poll earlier this month
–    South returns 11 players from last year's roster, while welcoming five newcomers
–    Leading the way among the returnees are Anna Loberg (first team) and Sarah Gooch (second team) who were named all-conference last season and during the preseason
–    Loberg - the SBC Preseason Setter of the Year - ranked second in the Sun Belt in assists (1,022) – which ranked as eighth-most in a single season at South Alabama – and assists per set (10.12)
–    She also had 10 double-doubles and recorded 30 or more assists in 20 of the Jaguars' 27 matches
–    Gooch ranked second on the team in kills (288) and kills per set (2.85), points (329.5) and points per set (3.26) coming off the bench
–    She emerged as offensive threat in Sun Belt play as she averaged 3.23 kills per set, which ranked 10th in the league
–    Gooch also had 25 sets with four or more kills – second-most on the club – including 11 of five or more  
–    Briana Wilson elevated herself to one of the Sun Belt's top defenders in defensive back court, and ranked among the conference leaders in digs as she is fifth with 4.50 digs per set and 455 total

FOLLOW THE JAGS
For complete coverage of South Alabama Volleyball, follow the Jags on social media @SouthAlabamaVB (Twitter), /SouthAlabama (Facebook), @southalabamavb (Instagram) or visit the official home of South Alabama athletics at USAJaguars.com.