MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama volleyball begins its Sun Belt opener weekend on the road this week, with matches at Middle Tennessee on Thursday and at Western Kentucky on Saturday.
The Jaguars carry a 7-7 record into conference play after going 2-2 last weekend at the Springhill Suites Invitational.
Split at Springhill Suites Invitational
South Alabama swept both Jacksonville State and Savannah State in straight sets at the event. The Jaguars dropped their other two matches, each by a 3-1 score, to tournament host Georgia State and to Wisconsin.
Schedule and Coverage
South Alabama faces Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m. Thursday at Alumni Memorial Gym in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Jaguars then meet Western Kentucky at 1 p.m. Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.
Both opponents were picked to finish at the top of the Sun Belt’s Eastern Division in the league’s preseason poll.
The Middle Tennessee match will be streamed online, and live statistics for both matches will be available on the Jaguars’ official athletics website, usajaguars.com.
Players to Watch
South Alabama’s lineup features senior Olivia Mohler and junior Jenna Hassell, who ranks fourth in digs. Freshman outside hitter Savannah Stewart has also taken on a larger role since the start of September.
Hendrichovsky on the Opening Test
Head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said the opening pairing will give the Jaguars an early measure against the league’s top contenders.
“Starting off the Sun Belt schedule playing Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky will be a great opportunity to immediately show us where we stand against those teams that are typically competing for the championship each year,” Hendrichovsky said. “I fully expect our team to walk in both gyms looking to compete at a high level.”
“We are excited and ready to compete,” she added. “The team has worked hard through the preseason tournaments to improve and grow. We have learned many things about our team and my hope is we continue to improve throughout conference play leading into the conference tournament.”
