BATON ROUGE, LA – Southern University head volleyball coach Venessa Jacobs announced the Lady Jaguars' 2023 schedule Wednesday, a 28-game slate that includes six home contests at Seymour Gymnasium.
 
2023 Volleyball Schedule
 
"I am excited for the upcoming season," coach Jacobs said. "We have some points to prove. We are locked in; we have to be locked in and moving in the same direction. We have to hold each other accountable, our players, managers and coaches. It's time to grind and get after it. There are some sacrifices, dedication and hard work that goes with it."
 
The Lady Jaguars are looking to flip the script on the 2022 season after failing to make the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.
 
"We had a long off season after not making the tournament," Jacobs said. "We have trained hard, and they understand the mindset that has to be with them. The preseason before school starts is going to be paramount to our success. What it takes for them to be in the running and to be a champion is not easy, but it is going to be worth it. We are going to challenge them every step of the way and to rise to the occasion, we have to be ready mentally and physically."

The Lady Jaguars are set to open the season with a trip to Beaumont, Texas for the Katrinka Crawford Invitational hosted by Lamar on August 25-26. The only other game in August is a trip down I-10 to Dillard University on August 29.
 
September starts with eight straight away matches. The Lady Jaguars will participate in the UNO Invitational (Sept.8-9) and the Battle for the Boot (Sept. 15-16) hosted by Northwestern State. Those two tournaments are sandwiched in between a trip to McNeese State (Sept. 5) and the SWAC opener at Alcorn (Sept. 25). Southern's first home match of the season will take place on September 27 against Dillard.
 
October will start with five straight matches in Houston. The Lady Jaguars will take on Texas Southern (Oct. 1) and Prairie View (Oct. 2) before returning a week later for the SWAC Cluster. The first cluster of the season will have Southern take on Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman on October 8 and Alabama State on October 9.
 
The Lady Jaguars return home for a three-game homestand against Grambling (Oct. 15), University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff (Oct. 16) and Alcorn (Oct. 25).
 
The month will end with games against Mississippi Valley, Alabama A&M and Jackson State in the second SWAC Cluster hosted by Jackson State on October 29-30.
 
Texas Southern and Prairie View make their return trip to Baton Rouge on November 5-6 for the final home matches of the season.
 
The regular season will wrap up with trips to Grambling (Nov. 12) and Arkansas – Pine Bluff (Nov. 13). The SWAC Championship is set to take place November 17-29 in Houston.
 
"We had some growing pains," Jacobs said about last season. "We were neck and neck with a lot of teams and were not able to finish. They have that year under their belt, they know that they can not only compete but win. Having Elise (Doomes) back after over a year is very exciting. She was a starter as a freshman and a silent leader. She encouraged everyone. All last season, she wanted to get back in there."
 
Southern returns 12 players from last year's team and has added four transfers so far. Another addition for the Lady Jaguars is the hiring of assistant coach Ana Williams.
 
"Ana Williams comes to us from Howard University and was a transfer from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette," said Jacobs. "She has played in four championships and won two of them. She comes in with a lot of knowledge and that championship culture."
 

FOLLOW THE JAGUARS
For complete coverage of Southern University Athletics, please follow the Jaguars on social media at @SouthernUsports (Twitter), @SouthernUJaguars (Facebook), @southernusports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Southern University Athletics at www.gojagsports.com.

#GoJags    #ProwlOn   #SouthernIsTheStandard   #WeAreSouthern