BOCA RATON, Fla. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville volleyball team is set to open play as the seventh seed at the 2019 NCAA Division II South Region Championships on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CT against second-seeded Tampa at the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center on the campus of host Lynn.
 
The Chargers garnered the sixth NCAA tournament appearances in program history and the first since 2005 following a 24-9 overall record so far in 2019 that included a 14-2 mark in Gulf South Conference play.
 
UAH last competed in an NCAA tournament regional in the 2005 as members of the South Central region where the Chargers fell to Truman State in four sets in Florence, Alabama.
 
The Chargers will be matching up with Tampa in the postseason for the first time in program history, as the two teams have met up six times previously in the regular season with the Spartans owning a 5-1 edge. In the most recent meeting earlier this season, Tampa topped UAH in three sets at the South Region Crossover on Oct. 19 in Hoover, Alabama.
 
This season, the Chargers boast four players with 200 or more kills including All-GSC performers Isabelle Barnes, Abby Brooks and Kendall Scharbert. Barnes additionally boasts a team-high 143 total blocks, while Shayla Libby anchors the defense with a roster-best 521 digs.
 
Tampa – who won the 2018 NCAA Championship – enters the NCAA tournament with a 23-8 overall record with a 16-4 mark in Sunshine State Conference play. The Spartans offense is led by Katie McKiel with 433 kills, while Nicole Dominguez owns a team-high 478 digs on defense.
 
The winner between UAH and Tampa will move on to a 6 p.m. CT contest on Friday against the winner of third-seeded Barry and sixth-seeded West Florida.