PENSACOLA, Fla. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville volleyball team is set to make the program's seventh NCAA tournament appearance at the 2021 NCAA Division II South Region Championships as the sixth seed pitted against third-seeded Nova Southeastern on Thursday at noon in a first-round matchup.

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The Chargers are making their second straight NCAA tournament appearance as UAH was the seventh seed at the 2019 NCAA South Region Championships. The NCAA tournament in 2020 was not held due to COVID-19.
 
The winner of Thursday's matchup will advance to a 5 p.m. match on Friday against the winner of second-seeded Tampa and seventh-seeded Palm Beach Atlantic.
 
UAH enters the South Regional with a 21-9 overall record that includes a 13-3 mark in Gulf South Conference play and a 19-6 record against in-region opponents. The Chargers most recent action came at the GSC tournament, as the Blue & White fell in four sets in the semifinals to Montevallo.
 
The Chargers roster features three All-GSC performers including First Team honorees Sabrina Duncan and Kendall Scharbert as well as Second Team selection Molly Presnell. Duncan currently ranks second in the GSC with 9.40 assists per set, Scharbert is sixth in the league with a .318 hitting percentage on 253 kills, and Presnell leads the Chargers with 262 kills in addition to rating second on the team with 331 digs.
 
Shayla Libby has also been a leader for the Chargers defensively with a team-high 413 digs to rate seventh in the GSC, while Zharia Hubbard has enjoyed a strong freshman campaign with a team-leading 112 total blocks to go along with 170 kills.
 
Nova Southeastern comes into the Thursday afternoon contest with a 24-5 overall record and a 16-4 record in the Sunshine State Conference schedule. The Sharks wrapped up their season on Nov. 20 with a three-set victory over Florida Tech.
 
UAH holds a 1-1 all-time record against NSU with the last matchup between the two programs coming on Oct. 15 in the 2010 season with NSU winning in four sets. The Chargers won the first-ever matchup against the Sharks on Sept. 10, 2005 in three sets.
 
The Sharks offense boasts three players with 200 kills or more, led by Elizabeth Price with 326 successful swats so far in 2021. Defensively, Preslee Brooksbank paces the Sharks with 440 digs as well as Brittany Landrum with a team-high 113 total blocks.