BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Samford University volleyball team makes its first trip back to the NCAA Championship Tournament since 2011 after securing the Southern Conference's automatic bid in the championship tournament.

The Bulldogs (20-12) were selected to play in the Tallahassee, Florida regional hosted by Florida State University and was paired up to play a school that sits no more than 100 miles away; that school is the University of Alabama (25-7).

The Crimson Tide is making its' fifth trip, second-straight, to the NCAA tournament and has had a historic season along the way as this team has posted the most wins in the program's history.

Samford on the other hand is making its second trip in the last four years after it captured its second SoCon Championship and fifth 20 win season in the last seven years.

For SU to have success in the match it will have to rely on its senior leadership and tough serving to keep UA off balance. The Bulldogs rank eighth in the nation in aces per set (1.72) and fourth in total aces (203). Leading the way for the Bulldogs in those categories is senior libero Chelsi Carter; she currently sits at fifth in the country with 0.51 aces per set and has 60 overall on the year.

Each team will be looking to get off to a hot start and not fall behind as both have only won a total of three matches each on the year after dropping the initial set of a match. The Bulldogs dropped the initial set in its' last match against Furman in the SoCon Championship before rallying to take the title 3-1.

Samford will take the court against Alabama on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 3:30 p.m. CST inside Tully Gymnasium; live video of the match will be broadcast on ESPN3 via WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.