TUSCALOOSA | The 21st-ranked Alabama men's tennis team will head to Tallahassee, Fla., next weekend to take on the 62nd-ranked South Alabama Jaguars in the first round of the NCAA men's tennis championships.

'We're excited to continue our season in the NCAA tournament,' said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. 'We've got a good opportunity at this regional but we need to do our best to prepare for an extremely tough South Alabama team. They have some experienced guys that are very talented and it will be a battle. I think the three-week break between the SEC championships and the NCAA regional will be good for us and we'll be ready to go.'

The Tide (19-9) returns to the tournament after making it to the round of 16 in 2007. Alabama is led by its top doubles tandem of Daniel Buikema and Mathieu Thibaudeau, ranked No. 19 nationally. The tandem is 29-10 overall and 22-3 at No. 1 doubles.

In singles, the Tide is led by Saketh Myneni, ranked No. 95 nationally, at No. 1 singles and All-SEC Second Team selection Thibaudeau at No. 2 singles.

Alabama is 11-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 7-7 in first-round matches. The Tide is 12-0 all-time against South Alabama and the match will mark the first matchup between these two teams in the NCAA Tournament.

South Alabama (15-8), the reigning Sun Belt Tournament champions, heads into the tournament on a six-match winning streak and features four players that have recorded more than 20 wins this season.

Alabama will face South Alabama on Saturday, May 10, at noon at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center on the Florida State University campus.

The winner will go on to face the winner of host Florida State, ranked No. 14, and Samford in the second round on May 11.