SPARTANBURG, SC ? A week after winning its second consecutive Southern Conference Tournament crown, the College of Charleston volleyball team learned its fate Sunday and will head to Chapel Hill, NC to face the University of North Carolina Tarheels (23-9) in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Championship Friday, Dec., 2 at North Carolina’s Carmichael Auditorium. The College of Charleston was the only SoCon team to earn a trip to this year’s tournament.

The 14th seeded Purdue Boilermakers (22-7) will square off against the Viriginia Commonwealth Rams (22-11) in the other first round matchup, with the two winners of the first round contests meeting in the second round on Saturday, Dec. 3. The winner of the second round match will move on to the College Station Regional.

The College of Charleston, which completed its Southern Conference slate unscathed at 18-0, finished the 2005 season with a 31-1 overall mark. The Cougars have won 23 consecutive matches and earned the SoCon’s automatic bid last Sunday as the Cougars defeated Appalachian State in three games.

The Cougars will be making their second straight appearance ? and third overall -- in the NCAA Tournament as the College of Charleston dropped a 3-0 decision to Southern California in the first round of last year’s tournament.