CS NORTHRIDGE (22-10) vs. KANSAS STATE (25-8)

At Ahearn Field House, Manhattan, Kan., 5:30 p.m. PST

While the Matadors are making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1992, Kansas State is making its first appearance ever. Kansas State finished tied for fourth in the Big 12, but earned an at-large bid in the 48-team field because of its No. 22 ranking. The Wildcats are the No. 7 seed in the Pacific Region; Northridge is 10th. The winner plays No. 2-seeded Washington State on Sunday afternoon in Pullman, Wash. Northridge is 1-5 this year against top 25 opponents. The Wildcats’ top hitters are 6-foot-2 sophomore Kim Zschau (370 kills, .221 hitting percentage) and 5-10 senior Toie Young (326, .274). Young is the school’s career kill leader with 1,362. Val Wieck, a 6-1 sophomore, leads the team with 154 blocks, followed by 6-2 senior Kate DeClerk with 130. The setter is Devon Ryning, a 5-11 junior who has 1,375 assists this season, 12.7 per game. Northridge won the Big Sky Conference with a 16-0 record and the Big Sky tournament. The Matadors have been led by their international connection: Nancy Ma, a sophomore from Zheng Zhou, China, has 476 kills and a .280 hitting percentage. Getty Dimitrova, a junior from Sofia, Bulgaria, has 531 kills and a .357 hitting percentage.