The Arizona Wildcats will play the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Friday evening. It will be the first meeting between the two programs. Who are the Jackrabbits and how did they get here?Nonconference seasonThe other SDSU went 6-3 prior to conference play and impressed the RPI. The Jackrabbits had an RPI of 26 in nonconference play, five spots above where they finished when selection Sunday rolled around.Three of their nine out-of-conference matches were against Power 4 programs. They played four nonconference matches against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA poll, including then-No. 13 Minnesota.Conference playThe Jackrabbits were perfect in league play. In fact, they’ve only dropped one conference match in the past two years. Last year, that got them into the NCAA Tournament over Arizona despite their loss in the Summit League conference tournament.That looked like it could happen again this year. SDSU took its unblemished regular season conference record into the league’s tournament. It motored into the final but dropped that match to third-seeded St. Thomas in that program’s first year of tournament eligibility. With an RPI of 31, the Jackrabbits were assured of an at-large bid again this year. Fortunately for Arizona, there was room for both this time around.Players to watch forJunior outside hitter Sylvie Zgonc leads the team with 4.30 kills per set on .231 hitting. Her kills per set rank 38th in the country. She accounts for a team-high 4.75 points per set. On defense, she’s good for 2.57 digs per set and 0.56 blocks per set. As a receiver, she has a .949 receiving percentage.The Jackrabbits have been extremely successful blockers this year. They rank third in Division I with 3.10 total blocks per set. That effort is led by Sydni Schetnan (1.40) and Madison Burr (1.37).Comparing rankings & ratingsRPI: South Dakota State (31), Arizona (42)KPI: South Dakota State (25), Arizona (45)Evollve: Arizona (35), South Dakota State (53)Massey: Arizona (39), South Dakota State (51)PredictionsEvollve: Arizona has a 58.6 percent win probability in the first round.Massey: Arizona has a 68 percent win probability against South Dakota State on a neutral court. The most likely score is 3-1.Up Next for Arizona VolleyballArizona Wildcats (16-12, 10-8 Big 12) vs South Dakota State Jackrabbits (23-4, 16-0 Summit League)What: NCAA Tournament First RoundWhen: Friday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. MSTWhere: Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.Streaming:ESPN+Stats:Arizona Live StatsThe Arizona Wildcats will hold a viewing party for the fans at The Neighborhood Bar DWTN, located at 61 E. Congress. The event starts at 5 p.m. MST ahead of the match at 5:30 p.m. Appetizers will be provided. There is no fee to enter.