SAN DIEGO—Grace Frohling tied her career-high with 17 kills and San Diego defeated No. 20 Southern California 3-2 on Thursday night in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
 
The Toreros (5-4) started strong, taking the first two sets 25-18, 25-17 but the Trojans (5-4) rallied to take the next two sets 25-19, 25-18 and send the match to a fifth set. USD hit .417 in the final frame and took the set 15-13 for their first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
 
Frohling racked up a .464 hitting percentage, including finishing a perfect 3-for-3 in the deciding fifth set. The freshman opposite was also one of two Toreros to collect three blocks in the contest, along with Lauren Turner. Megan Jacobsen led the Toreros at the net, collecting four blocks on the night and added seven kills.
 
Katie Lukes also reached double-digits with 13 kills, hitting .290 and adding two blocks. Roxie Wiblin added nine kills and two aces for USD.
 
Anna Newsome tallied her third double-double of the season with 42 assists and 15 digs. The senior setter added six kills (.667), two blocks and two service aces to round out an exceptional night.
 
It was a career night for sophomore libero Annie Benbow as well, who registered her first double-double after tying her career-high with 18 digs and adding a career-high with 10 assists. Payton Douglass also reached double-digits with 12 digs and collected two aces on the night.
 
For their part, the Trojans had three players reach double-digit kills including Khalia Lanier (18), Brooke Botkin (12) and Emilia Weske (11).
 
The opening set saw seven ties before the Toreros put some distance between them and USC at 13-13. A 4-1 run by the Toreros—led by two kills from Frohling and a kill by Jacobsen—made it 17-14 and the Trojans called their final timeout.
 
USC got back-to-back points with a kill and an ace to pull within one point, but the Toreros closed on an 8-2 run to take the first set, 25-18.
 
It was more of the same in the second set with the teams trading points until the midway point at 12-12 before USD again began to pull away. The Toreros built their largest lead at 20-15 and did not let up, taking the final four points on a USC attack error, Benbow ace and back-to-back Wiblin and Frohling kills to close out 25-17.
 
The teams battled late into the third set, tying at 17-17. But the Trojans closed out the set on a 9-2 run to stay alive in the match.
 
 
With the momentum in their favor, the Trojans dominated the fourth frame, hitting at a .483 clip. USC stretched its lead to as many as nine before San Diego mounted a comeback. USD held off three match points before eventually falling 18-25.
 
USD came out with renewed purpose in the fifth frame, leading from start-to-finish. The Toreros would not be denied, hitting a blistering .417 in the set.
 
USC stayed close, closing within one 12-11. At 13-11, Newsome was blocked on an attempted second-ball kill, but Coach Petrie challenged that the Trojans were in the net. The call was overturned, making it 14-11 Toreros.
 
The Trojans staved off two match points with back-to-back kills, but Lanier's serve sailed long and the Toreros took the final set 15-13 to clinch the upset.
 
San Diego held the slight blocking advantage 8.0 to 7.0, while USC held the hitting advantage .266 compared to USD's .254 clip. The Toreros were lights-out in the back court, outdigging the Trojans 61-43.
 
The teams were fairly equal at the service line with USD holding the slight advantage 8-7 in aces, however USC committed 12 service errors including one on match point.
 
The Toreros are back in action on Friday night at 7 p.m. PT against cross-town rival San Diego State. But first, USC with face Long Beach State in a neutral match beginning at 4 p.m. in the JCP.