No. 19 San Diego (18-4, 12-1 WCC)  •  Loyola Marymount (15-8, 6-7 WCC) •  Pepperdine (18-4, 10-3 WCC)

Nov. 11 & 13 | Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) • San Diego, California

Live Stream  •  WCC Network |  Live Statistics  • USDToreros.com

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SAN DIEGO — After another successful road trip that saw it secure two wins and rise another spot in the AVCA Top 25, No. 19 San Diego volleyball (18-4, 12-1 WCC) is back home for a pair of matches, hosting Loyola Marymount (15-8. 6-7 WCC) and Pepperdine (18-4, 10-3 WCC) as it continues West Coast Conference play in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

The Toreros are set to take on the Lions on Thursday at 7 pm, then face off with the Waves on Saturday afternoon in a 12 pm match. Both contests will be streamed live on the WCC Network with Braden Surprenant on the call, and live statistics will be available on USDToreros.com.

ALZTOGETHER
• On Thursday, USD will partner with ALZ Association's San Diego Chapter for its ALZtogether match, raising awareness for the cause as they lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.

•  DonatIion link for fans: https://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=15144&pg=team&team_id=708708

ALUMNI APPRECIATION
• Saturday's contest marks the Toreros' Alumni Appreciation match, with San Diego welcoming volleyball alumni back to the JCP as it celebrates the history of the program.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS LMU
• The Toreros are 46-40 all-time against the Lions, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming in October, a 3-2 USD win at the Gersten Pavilion.

• San Diego has won ten of its last 11 matchups with LMU, a span that dates back to September of 2016.

• USD has won its last four home matches against Loyola Marymount, a span that dates back to October 2016.

• San Diego is 22-18 all-time at home versus LMU and last lost to the Lions at the JCP in November of 2015.

LAST TIME OUT VERSUS LMU…
• Then-No. 22 San Diego volleyball fell into a 2-0 hole early but stormed back to take the match in its last meeting with LMU on October 16, rallying for three straight set wins to earn a 3-2 comeback victory at the Gersten Pavilion.

• Junior outside hitter Grace Frohling led the charge for the Toreros, setting a career high in kills for the second straight match with 24.

• Senior outside hitter Katie Lukes wasn't too far behind, tying her career high in kills of 21 (which she set on October 14 at then-No. 24 Pepperdine).

• Sophomore middle blocker Leyla Blackwell had nine total blocks (six solo), senior libero Annie Benbow posted 14 digs, and setter Isadora Terçariol racked up 42 assists.

ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS PEPPERDINE
• The Toreros are 34-42 against the Waves all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming in October at the Firestone Fieldhouse, a 3-2 USD win.

• San Diego is 21-16 against Pepperdine at the Jenny Craig Pavilion all-time and has won nine of its last ten matchups with the Waves there, a span that dates back to November of 2012.

LAST TIME OUT VERSUS PEPPERDINE…
• Then-No. 22 San Diego volleyball earned its seventh consecutive victory last time out versus Pepperdine on October 14, battling then-No. 24 Waves through five sets for a 3-2 decision at the Firestone Fieldhouse by scores of .

• Junior Grace Frohling and senior Katie Lukes both set career highs in kills, with Frohling putting up 21 and Lukes recording 20.

• Senior libero Annie Benbow had 22 digs and a kill of her own, and redshirt sophomore setter Isadora Terçariol added 42 assists.

• Then-reigning West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week Leyla Blackwell led the way for USD defensively with eight blocks (two solo).

LAST TIME OUT
• Lukes led the way for the Toreros on last time out on Saturday afternoon, setting a new career high with 27 kills as then-No. 20 San Diego volleyball took down Gonzaga 3-1 at the Martin Centre to earn its fourth straight West Coast Conference win.

• USD won the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-16, dropped the third set by a 25-20 margin, then closed things out with a hard-fought 25-22 win in the fourth.

• Luke's standout performance was complemented by 19 kills from junior Grace Frohling, 49 assists from redshirt sophomore Isadora Terçariol (which tied her career high), and 24 digs from senior libero Annie Benbow, which led the match.

How It Happened
First Set - (San Diego, 25-20)
• Frohling started the set off in emphatic fashion, hammering a kill.

• Katie Lukes got her afternoon started early as well, launching a kill of her own to tie the set at two.

• Frohling added her 28th ace of the season to push USD ahead, 3-2.

• Lukes demolished another kill to make it 6-4, then Terçariol notched a service ace of her own to make it a 10-4 USD lead.

• Gonzaga tied it at 16, then freshman Emily Wilson notched a kill to make it 17-16 in favor of the visiting team.

• Two kills by Frohling and four by Lukes secured the first set for the Toreros, 25-20.

Second Set - (San Diego, 25-16)
• Frohling notched a fadeaway kill to make it 2-0, then Lukes capped a lengthy USD run with an emphatic kill to make it 10-1 in favor of USD.

• Lukes would be a factor again later in the second set, pushing the score to 15-3 with a kill before freshman Elly Schraeder notched a kill of her own to make it 17-4.

• Sophomore Leyla Blackwell did her part with a kill to move the score to 21-11 USD, then a kill from Lukes and an error from Gonzaga closed things out, 25-16 in favor of USD.

Third Set - (Gonzaga, 25-20)
• The Toreros jumped out to a 2-0 lead but quickly fell behind 3-2.

• They tied it up on a service error at 7-7, then fell behind again and trailed for the remainder of the set.

• A 20-18 deficit was as close as they'd get, dropping the third set to the Bulldogs by a 25-20 margin.

Fourth Set - (San Diego, 25-22)
• The Toreros fell behind early once again, but tied it off a kill from Lukes to make the score 5-5.

• A back-and-forth battle then ensued, with the two teams trading points throughout the set.

• It was tied at nine, then USD pulled ahead for a 13-10 advantage.

• After USD went up 15-13, the Bulldogs tied it at 15.

• Katie Lukes pushed her team back in front with a kill, then the two teams traded points again enroute to a 19-19 tie.

• Three kills from Lukes and one more from Frohling earned USD a 25-22 win in the set and a 3-1 win in the match.

Torero Tidbits
• Blackwell had two solo blocks and five block assists in the match.

• Frohling tied a career high for the second match in a row with three service aces.

• Benbow had six assists on Saturday at Gonzaga.

IN THE RANKINGS
• USD moved up a spot in the AVCA Weekly Coaches' Poll on Monday (November 8), ascending to the No. 19 position after checking in at No. 20 for back-to-back weeks previously.

• The ranking marks USD's highest since August, when they began the 2021 campaign as the preseason No. 20 team in the ACVA Top 25.

• The Toreros have appeared in the national top-25 poll for 24 consecutive seasons, with 22 top-10 appearances. USD's highest ranking was No. 2 overall (Sept. 16, 2013).
 
• USD's highest-ranked victory came on Sept. 13, 2013 against No. 1 USC (3-1) in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. It marks the only time the Toreros have defeated a top-ranked team.

HOW SWEEP IT IS
• USD's sweep over Portland last Thursday marked the team's 10th of 2021, and its ninth out of 12 WCC games.

• The Toreros have swept Hawaii (Sept. 3), Cal Poly (Sept. 4), Saint Mary's (Sept. 23), Pacific (Sept. 25), San Francisco (Sept. 30), Gonzaga (Oct. 7), Portland (Oct. 9), Santa Clara (Oct. 28), San Francisco (Oct. 30), and Portland (Nov. 4).

• They have only been swept twice in 2021, both by Top-10 teams — No. 1 Texas on August 27 and No. 8 BYU on Oct. 22.

BLOCK PARTY FOR BLACKWELL AND TOREROS
• Through 22 games in 2021 so far, middle blocker Leyla Blackwell and the Toreros have found themselves near the top of the national leaderboards for blocks.

• Blackwell, a 6-4 sophomore from San Diego, California, leads the Toreros and the WCC with an average of 1.48 blocks per set, a mark that ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division I.

• Her 117 total blocks in 2021 ranks 20th in the nation and also leads the WCC.

• As a team, USD has totaled an average of 2.84 blocks per set, a mark that leads the conference and also ranks fifth in all of NCAA Division I.

• The Toreros' 227.5 total blocks in 2021 lead the WCC and rank 40th in the nation

FROHLING FLOURISHING
• Junior opposite/setter Grace Frohling has paced the Torero offense with a team-best 304 kills so far in 2021, a mark that leads the roster by 44 kills and ranks fifth in the WCC.

•The Los Angeles, California native has tallied a team-leading 30 service aces in addition to her wealth of kills, and her 74 total blocks and 136 digs rank second and third on the team.

LUKES LEADING
• Senior outside hitter Katie Lukes has provided a potent one-two punch for the Toreros this year in addition to Frohling.

• She erupted for a career-high 27 kills in the Toreros' last match at Gonzaga on Saturday (Nov. 6), leading USD to a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs at the Martin Centre.

• Lukes has recorded 15 or more kills in nine games this season, has reached the 20-kill mark on three occasions, and has notched at least seven kills in every match she's appeared in so far.

• She's racked up 155 kills in her last 10 matches, including 17 at Santa Clara (10/2), 20 at then-No. 24 Pepperdine (10/14), 21 at LMU (10/16), 15 against both Santa Clara (10/28) and San Francisco (10/30), and 27 at Gonzaga on Saturday (11/6).

• Despite having only played in 19 of the Toreros' 22 matches so far this year due to a mid-season injury, the San Clemente, California native ranks second on the USD roster with 260 kills in 2021, a mark that is ninth in the WCC and the most among conference players who have played 19 matches or less.

CAN YOU DIG IT?
• Libero Annie Benbow has been a mainstay for the Toreros on defense, totaling a team-best 329 digs through USD's 22 games so far in 2021, a mark that ranks fourth in the WCC.

• She added to that total last week against Portland and Gonzaga, notching eight against the Pilots and 24 against the Bulldogs.

• The Frisco, Texas native is now in her fourth year with USD, and has earned All-WCC honors on three occasions (2019, honorable mention, 2020-2021 and 2019, academic honorable mention).

A HELPING HAND
• Setter Isadora Terçariol has been at the center of the Toreros' success so far this season, with 677 assists under her belt in 2021.

• She added 82 assists across two matches versus Portland and Gonzaga last Thursday and Saturday, totaling 33 against the Pilots before she tied a career high with 49 against the Bulldogs.

• Terçariol, a redshirt sophomore from Bauru, Säo Paulo, Brazil, has already bested her assists total from a season ago (239), and has appeared in 21 of USD's 22 matches.