SAN DIEGO — Senior Katie Lukes set forth one of the most dominant performances of her career as San Diego volleyball (20-7, 14-4 WCC) tested No. 4 BYU (28-1, 18-0 WCC), but the Toreros dropped a tough 3-1 decision, concluding their 2021 regular-season schedule with a loss at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Tuesday night.

The Cougars took the first set 25-10 before Lukes willed her team to a 25-14 win in the second. The San Clemente, California native began the set with a kill, three straight service aces, a kill, and another service ace to put San Diego ahead 7-0 early on in the set. Following that brilliant start, USD tied the match at one set apiece. BYU prevailed in the third set 25-21 to pull ahead once again, then a back-and-forth affair in the fourth came down to the wire as USD fended off five straight match points before dropping a 25-22 decision in the set, and a 3-1 decision in the match to the nation's fourth-ranked team.

Lukes had 13 kills and four service aces, and sophomore Kylie Pries added 13 of her own, with the pair tied with the Cougars' Kenzie Koerber for the most in the match.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - (BYU, 25-10)

• Lukes got the Toreros on the board first with an early kill, moving the score to 1-0.
• Junior Grace Frohling and freshman Haylee Stoner kept things close with a block to make it a 3-2 game in favor of BYU before the Cougars went on a 5-1 run to make it 8-3.
• Frohling again put a halt to BYU's momentum, notching a kill to pull the Toreros back within four at 8-4 Cougars.
• Lukes kept USD in it with a powerful kill several points later, making the score 12-6 BYU, then did so again with another booming kill to make it 19-8 Cougars, but BYU secured the first set with a 25-10 win.

Second Set - (San Diego, 25-14)

• Lukes began the set with an offensive tour de force, starting things off with a kill before she rattled off four straight service aces to get USD out to a 4-0 lead.
• Senior Gabby Goddard kept the pressure on with a kill of her own, then Lukes resumed her dominance with another kill and another service ace, moving the score to 7-0 in favor of the Toreros.
• A kill and a block from Frohling pushed the score to 9-1, then an attack error from the Cougars made it a 10-point San Diego advantage at 11-1.
• Two kills each from Lukes and Pries had the Toreros in front by 10 again later in the set at 15-5 before a kill from senior Laura Madill maintained that 10-point cushion even later into the set at 18-8.
• After a kill from Frohling brought the score to 21-11, two attack errors and a service error from BYU plus a kill from sophomore Leyla Blackwell earned USD a 25-14 win in the set to even the match at one set apiece.

Third Set - (BYU, 25-21)

• The Cougars jumped out to a 7-1 lead before Pries helped rein them in with a kill to make it 7-2.
• She'd help USD stay in it a couple points later, moving the score to 9-3 BYU with another kill.
• After BYU answered, Madill brought San Diego back within six with a kill, then Lukes cut the deficit to five with a kill of her own to make it 13-8.
• USD got within three after a block assist from Frohling and Blackwell plus another kill from Pries to make it 16-13 Cougars, then did so again at 19-16 off a kill from Madill.
• Tastad made it a two-point game with a service ace to push the score to 19-17, then another kill from Lukes again had the Toreros within two points at 21-19.
• USD pulled within three at 24-21 on a kill from Pries but would get no closer, falling 25-21 in the set to fall behind 2-1 in the match.

Fourth Set - (BYU, 25-22)

• A back-and-forth battle culminated in a 3-3 tie early on courtesy of a kill from Grace Frohling.
• Pries tied it again at 4-4 with a kill before USD fell behind.
• The sophomore brought the Toreros back within four at 14-10 BYU with a kill, then Lukes kept it a four-point game at 17-13 with a kill of her own.
• Staring down match point at 24-17 Cougars, the Toreros fended off five straight match points courtesy of three kills from Pries before dropping a 25-22 decision in the set and a 3-1 decision in the match.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Frohling had seven kills, Madill had a season-high four, and Blackwell and Goddard each had two.
• Frohling led the way with three block assists, Blackwell, Madill and Goddard had two, and Stoner had one.
• Libero Annie Benbow was one off the Cougars' Kenzie Koerber's match-high 14 with 13 digs, aided by Frohling's 11.
• Lukes turned in eight digs, and Madill set forth five.
• With her 13 digs tonight, Benbow has now recorded the 10th-most career digs in program history, moving past Jennifer Lofftus' 1,142 with 1,155 of her own.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will await their postseason fate during the 2021 NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, November 28. With BYU already having clinched the WCC Championship and the conference's automatic bid to the postseason, USD will require an at-large bid to the bracket to advance. If they are to do so, it will mark the program's 12th straight appearance in the tournament, and 20th appearance overall.

The 2021 DI Women's Volleyball Selection Show will be broadcast live on ESPNU and is set to begin at 5:30 pm.