AUSTIN, Texas—The top ranked team in the nation proved difficult to keep up with as No. 20 San Diego fell to No. 1 Texas in its season opener, 3-0, on Friday evening in Gregory Gym.
 
The Toreros (0-1) struggled to find their offensive rhythm, hitting .124 in the match and falling in straight sets 19-25, 15-25, 15-25. Grace Frohling and Katie Lukes led the way with seven kills apiece, while Gabby Goddard added six. USD also saw contributions from many of its newcomers with Leyla Blackwell and Haylee Stoner recording three kills each and Emily Wilson adding one more.
 
Defensively, the Toreros collected 6.5 team blocks, including three for Goddard and Blackwell and two for Stoner and Wilson. Annie Benbow led the way in the back court with 10 digs.
 
The Longhorns (1-0) hit a strong .333 in the match, with a 72.5 side-out percentage. UT held the slight advantage in blocks 7.0 to USD's 6.5 and collected eight aces compared to three for the Toreros.
 
USD came out of the gate strong, matching the Longhorns point for point up to an 11-11 tie in the first set before UT put together a 6-2 run to create a comfortable lead. USD put together its best hitting percentage of the match at .217 but it was still no match for UT's blazing .400 clip in the opening frame. The Toreros held off two set points before the Longhorns eventually took the first set, 25-19.
 
Texas jumped out to an early 10-4 lead before the Toreros battled back to within four. A 6-1 run gave UT a commanding 20-11 lead and the Longhorns never looked back, taking the second set, 25-15 and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
It looked as if it would be more of the same in the final set with Texas leading 14-8 midway through the frame. USD put together a run of its own, sparked by back-to-back kills from Frohling and outscoring UT, 7-2 to pull within one point, 15-16. However, the Longhorns closed out the set and the match with nine straight points to make it 25-15 and secure the sweep.
 
Next up, the Toreros will remain in Austin for a neutral contest against UTSA on Saturday at 12 p.m. PT.