No. 4 San Diego (17-1, 8-0 WCC)  •  No. 17 BYU (14-4, 7-1 WCC)

October 21 | Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) • San Diego, California

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SAN DIEGO — With a pair of top-five rankings and 14 consecutive wins under its belt, No. 4 San Diego volleyball (17-1, 8-0 WCC) is set to take on No. 17 BYU (14-4, 7-1 WCC) on Friday night, hosting the Cougars at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in what marks a crucial and highly anticipated West Coast Conference clash between a pair of rival programs.

Friday evening's match will get underway at 7:00 p.m., and will be streamed live on the WCC Network with David Gentile on the call.

Live statistics will be provided on USDToreros.com.

NCAA VOLLEYBALL COMMITTEE PLACES TOREROS THIRD
• The NCAA Division I Volleyball Committee on October 2 released its Top 10 teams for results through October 1, 2022, placing San Diego third behind Texas and Louisville.

• The committee is tasked with determining NCAA postseason seeding for the 64-team tournament field, in addition to regional sites and hosts.

NCAA D-I VOLLEYBALL COMMITTEE - 2022 TOP 10 TEAMS THROUGH OCTOBER 1
1. Texas
2. Louisville
3. San Diego
4. Nebraska
5. Pittsburgh
6. Ohio State
7. Oregon
8. Stanford
9. Purdue
10. Minnesota

• San Diego has beaten two teams on the committee's top 10 list — Pitt on August 26 (3-2) and Ohio State on September 3 (3-0).

• USD's lone loss so far this season came at the hands of Louisville, which ranks second on the Top 10 and dealt the Toreros a tough 3-1 decision on September 2 as part of the Cardinal Classic.

FIVE CONSECUTIVE WEEKS IN THE NATION'S TOP FIVE
• USD held fast at No. 4 in Monday's (October 17)'s AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll for the fifth straight week.

• No. 4 marks the Toreros' best placement since September 16, 2013, when San Diego reached the highest national ranking in program history (No. 2).

• Monday's placement remains the second-highest ranking in program history (details below)

USD'S HIGHEST ALL-TIME AVCA TOP 25 RANKINGS
1.  No. 2 - September 16, 2013

2.  No. 4 - Current Ranking - Sept. 19, Sept.  26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10, and October 17, 2022 (Five times)

3.  No. 5 - October 3, 2016 - October 24, 2016 (Four times)

4.  No. 6 - September 26, 2016

5.  No. 7 - September 19, 2016

6.  No. 8 - Seven times (Once this season, six times in 2013)
          • Most recent: September 12, 2022

7.   No. 9 - Six times (four in 2013, two in 2017)
          • Most recent: November 27, 2017

8. No. 10 - September 12, 2016

• San Diego, which got as high as No. 19 last season, began 2022 at No. 25 (preseason) and moved up in each subsequent poll before sticking at No. 4 in five straight weeks (September 19-October 17).

USD IN THE 2022 AVCA TOP 25 - WEEK BY WEEK
Preseason (August 15)  No. 25
Week One (August 29) No. 15
Week Two (Sept. 5) No. 12
Week Three (Sept. 12) No. 8
Week Five (Sept. 19)  No. 4
Week Six (Sept. 26)   No. 4
Week Seven (October 3) No. 4
Week Eight (October 10) No. 4
Week Nine (October 17) No. 4

• The Toreros have been nationally ranked in each of their last 25 seasons, including 10 Top 5 rankings and 25 total placements in the nation's Top 10.

HITTING THEIR STRIDE
• San Diego enters Friday night's action on a 14-game win streak, a stretch that dates back to September 3rd's 3-0 sweep of No. 8 Ohio State at the Cardinal Classic.

• USD has swept each of its last six matches (September 29 at Gonzaga, October 1 at Portland, October 6 versus San Francisco, October 8 versus Santa Clara, October 13 at Pacific, and October 15 at Saint Mary's), and has won in straight sets in 12 of its 18 total contests so far this season. Six of San Diego's eight WCC wins in 2022 have been sweeps.

• The Toreros' 25-8 win over the Dons in the third set on October 6 marked San Diego's largest margin of victory so far this season (17 points), besting USD's 14-point, 25-11 win in the second set of its sweep of Saint Mary's in Moraga on October 15.

• San Diego last lost a set on September 24 in its 3-2 win over Loyola Marymount.

SAN DIEGO SWEEPS IN 2022
• August 27 at Texas A&M
• August 28 vs. RV Hawaii (neutral site)
• September 3 vs. No. 8 Ohio State (neutral site)
• September 9 vs. SMU
• September 9 vs. UConn
• September 16 vs. RV UCLA
• September 29 at Gonzaga*
• October 1 at Portland*
• October 6 vs. San Francisco*
• October 8 vs. Santa Clara*
• October 13 at Pacific*
• October 15 at Saint Mary's*

*Denotes WCC opponent

TOUGH COMPETITION
• Five of No. 4 San Diego's 2022 opponents were ranked when USD played them, or are currently ranked in October 17th's AVCA Coaches Poll.

Those teams are…

• No. 6 Pitt - August 26 (3-2 USD win)
• No. 3 Louisville - September 2 (3-1 USD loss)
• No. 8 Ohio State  - September 3 (3-0 USD win)
• No. 17 Pepperdine - September 22 (3-1 USD win) and November 19*
• No. 17 BYU - October 21 and November 22

*Pepperdine is currently ranked No. 22 in the AVCA Top 25

• Hawaii, which the Toreros swept on August 28, Utah, which San Diego beat 3-2 on September 10 and UCLA, which San Diego swept on September 16, were all receiving votes at the time USD played them, receiving 48, 50, and 44 votes in those weeks, respectively.

• September 22nd's win over No. 17 Pepperdine marked USD's third win over a Top 25 opponent this season. The Toreros are 3-1 against such teams, and are 2-1 against the AVCA's top five.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• Over the last 20 seasons, San Diego is 237-45 at home in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, good for a remarkable .840 winning percentage.

• USD is 9-0 at home so far this season

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BYU
• The Toreros are 10-14 against the Cougars all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming on November 23, 2021, a tough 3-1 USD loss to then-No. 4 BYU in the JCP on San Diego's 2021 Senior Night.

• A win on Friday would snap a four-game losing streak to Brigham Young.

HOME TURF
• San Diego is 7-6 against the Cougars at home dating back to 1992, and most recently beat BYU at the JCP on November 11, 2019, a 3-2 win over the then-tenth-ranked Cougars.

FLIP THE SCRIPT
• This week's matchup marks a reversal of sorts for the two teams ranking-wise, with No. 4 San Diego currently holding the same No. 4 ranking that BYU held the last time the programs faced off (11/23/21).

COUGAR CONSISTENCY
• Counting this Friday's match, 17 of the last 19 matchups between the Toreros and BYU have come with the Cougars in the AVCA Top 25, including each of the last 16 times the two programs have played prior to Friday.

HIGH STANDARDS
• Nine of the last 20 matches between USD and BYU have come with both teams nationally ranked, most recently on October 22, 2021 — a 3-0 Cougar sweep in Provo when San Diego was No. 21 and Brigham Young was No. 8.

NOT AN UNDERDOG
• The Toreros have defeated BYU eight times when they are a ranked opponent, including wins over the Cougars when they are ranked No. 13 (November 2012), No. 21 (November 2013), No. 9 (October 2014), No. 11 (September 2016), No. 8 (October 2017), No. 9 (October 2019), and No. 10 (November 2019).

• San Diego was ranked itself in just two of those wins (November 2012 and November 2019).

• Friday's match marks the first meeting between the two teams with USD ranked higher than BYU since October 1, 2011, when the Toreros were at No. 18 and the Cougars were unranked. San Diego swept that match 3-0 at the JCP.

OFFENSIVE PRECISION
• Led by four players hitting .280 or better, San Diego volleyball has posted a strong .280 team hitting percentage through 18 games so far in 2022, a mark that ranks 15th nationally.

• Sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner leads all USD hitters with a .363 average, followed by senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling (.326), junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell (.295), and redshirt senior Katie Lukes (.286).

• Collectively, that group has amassed more than 614 kills this season.

BLACKWELL AND STONER HEADLINE DYNAMIC USD DEFENSE
• Led by junior outside hitter Leyla Blackwell and sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner, San Diego has ranked among the country's leaders in overall defense, limiting opponents to a minuscule .153 hitting percentage that leads the WCC and ranks 9th nationally.

• Blackwell has been at the center of USD's dominant defense this season, leading San Diego with 1.41 blocks per set, which ranks 14th nationally.

• After adding five over the weekend at Pacific (four) and Saint Mary's (one), she now has 89 total blocks (14 solo) so far in 2022, which rank first in the WCC and 35th nationally.

• The San Diego, California native (La Jolla High School)'s dominance hasn't been limited to defense — she's totaled an even 100 kills through 18 matches so far in 2022 and is averaging 1.59 kills per set.

•An All-WCC First Team selection in 2021, Blackwell was one of three Toreros named to the 2022 WCC Preseason Team on August 24 and earned her fourth career WCC Defensive Player of the Week honor on August 29.

• Stoner has also played a key role in San Diego's defensive dominance, totaling 54 blocks (six solo) through 17 matches for a 0.95 blocks per set average through 57 frames that ranks second on the USD roster behind only Blackwell.

• A native of nearby San Marcos, California (Mission Hills High School), Stoner earned her first WCC Defensive Player of the Week honor on September 26 and was a member of the All-WCC Freshman Team in 2021.

BLOSSOM SETS THE TONE
• Graduate transfer setter Gabby Blossom has made an immediate impact for USD since arriving in San Diego over the summer from Penn State, racking up a team-best 683 assists, 165 digs, and a conference-high 10.56 assists per set through all 18 of the Toreros' matches thus far, which also ranks 15th nationally.

• Blossom was at the center of No. 4 San Diego's success last weekend, directing the Torero offense to a pair of sweeps as she racked up 65 assists, a remarkable 10.83 assists per set, and four service aces across a pair of matches at Pacific and Saint Mary's.

• The St. Louis, Missouri native set forth 24 assists (8.00 A/S) and a service ace on Thursday night against the Tigers in USD's 3-0 win, then erupted for 41 assists (13.67 A/S) and three service aces on Saturday afternoon in the Toreros' three-set victory over the Gaels.

• With her at setter across six sets last week, USD hit .361 as a group and recorded 79 kills to just 23 errors.

• Blossom, who has tallied 30 assists or more in 16 of San Diego's 18 matches in 2022, leads her team with 683 total assists so far this season and has the highest assist per set average (10.84) in the West Coast Conference. She is also tied for the USD lead with 20 service aces.

BLOSSOM'S ACCOLADES IN 2022
August 28..............................................................Texas A&M Invitational MVP
September 4...........................................Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team
September 12..................................................................USD Invitational MVP

LUKES LEADS THE WAY
• Redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes continued to anchor the San Diego offense last weekend, erupting for 30 kills across back-to-back sweeps at Pacific and Saint Mary's that marked the Toreros' 13th and 14th consecutive wins.

• The San Clemente, California native got her week started with 11 kills on Thursday against the Tigers, hitting at a strong .409 clip for an average of 3.67 kills per set in her team's 3-0 win at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

• Lukes then finished the week with one of her finest performances to date this season, racking up a match and season-high 19 kills against the Gaels, hitting a remarkable .586 for an average of 6.33 kills per set in USD's sixth straight sweep. For the season Lukes leads the Toreros with 232 total kills and 3.74 kills per set, marks that rank fifth and fourth in the WCC, respectively.

• She has also added nine service aces, seven assists, 32 blocks (two solo), and 103 digs in 2022, which ranks fourth on the USD roster and is the most of any non-setter/libero/defensive specialist.

• Lukes has now either led or been tied for the team lead in kills in nine of the Toreros' last 10 matches. The lone match in which she did not lead USD in kills she was just one point shy of teammate Grace Frohling (October 8 vs. Santa Clara), and she has led eight of USD's last 10 matches in kills.

FROHLING FLOURISHING 
• Senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling has complemented Blackwell and Stoner's lights-out defense, Blossom's veteran presence at setter, and Lukes' high-octane offense with superb all-around play of her own so far this season.

• The Los Angeles, California native is tied leads her team with 20 service aces and ranks second on the USD roster with 187 kills (2.97 kills per set) while hitting .326, racking up 10 or more kills in nine of San Diego's 18 matches so far.

• On the defensive side of things, she's chipped in 49 blocks (four solo), which rank third amongst her teammates, and 54 digs, which rank sixth.

• She finished her week with a characteristically well-rounded performance last Saturday at Saint Mary's, setting forth eight kills (.417), two service aces, and three digs for a total of 10 points.

• Frohling is a three-time All-WCC First Team selection (2019, 2020-21, 2021), was named to the AVCA Pacific South All-Region Team in 2021, and was selected to the 2022 Women's College National Team this past offseason.

FROHLING'S ACCOLADES IN 2022
August 24.........................................................................WCC Preseason Team

August 28......................................................Texas A&M All-Tournament Team

August 29......................................................WCC Offensive Player of the Week

August 30......................................................AVCA National Player of the Week

September 4...........................................Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team

September 12....................................... USD Invitational All-Tournament Team

EDWARDS EXCELLING IN SAN DIEGO 
• Graduate transfer outside hitter Breana Edwards has gotten out to a hot start as a Torero, racking up 185 kills through 18 matches (61 sets) so far at USD after joining the team from Indiana in the offseason. Her kill total (185) and kills per set average (3.03) both rank third on the San Diego roster.

• The Rainier, Oregon native continued her strong start over the weekend at Pacific and Saint Mary's setting forth 18 kills while hitting .286

• Edwards got the weekend started strong with 11 kills against the Tigers while hitting .360, then added another seven kills while hitting .176 against the Gaels.

BENBOW CLIMBS ALL-TIME DIGS LEADERBOARD
• Amid a flurry of offseason additions for the Toreros, redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow has continued to shine as part of a dominant San Diego defense, most recently adding a team-high 21 digs across two road matches at Pacific and Saint Mary's.

• The Frisco, Texas native led both of USD's matches in digs last week, setting forth eight alongside four assists and a service ace against the Tigers on Thursday before chipping in another 13 digs against the Gaels on Saturday.

• For the season she's totaled a team-high 224 digs and 3.56 digs per set, has 45 assists, and has recorded 15 service aces, which rank fifth on the USD roster.

• Benbow, a 2021 All-WCC First Team selection and a 2019 All-WCC Honorable Mention, was one of three Toreros named to the 2022 WCC Volleyball Preseason Team in August.

• She enters this weekend's action with 1,389 career digs, which stands alone as the third-most in USD volleyball history.

• Benbow's six digs on September 29 at Gonzaga pushed her past LaManda Mounts' mark of 1,334 (1994-1997) and tied the graduate student with C'era Olivera's fourth-place total of 1,337 (2010-2013).

• On October 1 at Portland, she moved up another spot on San Diego's all-time digs list, passing 2005 USD Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Petia Yanchulova's total of 1,341 to move into sole possession of the third-most digs in program history with 1,344.

• With 75 more she will pass Jackie Bernardin's second-place total of 1,464, and with 100 more she will pass Hunter Jennings' San Diego-record total of 1,489 (2013-2016) to become USD's all-time digs leader.

BENBOW'S DIGS OVER THE YEARS
As a freshman (2018)............................................................................156 digs

As a sophomore (2019).....................................................397 digs (team-high)

As a junior (2020-2021)...................................................................... 179 digs

As a senior: (2021)............................................................ 433 digs (team-high)

Through 18 matches as a RS senior in 2022.........224 digs (team-high)

Total................................................................................................... 1,389 digs

SAN DIEGO VOLLEYBALL - CAREER DIGS
1. Hunter Jennings....................................................................1489 (2013-16)
2. Jackie Bernardin....................................................................1464 (2003-05)
3. Annie Benbow………………………………1389 (2018-pres.)
4. Petia Yanchulova....................................................................1341 (1996-99)
5. C'era Oliveira..........................................................................1337 (2010-13)
6. LaManda Mounts...................................................................1334 (1994-97)
7. Kristen Hurst .........................................................................1226 (2001-04)
8. Andrea Csaszi ........................................................................1202 (2006-08)
9. Devon Forster ........................................................................1189 (2001-04)
10. Lindsey Sherburne...............................................................1179 (2002-05)

OTHER MILESTONES TO WATCH
• Both Katie Lukes (September 9 vs. SMU) and Grace Frohling (October 1 at Portland) hit 1,000 career kills earlier this season and could finish 2022 among San Diego's top 10 all-time kill leaders.

• Lukes (1,138 career kills) would need 90 more to move into the top 10, while Frohling (1,036) would need 192.

• Blossom, who transferred to USD from Penn State with 3,271 career assists, now has 3,954 after notching 683 so far this season and needs just 46 more to reach 4,000, something just two players have done while wearing a San Diego uniform.

• Katie Lindquist (1996-1999) finished her USD career with 4,402, which ranks second all-time in Torero history, and Lindsey Sherburne (2002-2005), San Diego's all-time assists leader, finished with 5,961.

• Edwards, who joined USD from Indiana with 1,266 kills, now has 1,451 after recording 185 so far this season and needs just 49 more to reach 1,500, something just three players have done while wearing a San Diego uniform.

• LaManda Mounts (1994-1997) ranks third in USD history with 1,503, Devon Forster (2001-2004) is second with 1,886) and Petia Yanchulova (1996-1999), a USD Athletics Hall of Famer and the Toreros' all-time kills leader, finished with 1,892.

• Head coach Jennifer Petrie reached 450 wins on August 28 at Hawaii, and now has 467, leaving her 33 away from the 500-win mark.

ACES FOR ALLEN
• Junior libero Madi Allen has tallied the second-most aces on the San Diego roster thus far in 2022 with 18, ranking behind only Frohling and Blossom (20).

• Allen, a native of nearby Temecula, California who attended Great Oak High School, has also tallied 108 digs, which rank third amongst her teammates, as well as 17 assists and two kills.

• She joined USD in the offseason from conference rival BYU, where she totaled 570 digs, 211 assists, 53 points, 47 service aces, and six kills across 163 total sets with the Cougars, earned three WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors and was selected to the All-WCC Second Team as a freshman in 2021, and played in six NCAA Tournament matches, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021.

PRIES ERUPTS FOR FIVE ACES
• Junior outside hitter Kylie Pries had a match and career-high five service aces last Saturday (10/15) alongside two digs, marking the most service aces by a San Diego player this season and the second-most aces that any active Torero has accumulated in one match (Grace Frohling, Six, 11/2/19 vs. Saint Mary's).

HOLDING THE STANDARD
• San Diego won 20 games in 2021 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight year, marking the 25th postseason appearance in USD volleyball history.

LAST TIME OUT
Stockton, Calif. — October 13 - No. 4 San Diego 3, Pacific 0
• First Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-17
• Second Set - No. 4 San Diego, 23-23
• Third Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-15

Notable:
• Lukes (.409) and Edwards (.360) tied for the team-high with 11 kills each.

• Lukes added an assist and a dig, while Edwards chipped in a dig and a block assist.

• Frohling was next with six kills (.188), two digs and two block assists.

• Stoner hit .000 but still registered three kills, two assists, a solo block, and a block assist.

• Blackwell led the charge for San Diego on the defensive front, tallying four block assists and a solo block alongside a pair of kills (1.000).

• Blossom led the match in both assists (24) and digs (nine) while adding a service ace and two block assists.

• Benbow chipped in eight digs, four assists, and her first kill of the season.

• Freshman libero/defensive specialist Olivia Bennett had two digs.

Moraga, Calif. — October 15 - No. 4 San Diego 3, Saint Mary's 0
• First Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-22
• Second Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-11
• Third Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-15

Notable:
• Lukes paced October 15th's match with 19 kills, hitting .586 as she added an assist, a service ace, and two digs.

• She has now either led or been tied for the team lead in kills in nine of the Toreros' last 10 matches. The lone match in which she did not lead USD in kills she was just one point shy of teammate Grace Frohling (October 8 vs. Santa Clara). Lukes has led the match as a whole in kills in eight of USD's last 10 contests.

• Frohling was next with eight kills while hitting .417, chipping in a pair of service aces to go with three digs.

• Stoner tallied seven kills while hitting a match-best .667, also contributing two block assists.

• Blackwell rounded out San Diego's scoring with four kills (.286) to go with a single block assist.

• Blossom recorded a match-high 41 kills alongside three service aces, two digs, and three block assists. She has totaled 30 or more assists in 15 of the Toreros' 17 matches so far in 2022, including a season-high 53 in San Diego's 3-2 win over No. 8 Pitt on August 26.

• Benbow had a match-high 13 digs and two assists.

• Bennett totaled six digs on October 15, just one shy of her career high of seven that she set back on August 28 versus Hawaii.

• Pries had a match and career-high five service aces alongside two digs. It's the most service aces by a San Diego player this season and is the second-most aces that any active Torero has accumulated in one match (Grace Frohling, Six, 11/2/19 vs. Saint Mary's).

• USD out-hit the Gaels .440 to .260.

• San Diego has now won 14 consecutive matches, a stint that dates back to September 3rd's sweep of No. 8 Ohio State at the Cardinal Classic.

• The Toreros have swept each of their last six matches in a row. USD last lost a set in September 24th's 3-2 win over Loyola Marymount.

• San Diego has won in straight sets in 12 of its 17 matches so far in 2022.