No. 2 San Diego (26-1, 17-0 WCC)  •  No. 18 BYU (21-5, 15-2 WCC)

November 22 | Smith Fieldhouse (5,000) • Provo, Utah

Television  •  ESPNU | Live Statistics  • BYUCougars.com

Social  •  Facebook.com/USDVolleyball  •  Twitter.com/USDVolleyball  •  Instagram.com/USDVolleyball


PROVO, Utah — No. 2 San Diego volleyball (26-1, 17-0 WCC) will finish its 2022 regular-season schedule at rival No. 18 BYU (21-5, 15-2 WCC) on Tuesday night, putting both its 23-match win streak and a shot at the second undefeated West Coast Conference record in program history on the line at the Smith Fieldhouse.

Tuesday night's match is set to get underway at 7:00 p.m. PST, and will be televised nationally on ESPNU with Paul Sunderland and Kevin Barnett on the call.

Live statistics will be provided on BYUCougars.com.

BACK ATOP THE WCC
• San Diego volleyball on Saturday clinched the 12th West Coast Conference Championship in program history, beating Pepperdine 3-1 at the Firestone Fieldhouse to bring home the WCC trophy for the first time since 2019.

• San Diego's 2022 WCC Championship secures the Toreros a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th consecutive season, and will mark the 26th postseason appearance in program history.

IN PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
• With a perfect 17-0 WCC record entering Tuesday night's action, USD has a chance to secure just the second undefeated conference season in program history with a win over the Cougars.

• The Toreros have gone undefeated in WCC play just once before: in 2004. That year the team went 24-5 overall and 14-0 in WCC play before advancing to San Diego's first-ever regional semifinal appearance.

HISTORIC RUN CONTINUES
• San Diego enters Tuesday night's action on a 23-match win streak, the longest in program history.

• USD's win over Saint Mary's on November 10 pushed the Toreros to 20 wins in a row, surpassing the previous mark of 19 that had been set twice (1997 and 2004).

• 1997's team went 26-4 (13-1 WCC) and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament under former head coach Sue Snyder.

• 2004's squad finished 24-5 (14-0 WCC) and reached an NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal in head coach Jennifer Petrie's sixth season at the helm in San Diego.

HOW SWEEP IT IS
• USD has swept 19 of its 27 matches so far in 2022, including sweeps in 13 of its first 17 WCC matches.

• 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.

• USD has swept all but three WCC matches and seven overall contests so far this season.

• Just six teams have taken a set from the Toreros in 2022.

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
• October 21 vs. No. 17 BYU*
• October 27 vs. Portland*
• October 29 vs. Gonzaga*
• November 3 at Santa Clara*
• November 5 at San Francisco*
• November 10 vs. Saint Mary's*
• November 12 vs. Pacific*

*Denotes WCC opponent

THEY'VE NEVER BEEN RANKED HIGHER THAN THIS
• USD maintained the highest national ranking in program history on Monday afternoon (November 21), checking in at No. 2 in the AVCA Division I Women's Coaches Poll for the fourth consecutive week and the fifth time ever after winning its 23rd consecutive match on Saturday.

• The placement is up from the No. 3 position USD moved into on October 24 after sitting at No. 4 for five straight weeks from September 19 to October 17.

• Prior to 2022 the Toreros had been ranked No. 2 just once before: on September 16, 2013. USD won the West Coast Conference that year and was one of four teams in program history to reach an NCAA Regional Semifinal before finishing with a final record of 26-4 (16-2 WCC).

• 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. The Toreros have been nationally ranked in each of their last 25 seasons, including 15 Top 5 rankings and 30 total placements in the nation's Top 10.

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 Four (Sept. 19)  ....................................................................................................................................No. 4
Week Five (Sept. 26)  .................................................................................................................. ..................No. 4
Week Six (October 3) .....................................................................................................................................No. 4
Week Seven (October 10) ..............................................................................................................................No. 4
Week Eight (October 17) ........................................................................................................... ...................No. 4
Week Nine (October 24).................................................................................................................................No. 3
Week Ten (October 31)...................................................................................................................................No. 2
Week 11 (November 7)..................................................................................................................................No. 2
Week 12 (November 14)................................................................................................................................No. 2
Week 13 (November 21).................................................................................................................No. 2

USD'S HIGHEST ALL-TIME AVCA TOP 25 RANKINGS
1.  No. 2 - Current Ranking - November 21, 2022, November 14, 2022, November 7, 2022, October 31, 2022 and September 16, 2013

2.  No. 3 - October 24, 2022

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

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

5.  No. 6 - September 26, 2016

6.  No. 7 - September 19, 2016

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

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

9. No. 10 - September 12, 2016

NCAA VOLLEYBALL COMMITTEE PLACES TOREROS FIFTH
• The NCAA Division I Volleyball Committee on October 30 released its Top 10 teams for results through October 29, 2022, placing San Diego fifth behind Texas, Louisville, Nebraska, and Pitt.

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

NCAA VOLLEYBALL COMMITTEE - 2022 TOP 10 TEAMS THROUGH OCT. 30
1. Texas
2. Louisville
3. Nebraska
4. Pitt
5. San Diego
6. Ohio State
7. Wisconsin
8. Stanford
9. Minnesota
10. Oregon

• 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.

RANKED TEAMS ON USD'S 2022 SCHEDULE SO FAR
• 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)
• No. 17 BYU - October 21 (3-0 USD win)

• Hawaii, which the Toreros swept on August 28, Utah, which San Diego beat 3-2 on September 10, UCLA, which San Diego swept on September 16, and Pepperdine, which the Toreros beat 3-1 in Malibu on Saturday to clinch the 2022 WCC Championship, were all receiving votes at the time USD played them, receiving 48, 50, 44, and six votes in those weeks, respectively.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BYU
• The Toreros are 11-14 against the Cougars all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming earlier this season on October 21, a decisive 3-0 USD sweep of then-No. 17 BYU that snapped a four-game losing streak to Brigham Young.

• San Diego is 3-8 all-time in road matches at BYU, and most recently played at the Smith Fieldhouse in October of 2021, a tough 3-0 USD loss with the Toreros ranked No. 21 and BYU ranked No. 8 that marked San Diego's first WCC loss of the season.

• The Toreros last beat BYU in Provo on October 18, 2019, when unranked USD upended the ninth-ranked Cougars 3-2.

COUGAR CONSISTENCY
• Counting this Tuesday's match, 18 of the last 20 matchups between the Toreros and BYU have come with the Cougars in the AVCA Top 25, including each of the last 17 times the two programs have played prior to Tuesday.

HIGH STANDARDS
• Ten of the last 21 matches between USD and BYU have come with both teams nationally ranked, most recently on October 21, when San Diego set forth a dominant 3-0 sweep at the JCP when USD was No. 4 and BYU was No. 17.

NOT AN UNDERDOG
• The Toreros have defeated BYU nine 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),n No. 10 (November 2019), and No. 17 (October 21).

• San Diego was ranked itself in just three of those wins (November 2012, November 2019, and October 2022).

• Tuesday's match marks just the second 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 five players hitting .290 or better, San Diego volleyball has posted a strong .292 team hitting percentage through 27 games so far in 2022, a mark that ranks 6th nationally.

• Junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell leads all USD hitters with a .347 average, followed by senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling (.329), sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner, redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes, and redshirt senior middle blocker Gabby Goddard.

•That group has combined for 949 of the Toreros' 1,262 total kills so far this season.

LUKES LEADS THE WAY
• Redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes continued to anchor the San Diego offense last weekend, setting forth 26 kills (.297) across back-to-back wins at Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine as San Diego wrapped up its 12th WCC Championship.

• The San Clemente, California native got her week started with 10 kills while hitting .152 on Thursday against the Lions at the Gersten Pavilion, also chipping in nine digs, an assists, and four block assists.

• Lukes finished the week strong on Saturday with 16 kills while hitting a robust .452 opposite the Waves at the Firestone Fieldhouse to go with two assists, five digs, and two block assists.

• Her fifth kill on October 29 versus Gonzaga gave her 1,200 for her career, and she enters Thursday night's action with 1,288, which marks the ninth-most in San Diego volleyball history.

• With 11 more kills, she will pass Amy DeGroot (2008-10)'s mark of 1,298, which ranks eighth all-time at USD.

• For the season Lukes leads the Toreros with 355 total kills and 3.86 kills per set, marks that rank fifth and third in the WCC, respectively.

• She has also added 13 service aces, 13 assists, 52 blocks (two solo), and 170 digs in 2022, which ranks third on the USD roster and is the most of any non-setter/libero/defensive specialist.

• A 2021 All-WCC First Team and AVCA Pacific South All-Region selection, she was named the WCC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career and the second time this season on October 24.

BLACKWELL AND STONER HEADLINE DYNAMIC USD DEFENSE
• Led by junior middle blocker 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 .148 hitting percentage that leads the WCC and ranks eighth nationally.

• Blackwell has been at the center of USD's dominant defense this season, leading San Diego and the WCC with 1.44 blocks per set, which ranks 11th nationally.

• After adding 13 last week in a pair of wins at Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine, she now has 134 total blocks (19 solo) so far in 2022, which leads USD, ranks second in the WCC (by two blocks), and is 35th nationally.

• The San Diego, California native (La Jolla High School)'s dominance hasn't been limited to defense — she's totaled 169 kills through 27 matches so far in 2022 and is averaging 1.82 kills per set while hitting .347.

• 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 has been named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week on two occasions this season (August 29 and November 14).

• Stoner has also played a key role in San Diego's defensive dominance, totaling 91 blocks (nine solo) through 26 matches for a 1.06 blocks per set average in 86 frames that ranks second on the USD roster behind only Blackwell.

• She erupted to tie her career high with 11 total blocks (three solo) on Saturday afternoon at Pepperdine as San Diego beat the Waves 3-1 to clinch the WCC Championship.

• Stoner, too has provided well-rounded play. Her .317 hitting percentage ranks third on the USD roster and her 131 total kills rank fifth.

• 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.

BENBOW BECOMES SAN DIEGO'S ALL-TIME DIGS LEADER
• With her 14th and final dig on Thursday night at Loyola Marymount, redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow reached 1,490 for her career, pushing her past Hunter Jennings' mark of 1,489 (2013-2016) to become USD's all-time leader.

• After adding 13 more at Pepperdine on Saturday, she enters Tuesday night's action with 1,503.

• The Frisco, Texas native has totaled 338 digs and 3.63 digs per set so far this season, marks that lead the Toreros and rank fifth in the West Coast Conference.

• Benbow, who has racked up 15 or more digs on seven occasions so far this season, has also recorded 21 service aces, which rank fourth on the USD roster.

• On October 24 she earned the first WCC Defensive Player of the Week honor of her career after setting forth 14 digs (4.67 D/S) in USD's sweep of No. 17 BYU at the JCP.

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 27 matches as a RS senior in 2022...............338 digs (team-high)
Total...................................................................................................1,503 digs

SAN DIEGO VOLLEYBALL - CAREER DIGS
1. Annie Benbow..........................................................1503 (2018-pres.)
2. Hunter Jennings....................................................................1489 (2013-16)
3. Jackie Bernardin....................................................................1464 (2003-05)
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)

BLOSSOM SETS THE TONE, REACHES 4,000 CAREER ASSISTS
• 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 1,036 assists, 238 digs, and a conference-high 11.14 assists per set through all 27 of the Toreros' matches thus far, which also ranks 12th nationally.

• Blossom was once again at the center of San Diego's success last week, directing the Torero offense to a pair of wins at Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine as she racked up 98 assists (10.89 A/S), 21 digs, one service ace, and two kills across both matches.

• The St. Louis, Missouri native's 10th assist on October 27 marked her 4,000th career assist across 382 sets at Penn State and 66 more in San Diego, making her just the third player to reach the 4,000-assist milestone while wearing a San Diego uniform behind Katie Lindquist (1996-1999, 4,402), who ranks second all-time in Torero history, and Lindsey Sherburne (2002-2005, 5,961), San Diego's all-time assists leader.

• Blossom, who has tallied 30 assists or more in 24 of San Diego's 27 matches in 2022, also ranks second the USD roster with 28 service aces, one behind senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling's 29.

BLOSSOM'S ACCOLADES IN 2022
August 28..............................................................Texas A&M Invitational MVP
September 4...........................................Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team
September 12..................................................................USD Invitational MVP
October 27............................................................Reached 4,000 career assists
November 7...................................................WCC Offensive Player of The Week

EDWARDS REACHES 1,500 CAREER KILLS
• Graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards reached the 1,500-kill mark on November 10 against Saint Mary's, placing her in an elite group of Toreros as she continues to put the finishing touches on a masterful college career.

• Edwards, who joined USD in the offseason as a transfer from Indiana with 1,266 kills, now has 1,549 after recording 283 so far this season.

• 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.

• She set forth one of her finest performances as a Torero on Senior Day opposite Pacific on November 12 at the JCP, leading USD with 13 kills while hitting a remarkable .632 for a total of 15.5 points.

• Edwards' 283 kills and 3.18 kills per set in 2022 rank second on the San Diego roster behind only two-time WCC Offensive Player of The Week Katie Lukes.

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 leads the team with  29 service aces and ranks third on the USD roster with 279 kills (3.00 kills per set) while hitting .329, racking up 10 or more kills in 14 of San Diego's 27 matches so far.

• On the defensive side of things, she's chipped in 86 blocks (five solo), which rank third amongst her teammates, and 75 digs, which rank sixth.

• She set forth a characteristically well-rounded performance last week vs. Saint Mary's and Pacific, recording 28 kills (.358), eight digs, three service aces, and 14 blocks across nine sets opposite the Lions and Waves.

• 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.

• She is one of a conference-high seven Toreros to earn a WCC Player of the Week honor this season (August 29, Offensive).

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

ACES FOR ALLEN
• Junior libero Madi Allen ranks third on the USD roster with 27 service aces so far in 2022, a mark that ranks 18th in the West Coast Conference.

• Allen, a native of nearby Temecula, California who attended Great Oak High School, has also tallied 158 digs, which rank fourth amongst her teammates, as well as 23 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.

• On October 21 she matched up with her former team for the first time and set forth a dynamic performance, totaling a season-high 12 digs and a pair of assists in San Diego's sweep of No. 17 BYU.

OTHER MILESTONES TO WATCH
• Katie Lukes (1,288 kills) entered San Diego volleyball's all-time career kills top 10 last week and could continue to move up USD's all-time leaderboard as the 2022 season progresses.

CAREER KILLS - USD
1. Petia Yanchulova....................................................................1892 (1996-99)
2. Devon Forster .......................................................................1886 (2001-04)
3. LaManda Mounts...................................................................1503 (1994-97)
4. Noel Frohman .......................................................................1498 (1999-02)
5. Christie Dawson ....................................................................1452 (2003-06)
6. Sara Gunsaulus......................................................................1444 (1994-97)
7. Nikki Wallace ........................................................................1358 (1990-93)
8. Amy DeGroot.........................................................................1298 (2008-10)
9. Katie Lukes..........................................................1,288 (2018-Present)
10. Ali Troost ..............................................................................1267 (2007-10)

• Head coach Jennifer Petrie reached 450 wins on August 28 versus Hawaii, and now has 476, leaving her 24 away from the 500-win mark.

LAST TIME OUT - November 17
LOS ANGELES — (Gersten Pavilion) - No. 2 San Diego 3, Loyola Marymount 2
• First Set - Loyola Marymount, 25-20

• Second Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-22

• Third Set - Loyola Marymount, 25-19

• Fourth Set - No. 2 San Diego, 26-24

• Fifth Set - No. 2 San Diego, 15-11

Notable:
• Frohling paced the match with 17 kills (.405), also adding an assist, a service ace, four digs, and a tied-for-team-high eight block assists.

• Blackwell was next with a career-high 14 kills (.571) and a tied-for-team-high eight block assists.

• Edwards followed with 13 kills while hitting .242 and also chipped in a dig and a block assist.

• Lukes set forth 10 kills (.152), an assist, nine digs, and four block assists.

• Stoner had four kills, one dig, and five block assists.

• Pries tallied two kills, a service ace, four digs, and three block assists.

• Blossom racked up 51 assists, which was two off the season-high 53 she had vs. No. 6 Pitt on August 26. It's just the second time this season she's posted 50 or more.

• The graduate setter also added a kill, 11 digs and two block assists.

• Benbow recorded 14 digs, which gives her 1,490 for her career. Her final dig of the evening pushed her past Hunter Jennings' total of 1,489 (2013-2016) to make her San Diego's new all-time digs leader.

• Benbow also led USD with two service aces on Thursday night, and contributed five assists, the most of any San Diego player other than Blossom.

• Bennett had four digs and an assist.

• Junior libero/defensive specialist Madi Allen had two digs.

• Thursday night's match marked just the fourth time this season that USD has played five sets (August 26 vs. No. 6 Pitt, September 10 vs. Utah, and September 24 vs. Loyola Marymount). The Toreros are undefeated in such matches.

• Thursday night's win snapped a streak of 13 consecutive San Diego sweeps.

• This year's team is one of just nine in San Diego volleyball history to win at least 25 matches.

• The Toreros' 3-2 victory at Loyola Marymount on Thursday evening guaranteed them at least a share of the 2022 WCC Championship. 


LAST TIME OUT - November 19 - No. 2 San Diego 3, Pepperdine 1
• First Set - Pepperdine, 25-22

• Second Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-19

• Third Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-20

• Fourth Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-20

Notable:
• Lukes led Saturday's match with 16 kills while hitting .432, also adding two assists, five digs, and two block assists.

• Edwards was just behind with 14 kills (.190), a dig, and a block assist.

• Blackwell had 11 kills (.455) and five block assists.

• Frohling also recorded 11 kills (.300), also adding two service aces, four digs, and six block assists.

• Stoner tallied four kills (.091) while leading the match with 11 block assists, which tied her career high. That career high of 11 was set during San Diego's matchup with Pepperdine on November 13, 2021.

• Blossom notched 47 assists, one service ace, one kill, one solo block, and four block assists.

• Redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow led the match with 13 digs.

• Freshman libero/defensive specialist Olivia Bennett tied her career high with seven digs, followed by junior libero/defensive specialist Madi Allen, who had six digs and a service ace.

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.