No. 3 San Diego (27-1, 18-0 WCC)  •  Northern Colorado (22-8, 13-3 Big Sky)

December 1 | Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) • San Diego, California

Television  •  ESPN+ | Live Statistics  • NCAA.com

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

SAN DIEGO — With a 24-match win streak, a WCC Championship, and a No. 2 national seed under its belt, No. 3 San Diego volleyball is set to host its first NCAA Tournament match in nearly a decade on Thursday night, welcoming Northern Colorado into the Jenny Craig Pavilion for a first-round contest.

Thursday night's match is set to get started at 7:30 p.m. PST, and will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Braden Surprenant on the call. 

Live statistics will be available on NCAA.com.

HOME SWEET HOST
• San Diego earned the right to host first and second-round NCAA Tournament matches on Sunday, when it received a No. 2 seed during the NCAA Women's Volleyball Selection Show on ESPNU. The two-seed marks the highest NCAA Tournament placement in program history, topping 2013, when USD earned a nine-seed.

• It's just the fifth time in program history that the Toreros have played host to the NCAA Tournament in San Diego. USD has hosted twice in the Sports Center (1996 and 1997), and twice in the JCP (2004 and 2013).

• Also playing a first-round NCAA Tournament match at the JCP this week are UNLV and seven-seed Washington State. That contest is scheduled to precede the Toreros' Thursday evening game and begin at 5:00 p.m. on December 1.

• Should San Diego defeat Northern Colorado on Thursday, it will play the winner of UNLV vs. Washington State on Friday (December 2) at 7:30 p.m. in the JCP.

BACK ATOP THE WCC
• San Diego volleyball on November 19 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 secured the Toreros a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th consecutive season, and marked the 26th postseason appearance in program history.

PERFECT
• With a decisive 3-1 sweep at No. 18 BYU on November 22, San Diego secured a perfect 18-0 record in WCC play.

• It's just the second time in program history that USD has gone undefeated in WCC matches after the 2004 team went 14-0 (24-5 overall) before advancing to San Diego's first-ever regional semifinal appearance.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY 
• This year's appearance in the NCAA Tournament is the 26th in USD history. The Toreros have advanced to the postseason 25 times in the last 27 years and are 21-25 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches.

• USD has reached an NCAA Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16) on four occasions: 2004, 2006, 2013, and 2018.

• Each of those Sweet 16 appearances have come under head coach Jennifer Petrie, who has advanced USD to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 13 seasons (21 total NCAA Appearances) while amassing a 474-164 (.742) record.

• USD's most recent appearance in the tournament came last December in Austin, Texas at the University of Texas' Gregory Gymnasium. The Toreros fell in the first round by a score of 3-0 to Rice.

• San Diego's most recent NCAA Tournament win came on April 14, 2021 as part of the modified 2020-2021 schedule, a 3-0 USD win over  Texas A&M - Corpus Christi in Omaha, Nebraska in the first round.

• The Toreros last played an NCAA Tournament match inside the JCP on December 7, 2013, a second-round 3-0 sweep of Arizona, a win that advanced USD to the fourth and most recent Regional Semifinal in program history.

• San Diego is 4-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, with two wins in 2004 (New Mexico State and No. 21 Arizona) and two wins in 2013 (UC Santa Barbara and Arizona).

• USD was 1-1 in NCAA Tournament matches at the Sports Center, with a loss to Arizona in 1996 and a win over Kansas State in 1997.

HISTORIC RUN CONTINUES
• San Diego enters Thursday night's action on a 24-match win streak, the longest in program history and the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.

• 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 swept 19 of its 28 regular-season matches 2022, including sweeps in 13 of 18 WCC matches.

• The Toreros' 25-8 win over San Francisco 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 swept all but five WCC matches and nine overall contests so far this season.

• Just seven teams (No. 6 Pitt, No. 3 Louisville, Utah, San Diego State, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, and No. 18 BYU) 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

ANOTHER WEEK IN THE NATION'S TOP 3
• USD remained in the nation's top three teams on Monday afternoon (November 28), checking in at No. 3 in the AVCA Division I Women's Coaches Poll.

• It's the second time this season that the Toreros have been ranked No. 3 (October 24).

• San Diego tied the highest ranking in program history on October 31 when it reached No. 2 in the country for just the second time ever. USD held strong at No. 2 for four consecutive weeks (October 31 to November 21) before falling back to No. 3 this week. 

• 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 in five consecutive weeks from September 19 to October 17.

• USD continued to move up on October 24, when it ascended to No. 3. Another rise to No. 2 followed on October 31, where San Diego remained until this week.

• This week marked the first time all season that USD has dropped in the AVCA Top 25.

• The Toreros have been nationally ranked in each of their last 25 seasons, including 16 Top 5 rankings and 31 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
Week 14 (November 28)...................................................................No. 3

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

2.  No. 3 -  Current Ranking - November 28, 2022 and 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

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) • No. 18 BYU - November 22 (3-1 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 November 19 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.

JENNIFER PETRIE NAMED WCC COACH OF THE YEAR
• After leading USD to the best regular-season performance of her 24-year USD career thus far, head coach Jennifer Petrie was named the WCC Coach of the Year on Monday as part of the conference's end of year honors, which saw seven USD players earn 10 different accolades.

• USD's .964 overall winning percentage through 28 regular-season matches is the highest of any team Petrie has coached since taking over the Toreros in 2000.

• This year's 18-0 WCC record marked just the second time one of her teams has gone undefeated in conference play (2004).

• It's her seventh WCC Coach of the Year honor (2004, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019, and 2022) in 24 years at the helm in San Diego.

KATIE LUKES NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• Lukes, a redshirt senior outside hitter, is the 10th Torero in program history to be named the WCC Player of the Year and USD's first conference player of the year since 2017, when setter Kristen Gengenbacher earned the honor. 

• Her selection marks the 12th time a San Diego player has been selected after Ali Troost (2009 and 2010), and USD Athletics Hall of Famer Petia Yanchulova (1998 and 1999) were recognized twice.

• The San Clemente, California native set forth perhaps the finest season of her USD career thus far in 2022, totaling a team-high 364 kills and 3.79 kills per set while hitting .282 through 28 regular-season matches (96 sets), continuing her nearly five-year tenure as one of the WCC's most fearsome offensive players. 

• Twice named the WCC Offensive Player of the Week (September 19 and October 24), she tallied 15 or more kills on 13 occasions, led USD in kills 18 times, and was tied for the team lead in kills twice. 

• To go with her potent offense, Lukes also added 13 assists, 13 service aces, 177 digs, and 56 total blocks (two solo).

• Lukes, who was also named to the All-WCC First Team on Monday, was a 2021 AVCA Pacific South All-Region selection, a 2021 All-WCC First Team selection, a 2021 WCC All-Academic First Team selection, a two-time All-WCC Second Team selection (2019, 2020-21, and a member of the 2018 All-WCC Freshman Team in addition to three career WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors. 

• She reached the 1,200-kill mark earlier this season and with 1,297 for her career, she currently ranks one kill shy of eighth-most all-time at USD. 

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.........................................................1,297 (2018-Present)
10. Ali Troost .............................................................................1267 (2007-10)

LUKES' ACCOLADES IN 2022
August 24.........................................................................WCC Preseason Team
September 9..............................................................Reached 1,000 career kills
September 19.................................................WCC Offensive Player of the Week
October 24......................................................WCC Offensive Player of the Week
October 29.................................................................Reached 1,200 career kills
November 22.........................................Reached 9th-most kills all-time at USD
November 28...................................................................WCC Player of the Year
November 28........................................................................All-WCC First Team

GABBY BLOSSOM NAMED WCC SETTER OF THE YEAR 
• Blossom, a graduate transfer from Penn State who joined USD this spring, is just the second San Diego player to be named WCC Setter of the Year after Anna Newsome won it in 2019, and was also named to the All-WCC First Team. 

• She led both USD and the WCC with an average of 11.20 assists per set in 2022, a mark that ranked 10th nationally after 28 regular-season matches. 

• Her 1,086 total assists in 2022 also led USD and the WCC (56th nationally). She tallied 30 assists or more in 25 of San Diego's 28 matches in 2022, including 40 or more on 12 occasions, and 50 or more three times.

• The St. Louis, Missouri native finished the regular-season with 29 service aces, one behind senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling's team-high 30.

• Blossom, who on November 7 became the only setter to earn WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors this year, also racked up 251 digs, 39 blocks (two solo), and 15 kills in 2022. 

• Under Blossom's direction, the USD offense hit .290 as a group this year, which placed them second in the conference and ninth in the country.

• She was named the Texas A&M Invitational MVP on August 28, a Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team member on September 4, the USD Invitational MVP on September 12, and reached 4,000 career assists on October 27.

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
November 28...................................................................WCC Setter of the Year

ANNIE BENBOW NAMED WCC LIBERO OF THE YEAR
• Benbow, a redshirt senior, is the first Torero to be named WCC Libero of the Year since the award was instituted in 2019 and was also named to the All-WCC Second Team. 

• The Frisco, Texas, native led USD with 358 total digs and an average of 3.69 digs per set in 2022, marks that ranked fifth in the WCC. 

• She racked up 15 or more digs on eight occasions in 28 regular-season matches in 2022, including a season-high 21 vs. No. 6 Pitt in the first game of the regular season on August 26, and 20 at No. 18 BYU in the last game of regular season on November 22.

• Named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week on October 24, she also added 79 assists this year. 

• Benbow was named to the 2022 All-WCC Preseason Team on August 24, and was a 2021 All-WCC First Team member and a 2019 All-WCC Honorable Mention prior to 2022. 

• On November 17, she became San Diego's all-time digs leader, passing Hunter Jennings' (2013-16) mark of 1,489. 

BENBOW'S ACCOLADES IN 2022
August 24.........................................................................WCC Preseason Team
October 24.....................................................WCC Defensive Player of the Week
November 17.................................................Became USD's all-time digs leader
November 28...................................................................WCC Libero of the Year
November 28........................................................................ All-WCC First Team

BLACKWELL AND FROHLING NAMED TO ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
• Blackwell continued her reign as the West Coast Conference's most dominant defensive player in 2022, finishing tied for the league lead with 141 total blocks (25th nationally) and a WCC-high 21 solo blocks and 1.45 blocks per set, which also ranked 12th nationally.

• The junior middle blocker also added 181 kills (1.87 K/S) while hitting .346, which led USD. Blackwell was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team on August 24, was named to the All-WCC First Team in 2021 and is a five-time WCC Defensive Player of the Week.

BLACKWELL'S ACCOLADES IN 2022
August 29......................................................WCC Defensive Player of The Week
November 14.................................................WCC Defensive Player of The Week
November 28........................................................................ All-WCC First Team

• Frohling, a senior opposite/setter, was named to the All-WCC First team after a well-rounded 2022 campaign that saw her tally 292 kills (3.01 K/S) while hitting .322 to go with 12 assists, a team-high 30 service aces, 85 block assists (six solo), and 81 digs. 

• Frohling is a four-time All-WCC First Team selection (2019, 2020-21, 2021, 2022), 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
October 1...................................................................Reached 1,000 career kills
November 17............................................................. Reached 1,100 career kills
November 28........................................................................ All-WCC First Team

BREANA EDWARDS NAMED TO ALL-WCC SECOND TEAM
• Edwards, a graduate outside hitter, earned All-WCC second team honors alongside Benbow after notching 301 total kills and 3.24 kills per set in the 2022 regular season, which ranked second on the USD roster behind Lukes. 

• She hit .261 across 28 matches (93 sets), and added an assist, a service ace, and 38 total blocks (nine solo). 

• She became one of just four Toreros to reach 1,500 kills in a USD uniform on November 10.

STONER NAMED ALL-WCC HONORABLE MENTION
• Stoner, a sophomore middle blocker, was named an All-WCC Honorable Mention after posting a dynamic defensive campaign behind Blackwell, one that saw her record 84 total blocks (10 solo) for an average of 1.04 blocks per set. 

• She also added 136 kills while hitting .312 in 2022 for an average of 1.51 kills per set, eight assists, 10 service aces, and 32 digs. 

• Stoner was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team in 2021 and is a two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Week (September 26 and November 23).

OFFENSIVE PRECISION
• Led by five players hitting .280 or better, San Diego volleyball has posted a strong .290 team hitting percentage through 28 games so far in 2022, a mark that ranks 9th nationally.

• Junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell leads all USD hitters with a .346 average, followed by senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling (.322), sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner (.312), redshirt senior middle blocker Gabby Goddard (.290), and redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes (.282).

• That group has combined for 988 of the Toreros' 1,320 total kills so far this season.

DYNAMIC DEFENSE
• San Diego has ranked among the country's leaders in overall defense in 2022, limiting opponents to a minuscule .150 hitting percentage that leads the WCC and ranks seventh nationally.

• USD's average of 2.75 blocks per set lead the WCC and ranked sixth nationally.

ACES FOR ALLEN
• Junior libero Madi Allen ranks third on the USD roster with 28 service aces so far in 2022, a mark that was just two off the USD lead and ranks 18th in the West Coast Conference.

• Allen, a native of nearby Temecula, California who attended Great Oak High School, has also tallied 166 digs, which rank fourth amongst her teammates, as well as 23 assists and three 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.

• She added another eight digs, a service ace, and a kill in the two teams' second meeting of 2022 in Provo on November 22.

LAST TIME OUT - November 22 
PROVO, Utah — (Smith Fieldhouse) - No. 2 San Diego 3, No. 18 BYU 1
• First Set - No. 18 BYU, 25-21

• Second Set - No. 2 USD, 25-19

• Third Set - No. 2 USD, 25-22

• Fourth Set - No. 2 USD, 25-22

Notable:
• Edwards led the match with 18 kills (.484), which marked a season-high and her most as a Torero.

• Frohling was next with 13 kills (.205), one service ace, six digs, one solo block, and four block assists.

• Blackwell had 12 kills (.320) to go with a match-high seven total blocks (one solo).

• Lukes set forth nine kills (.048), seven digs, and two block assists.

• Stoner had five kills (.214), one assist, one service ace, one solo block, and two block assists.

• Blossom led the match with 50 assists, also adding a service ace, 13 digs, and a block assist.

• Tuesday night marked the third time so far this season she has set forth 50 assists or more, and was just three off her season-high of 53 she set on August 26 in USD's 3-2 win over No. 6 Pitt.

• Benbow led the match with 20 digs, also adding a service ace and four assists.

• Allen notched eight digs, a service ace, and a kill.

• The Toreros' win over BYU on November 22 moved their final 2022 West Coast Conference record to 18-0.

• It's just the second time in program history that USD has gone undefeated in WCC play after the 2004 team went 14-0 (24-5 overall) before advancing to San Diego's first-ever regional semifinal appearance.

• USD has now won a program-record 24 consecutive matches dating back to September 3rd's sweep of No. 8 Ohio State in Louisville as part of the Cardinal Classic.