SAN FRANCISCO — Senior Grace Frohling set forth her most kills on more than a month on Saturday afternoon at San Francisco, racking up a match-high 15 as No. 2 San Diego volleyball (22-1, 13-0 WCC) took down the Dons (13-12, 6-8 WCC) 3-0 for its program-record-tying 19th consecutive win and 11th straight sweep.

The Toreros earned a 25-18 win in the first set, secured a 25-19 victory in the second, and finished strong with another 25-18 win in the third. Frohling (opposite/setter) hit a blistering .667 at War Memorial Gym, one of four USD players with hitting percentages of .300 or higher as San Diego out-hit San Francisco .357 to 0.95 and out-blocked the Dons 9-6.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-18

• San Francisco struck first with a kill for an early 1-0 lead to begin Saturday afternoon's match but the Toreros quickly responded, establishing a 4-2 lead with a surge that was punctuated by a service ace from Frohling.
• San Diego's lead remained modest until the middle stages of the frame, when Frohling made it a five-point advantage with a kill at 12-7.
• She kept it at five a few points later with another kill to make it 15-10, then graduate setter Gabby Blossom found her mark with a service ace to put USD up by six.
• Three kills from redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes and a bad Dons set followed to end it, earning USD a 25-18 win in the first that pushed the Toreros up 1-0 in the match.

First Set Notables:

• Frohling: Seven kills (.700), one assist, one service ace, and one dig
• Lukes: Five kills (.444), three digs, and one block assist
• Junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell: Two kills (.667) and a block assist
• Blossom: 13 assists, one service ace, and one dig
• Junior libero Madi Allen: Three digs

Second Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-19

• Saturday afternoon's second set also began close, with the two teams trading points up to an 8-8 tie.
• The Dons briefly pulled ahead at 9-8 before Frohling hammered another kill home to tie it.
• A pair of blocks — one of the solo variety from Blackwell and a combo effort from Frohling and Blackwell — put USD back in front at 11-9, but San Francisco kept fighting and rallied to take another lead.
• More back-and-forth play ensued, culminating in a 15-15 deadlock ahead of a pair of errors from the Dons that put the Toreros ahead for good at 17-15.
• Two kills from graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards helped maintain San Diego's lead down the stretch, then Frohling and Lukes teamed up for four more kills to push USD to a 25-19 win in the second that gave it a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

Second Set Notables:

• Frohling: Four kills (.800) and two block assists
• Lukes: Four kills (.133) and two digs
• Blackwell: One kill (.000), two solo blocks, and one block assist
• Stoner: Two kills (.200) and a block assist.
• Edwards: Two kills (.400)
• Blossom: 10 assists and two digs
• Allen: Three digs
• Redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow: Seven digs

Third Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-18

• San Diego fell behind 1-0 to open up Saturday's third and final set but never trailed again, evening the score twice on kills from Lukes and Frohling before an error from the Dons and another kill from Frohling put USD up 4-2.
• A service ace from Blossom made it a three-point San Diego advantage at 9-6, then a combo block from Blackwell and Frohling made it six points at 13-7.
• San Francisco fought back to make it as close as two points down the stretch at 19-17, but two block assists (Blackwell and Frohling and Edwards and Blackwell) paired with one final kill from Frohling brought the contest to match point at 24-18.
• A solo block from Frohling followed to finish it, earning San Diego its 11th straight sweep and 19th consecutive win with a 25-18 decision in the third over San Francisco at War Memorial Gymnasium.

Third Set Notables:

• Frohling: Four kills (.500), one dig, one solo block, and two block assists
• Lukes: Four kills (.071), and two digs
• Stoner: Three kills (1.000)
• Blackwell: Two kills (.400), one assist, two digs, and three block assists
• Blossom: 12 assists, one service ace, and four digs
• Benbow: Six digs and an assist
• Allen: One assist and one digs

TORERO TIDBITS

• Frohling paced the match with 15 kills while hitting .667, also adding an assist, a service ace, two digs, a solo block, and four block assists for a total of 19 points.
• Lukes was just behind with 13 kills while hitting .184, chipping in seven digs and a block assist for a total of 13.5 points.
• Edwards hit .400 and had six kills, putting her just one kill away from reaching 1,500 for her career, a mark just three players have reached while wearing a San Diego uniform.
• Blackwell (La Jolla High School) paced the defense with seven total blocks (two solo), also hitting .364 with five kills alongside an assist and a trio of digs.
• Stoner (Mission Hills High School) matched Blackwell's kill total with five of her own in addition to a block assist.
• Blossom racked up 35 assists to go with a team-high two service aces, also adding seven digs.
• The St. Louis, Missouri native has set forth 30 assists or more in 21 of the Toreros' 23 matches so far in 2022, including a season-high 53 in USD's 3-2 win over No. 6 Pitt on August 26.
• Benbow led USD with 13 digs and two assists.
• Allen had seven digs and an assist.
• San Diego has now won 19 consecutive matches, including 11 straight sweeps. They have been victorious in each of their last 31 sets in a row dating back to September 24th's five-set win over Loyola Marymount, and their lone loss so far this season came at the hands of then-No. 3 Louisville at the Cardinal Classic on September 2.
• USD's win on Saturday tied the longest win streak in San Diego volleyball history (19 matches), which has been accomplished twice before: once in 1997 and once in 2004.
• 1997's team went 26-4 (13-1 WCC) and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament under former head coach Sue Synder.
• 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.
• That group remains the only Torero volleyball team to finish undefeated in West Coast Conference play and is one of just four to reach a Regional Semifinal, something San Diego last accomplished in 2018.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are set to return home next week for their final homestand of the regular season. First serve on Thursday night against Saint Mary's at the Jenny Craig Pavilion is set for 7:00 p.m.