No. 2 San Diego (22-1, 13-0 WCC)  •  Saint Mary's (7-14, 4-9 WCC)  •  Pacific

November 10 & 12 | Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) • San Diego, California

Live Stream  •  WCC Network | Live Statistics  • USDToreros.com

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SAN DIEGO — No. 2 San Diego volleyball (22-1, 13-0 WCC) is set to return home for its final two regular-season home matches of 2022 this week, hosting Saint Mary's (7-14, 4-9 WCC) and Pacific in the Jenny Craig Pavilion as it continues West Coast Conference play.

The Toreros will get their week started on Thursday evening with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against the Gaels, then will wrap up their regular-season home schedule on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. opposite Pacific.

Both matches will be streamed live on the WCC Network, with Jack Cronin (Thursday) and Braden Surprenant (Saturday) on the calls. Live statistics will be provided on USDToreros.com.
Thursday night's contest marks the Toreros' ALZTOGETHER match as the team raises money for the Alzheimer's Association and the fight against the disease. Saturday is USD's Senior Day. The Toreros are set to honor six players: Breana Edwards, Gabby Goddard, Grace Frohling, Annie Benbow, and Katie Lukes.

CHASING HISTORY
• San Diego enters Thursday night's match on a 19-game win streak, which is tied for the longest win streak in USD volleyball history.

• Nineteen wins in a row has been achieved by two other Torero teams: 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 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.

• A win over Saint Mary's on Thursday would give this year's squad 20 in a row, which would mark the longest win streak in San Diego volleyball history.

• It's a stretch that dates back to September 3rd's 3-0 sweep of No. 8 Ohio State at the Cardinal Classic.

• San Diego, which last dropped a set on September 24 in its 3-2 win over Loyola Marymount, has won 34 sets in a row entering Thursday night's action.

• USD has swept each of its last 11 matches (September 29 at Gonzaga, October 1 at Portland, October 6 versus San Francisco, October 8 versus 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, and November 5 at San Francisco), and has won in straight sets in 17 of its 23 total contests so far this season.

• 11 of San Diego's 13 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 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*

*Denotes WCC opponent

THEY'VE NEVER BEEN RANKED HIGHER THAN THIS
• USD maintained the highest national ranking in program history on Monday afternoon (November 7), checking in at No. 2 in the AVCA Division I Women's Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week and the third time ever after winning its 19th consecutive match last 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 13 Top 5 rankings and 28 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

USD'S HIGHEST ALL-TIME AVCA TOP 25 RANKINGS
1.  No. 2 - Current Ranking - 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
• 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. 2 San Diego has one match remaining on its schedule against a team currently in the AVCA Top 25 — November 22 at No. 18 BYU, which marks the Toreros' final contest of the 2022 regular season.

• 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.

• USD is slated to play at Pepperdine — which has been nationally ranked on multiple occasions and received 17 votes in November 7th's poll — on November 19.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAINT MARY'S
• The Toreros are 57-14 against the Gaels all-time and have won each of their last seven matchups with Saint Mary's.

• San Diego and SMC last met on October 15, a 3-0 USD sweep in Moraga.

• The Toreros are 29-6 all-time at home against Saint Mary's and last lost to the Gaels in the JCP on September 20, 2018.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PACIFIC
• The Toreros are 18-1 against the Tigers all-time, with the two teams' last meeting on October 13, a 3-0 USD sweep in Stockton.

• San Diego is 8-0 all time at home against the Tigers and has never lost to Pacific at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

GABBY BLOSSOM NAMED WCC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Graduate setter Gabby Blossom has been named the WCC Offensive Player of the Week after leading No. 2 San Diego volleyball to another two sweeps last weekend at Santa Clara and San Francisco, the West Coast Conference announced on Monday afternoon. She is the seventh Torero to earn WCC Player of the Week honors in 2022, which marks the most selections of any West Coast Conference program this season.

• The Penn State transfer kept the Toreros' offense among the best in the country in that span, racking up 80 assists (13.33 A/S) and two service aces in just six sets across in two 3-0 wins over the Broncos and Dons. Under Blossom's direction last week San Diego hit a blistering .352 with 95 kills to just 25 errors, marking the best team hitting percentage in the conference in that timeframe.

• The St. Louis, Missouri native got her week started with 45 assists against Santa Clara at the Leavey Center, which tied her third-highest assist total in 23 matches so far this season. She added another 35 on Saturday against San Francisco at War Memorial Gym, also chipping in a pair of service aces.

• Her total of 80 assists last week was second in the WCC only to Loyola Marymount's Isabella Bareford, who had 84 across eight sets (two more than Blossom).

• For the season Blossom is averaging a conference-best 11.33 assists per set, a mark that ranks eighth in the nation and is nearly an entire assist (0.75) higher than the next closest WCC player.

• She has made an immediate impact for USD since arriving in San Diego over the summer from Penn State, racking up a team-best 884 assists and 200 digs.

• Blossom'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 21 of San Diego's 23 matches in 2022, also ranks second on the USD roster with 23 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
October 27............................................................Reached 4,000 career assists
November 7……………………...…..............WCC Offensive Player of The Week

ONE KILL AWAY
• Graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards' next kill will mark the 1,500th of her college career.

• Edwards, who joined USD in the offseason as a transfer from Indiana with 1,266 kills, now has 1,499 after recording 233 so far this season and needs just 1 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.

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, entering this weekend's action with 1,457 career digs, which stands alone as the third-most in USD volleyball history.

• With eight more she will pass Jackie Bernardin's second-place total of 1,464, and with 33 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 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.

• The Frisco, Texas native has totaled 292 digs and 3.74 digs per set so far this season, marks that lead the Toreros and rank fifth and fourth in the West Coast Conference, respectively.

• Benbow, who has racked up 15 or more digs on seven occasions so far this season, has also recorded 17 service aces, which rank fifth 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 21 matches as a RS senior in 2022...............292 digs (team-high)

Total...................................................................................................1,457 digs

SAN DIEGO VOLLEYBALL - CAREER DIGS
1. Hunter Jennings....................................................................1489 (2013-16)
2. Jackie Bernardin....................................................................1464 (2003-05)
3. Annie Benbow...................................................................1457 (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)

OFFENSIVE PRECISION
• Led by five players hitting .300 or better, San Diego volleyball has posted a strong .295 team hitting percentage through 23 games so far in 2022, a mark that ranks 5th nationally.

• Sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner leads all USD hitters with a .366 average, followed by senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling (.332), junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell (.329) and redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes (.300).

•That group has combined for 805 of the Toreros' 1077 total kills so far 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 .151 hitting percentage that leads the WCC and ranks 8th nationally.

• Blackwell has been at the center of USD's dominant defense this season, leading San Diego with 1.37 blocks per set, which ranks 18th nationally.

• After adding five last week in a pair of sweeps against Portland and Gonzaga, she now has 107 total blocks (19 solo) so far in 2022, which leads USD, rank second in the WCC, and is 66th nationally.

• The San Diego, California native (La Jolla High School)'s dominance hasn't been limited to defense — she's totaled 134 kills through 23 matches so far in 2022 and is averaging 1.72 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 65 blocks (six solo) through 22 matches for a 0.90 blocks per set average in 72 frames that ranks second on the USD roster behind only Blackwell.

• She too has provided well-rounded play. Her .366 hitting percentage leads USD and her 121 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.

LUKES LEADS THE WAY
• Redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes continued to anchor the San Diego offense last weekend, erupting for 32 kills across back-to-back sweeps of Santa Clara and San Francisco that marked the Toreros' 18th and 19th consecutive wins.

• The San Clemente, California native got her week started with 19 kills on Thursday against the Leavey Center, hitting at a strong .394 clip alongside eight digs and a pair of block assists.

• Lukes added another 13 kills to wrap up her week on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Gym, also contributing seven digs and a block assist.

• Her fifth kill on October 29 versus Gonzaga gave her 1,200 for her career, and she enters Thursday night's action with 1,244.

• For the season Lukes leads the Toreros with 311 total kills and 4.04 kills per set, marks that rank fifth and third in the WCC, respectively.

• She has also added 13 service aces, eight assists, 37 blocks (two solo), and 143 digs in 2022, which ranks third 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 12 of the Toreros' last 14 matches. Both matches that she didn't lead in kills, she ranked second.

• 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.

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 for her team lead with 25 service aces and ranks second on the USD roster with 239 kills (3.06 kills per set) while hitting .332, racking up 10 or more kills in 12 of San Diego's 23 matches so far.

• On the defensive side of things, she's chipped in 61 blocks (five solo), which rank third amongst her teammates, and 65 digs, which rank sixth.

• She set forth a characteristically well-rounded performance last week at Santa Clara and San Francisco, recording 10 kills (.421), two digs, an assist, and a block on Thursday against the Broncos before leading Saturday's match opposite the Dons with 15 kills while hitting a robust .667 to go with an assist, a service ace, two digs, a solo block, and four block assists.

• 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

EDWARDS EXCELLING IN SAN DIEGO 
• Graduate transfer outside hitter Breana Edwards has gotten out to a hot start as a Torero, racking up 233 kills through 23 matches (76 sets) so far at USD after joining the team from Indiana in the offseason. Her kill total (233) and kills per set average (3.07) rank third and second on the San Diego roster, respectively, behind only two-time WCC Offensive Player of the Week Katie Lukes and Frohling, who earned WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors on August 29.

• The Rainier, Oregon native continued her strong season last week against Portland and Gonzaga, combining for 12 kills while hitting .200 across six sets.

• She now has 1,499 kills for her career across 108 matches at Indiana and 23 more at USD, putting her just one kill away from 1,500.

• Only LaManda Mounts, (1,503, 1994-1997), Devon Forster (1,886, 2001-2004), and Petia Yanchulova (1,892, 1996-1999) have reached 1,500 while wearing a USD uniform.

OTHER MILESTONES TO WATCH
• Katie Lukes (1,244 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. Ali Troost ................................................................................1267 (2007-10)
10. Katie Lukes..........................................................................1,244 (2018-Present)

• Head coach Jennifer Petrie reached 450 wins on August 28 versus Hawaii, and now has 472, leaving her 28 away from the 500-win mark.

ACES FOR ALLEN
• Junior libero Madi Allen is tied with Frohling for the USD lead with 25 service aces so far in 2022, a mark that ranks 11th in the West Coast Conference.

• Allen, a native of nearby Temecula, California who attended Great Oak High School, has also tallied 142 digs, which rank fourth amongst her teammates, as well as 21 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.

LAST TIME OUT - November 3
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — (Leavey Center) - No. 2 San Diego 3, Santa Clara 0
• First Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-16

• Second Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-22

• Third Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-16

Notable:
• Lukes led the Toreros in kills for the fifth consecutive match, tying her season-high with 19 of them while hitting .394 and adding eight digs and two block assists.

• Frohling was next with 10 kills (.421) alongside an assist, two digs, and a block assist.

• Blackwell hit a robust .571 while racking up nine kills and the match's lone
solo block.

• Stoner (.462) added seven kills to go with a dig and a match-high four block assists.

• Blossom totaled 45 assists for the second time in three matches, also contributing seven digs and a block assist. It's the 10th time in 22 San Diego matches she has recorded 40 or more.

• The St. Louis, Missouri native has set forth 30 assists or more in 20 of the Toreros' 22 matches so far in 2022, including a season-high 53 in USD's 3-2 win over No. 6 Pitt on August 26.

• Allen set a new season high with four service aces to go with five digs.

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

LAST TIME OUT - November 5
SAN FRANCISCO — (War Memorial Gym) - No. 2 San Diego 3, San Francisco 0
• First Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-18

• Second Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-19

• Third Set - No. 2 San Diego, 25-18

Notable:
• 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.

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.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• Over the last 20 seasons, San Diego is 240-45 at home in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, good for a remarkable .842 winning percentage.

• USD is 13-0 at home so far this season