SAN DIEGO — A career-high 17 kills while hitting a remarkable .739 from Leyla Blackwell led No. 3 San Diego (28-1, 18-0 WCC) past Northern Colorado (22-9, 13-3 Big Sky) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, beating the Bears 3-1 before a crowd of 2,667 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion to advance to a second-round matchup with seven-seed Washington State on Friday night.

USD took the first two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-14, dropped the third set 25-21, then rallied for a dominant and decisive 25-11 win in the fourth to secure a 3-1 victory over UNC in the match that marked its 25th in a row.

Blackwell's career night headlined a balanced offensive attack that saw three other USD players tally 10 or more kills. San Diego out-hit Northern Colorado .394 to .313 in the match and dominated the Bears on the defensive end, with 10.5 total blocks to UNC's 2.0.

The win marked USD's first in the NCAA Tournament since April 14, 2021, when the Toreros beat Texas A&M - Corpus Christi in Omaha, Nebraska in the first round as as part of the modified 2020-2021 schedule.

It was San Diego's first match and postseason win in the JCP since December 7, 2013, when USD swept Arizona 3-0 in the second round to advance to the fourth and most recent Regional Semifinal in program history.

San Diego is now 5-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches at the JCP, with one win in 2022, two wins in 2013, and two wins in 2004.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - No. 3 San Diego, 25-21

• Back-and-forth play characterized the opening stages of Thursday night's match, culminating in a 7-7 tie.
• Back-to-back kills from graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards followed to push San Diego ahead, 9-7.
• USD fell behind in the middle portion of the frame and trailed as late as 21-20 before a kill from senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling and a bad UNC set tied the frame at 21.
• Junior libero/defensive specialist Madi Allen then found her mark with a clutch service ace, giving the Toreros a late 22-21 lead they would not relinquish.
• Another pair of back-to-back kills — this time from Blackwell — sandwiched a Northern Colorado timeout to bring the first frame to set point at 24-21, then a UNC attack error ended it, giving USD a 25-21 win in the first that put it ahead 1-0 in the match over Northern Colorado.

First Set Notables:

• Frohling: Five kills (.364)
• Blackwell: Four kills (.571) and one solo block
• Edwards: Three kills (.200), one dig, and one solo block
• Redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow: Five digs
• Graduate setter Gabby Blossom: 16 assists
• Allen: Two digs and a service ace
• USD: Finished the first set on a 6-0 run

Second Set - No. 3 San Diego, 25-14

• After Northern Colorado struck first to make it 1-0, San Diego picked up right where it left off in Thursday night's second set, beginning the frame on an 8-1 run that featured a combo block from Blackwell and Blossom, a kill from Blackwell, back-to-back combo blocks from Blackwell and Frohling, and another kill from Blackwell.
• UNC'S initial point marked the only time USD trailed in the second set. It led throughout the frame, and stretched its lead to as many as 12 down the stretch at 22-10 on yet another combo block from Blackwell and Frohling.
• A kill from sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner brought the frame to set point at 24-13, then a kill from redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes sealed a 25-14 decision in San Diego's favor, pushing the Toreros up 2-0 in the match over the Bears.

Second Set Notables:

• Blackwell: Six kills (.750), one assist, and five block assists
• Frohling: Two kills, (.400), and four block assists
• Blossom: Nine assists, two digs, and a block assist
• Benbow: Three digs

Third Set - Northern Colorado, 25-21

• A service ace from Allen gave USD a 3-1 lead early on in Thursday night's third set, but Northern Colorado quickly rallied back to establish an advantage of their own at 9-8.
• A pair of service aces down the stretch from Benbow and junior outside hitter Kylie Pries kept things close, but San Diego wouldn't lead again.
• Blackwell found her mark with another kill to bring USD back within one at 21-20 before the Bears finished strong to secure a 25-21 win in the third set to get on the board and move the match score to 2-1, San Diego.

Third Set Notables:

• Blackwell: Three kills (1.000) and a block assist
• Edwards: Three kills (.750) and a dig
• Stoner: Two kills (.333), a dig, and a solo block
• Blossom: 11 assists and five digs
• Benbow: Five digs, a service ace, and an assist
• Pries: One service ace
• Allen: One dig and one service ace

Fourth Set - No. 3 San Diego, 25-11

• USD bounced back from its third-set defeat by opening the fourth frame on a blistering 13-3 run.
• The early surge of points featured three kills from Blackwell, three kills from Lukes, one kill from Edwards, and a block assist from Blackwell and Frohling.
• San Diego, which never trailed or tied the Bears in the set, stretched its lead to 12 down the stretch on yet another Blackwell kill, then sealed a convincing 25-11 win in Thursday's fourth and final set with a kill from Lukes, earning the Toreros a 3-1 victory over Northern Colorado in the match to advance USD to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Fourth Set Notables:

• Lukes: Six kills (.455) and five digs
• Blackwell: Four kills (.800) and a block assist
• Edwards: Four kills (.364) and a dig
• Frohling: One kill (.333) and a block assist
• Blossom: 13 assists and two digs
• Benbow: Six digs

TORERO TIDBITS

• Blackwell led USD with a career-high 17 kills and .739 hitting percentage.
• She also added one assist, a solo block , and a match-high seven block assists.
• Edwards and Lukes each tallied 12 kills, with Edwards hitting .367 and Lukes hitting .175.
• Edwards had three digs, a solo block and a block assist to go with her 12 kills, while Lukes added nine digs.
• Frohling was next with 10 kills (.286), two digs, and six block assists.
• Stoner recorded five kills (.182), a dig, and a solo block.
• Blossom notched 49 assists, one service ace, nine digs, and a block assist.
• She has tallied 30 assists or more in 26 of San Diego's 29 matches in 2022, including 40 or more on 13 occasions, and 50 or more three times.
• Benbow led the match with 19 digs, also chipping in a service ace and an assist.
• Allen added four digs and tied the match high with two service aces.
• USD has now won a program-record 25 consecutive matches dating back to September 3rd's sweep of No. 8 Ohio State in Louisville as part of the Cardinal Classic.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are set to take on seven-seed Washington State on Friday night in the Jenny Craig Pavilion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.