COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Breana Edwards and Katie Lukes combined for 23 kills alongside a match-high eight blocks from Leyla Blackwell on Saturday afternoon as No. 25 San Diego volleyball (2-0, 0-0 WCC) earned its second consecutive win to open the 2022 season, a 3-0 sweep of host Texas A&M (1-1, 0-0 SEC) at Reed Arena as part of the Texas A&M Invitational.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - (No. 25 San Diego 25, Texas A&M 17)

• The Toreros and the Aggies traded points early on before San Diego broke a 5-5 tie with a kill from graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards to pull ahead.
• USD never trailed in the set from that point onward, stretching its lead to as many as seven points at 14-7 with a kill from sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner (Mission Hills High School) before the Aggies began to regain ground.
• TAMU pulled within two at 17-15 but San Diego quickly seized control again, running the Torero lead back out to seven with a kill from Lukes, an error from the Aggies, a service ace from graduate setter Gabby Blossom, and a combo block from senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling and Blackwell (junior middle blocker) to make it 22-15 in favor of the visitors.
• A kill from Lukes concluded the opening frame and earned USD a 25-17 win, staking San Diego to a 1-0 lead in the match.

Second Set - (No. 25 San Diego 25, Texas A&M 15)

• The Aggies struck first in the second set but the Toreros again took charge without hesitation, tying the set at one after a service error from TAMU before a kill from Blackwell ran their lead out to 4-1.
• The set remained tight as it neared its midpoint, with Texas A&M pulling within one on two occasions before San Diego began to create separation in earnest.
• Kills from Frohling, Blackwell, and redshirt senior middle blocker Gabby Goddard moved the score to 15-11, USD, then combo blocks from Blackwell and Edwards, then Blossom and Blackwell made it 18-13.
• Four straight San Diego points via kills from Frohling and Blackwell, a block assist from Blackwell and Frohling, and a service ace from Blossom pushed the score to 22-13 before the Toreros secured a 25-15 win in the set with a kill from Lukes and a service ace from junior libero Madi Allen to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set - (No. 25 San Diego 25, Texas A&M 22)

• By far the contest's most hotly contested frame, the third set began as a back-and-forth affair.
• The Toreros traded points with the Aggies up to a 4-4 tie, then jumped out to a five point lead at 10-5 courtesy of a service ace from junior setter Alex Hoglund.
• A 5-0 TAMU run capped by a service ace tied the score at 10, but USD quickly answered with a kill from Edwards to regain its advantage at 11-10.
• Another back-and-forth battle ensued down the stretch in the third with the Aggies pulling within one on two occasions and as late as 21-20, but San Diego held strong and secured the sweep, beating Texas A&M 25-22 in the final frame for a 3-0 win in the match.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Lukes, a redshirt senior outside hitter from San Clemente California, led the match with 12 kills while hitting .529 to go with an assist, 10 digs, a solo block, and a block assist.
• Edwards was just one kill behind with 11 and added a dig and two block assists.
• Blackwell (La Jolla High School) posted seven kills alongside a single dig and a match-high eight blocks.
• Frohling recorded six kills, an assist and four block assists, Goddard had two, and Stoner chipped in a kill and a dig.
• Blossom contributed a match-high 32 assists, two service aces, and a match-high 14 digs.
• Redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow added six digs and an assist, and freshman libero/defensive specialist Olivia Bennett notched an assist and seven digs in her second college match.
• San Diego outhit TAMU .260 to .051 in Saturday afternoon's match.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will conclude play in the Texas A&M Invitation on Sunday morning with a matchup against Hawaii. First serve at Reed Arena is set for 8 a.m. PST. Fans can follow the action via live statistics on 12thMan.com, or by listening to Hawaii's radio broadcast online at ESPNHonolulu.com.