LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Fresh off an ascendant weekend that saw it topple then-No. 6 Pitt enroute to a sweep of the Texas A&M Invitational, No. 15 San Diego volleyball is back on the road in Louisville on Friday and Saturday for another two matchups with ranked opponents at the Cardinal Classic. The Toreros' weekend action at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena will begin on Friday evening at 4 p.m. PST against host No. 3 Louisville, followed by a clash with No. 8 Ohio State at 2 p.m. PST on Saturday afternoon.

Both matches will be streamed live, with Friday's match broadcast on ACC Network Extra before Saturday's is made available on FloSports. Live statistics will be provided on GoCards.com.

HIGHEST RANKING IN MORE THAN FOUR YEARS

• USD checked in at No. 15 in Monday's AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, the Toreros' highest ranking since August of 2018, when San Diego landed at No. 14 in that year's preseason poll.

• San Diego, which got as high as No. 19 last season, began 2022 at No. 25.

• The Toreros have been nationally ranked in each of their last 25 seasons.

BIGGEST REGULAR-SEASON WIN IN MORE THAN TWO YEARS

• San Diego's victory over the Panthers last weekend (August 26) marked the first time USD has taken down a Top 10 team since the Toreros beat conference rival No. 9 BYU on the road in Provo on October 18, 2019.

• Additionally, No. 6 Pitt is the highest-ranked opponent USD has defeated since the Toreros beat No. 1 USC on September 13, 2013 in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• The Toreros have beaten 36 ranked opponents in the last 13 seasons. Prior to last weekend's victory over No. 6 Pitt, USD's most recent win over a team in the AVCA Top 25 was on September 9, 2021, when San Diego defeated No. 17 UCLA at the JCP in its 2021 home opener.

MONSTER WEEK FOR FROHLING EARNS SENIOR FLURRY OF ACCOLADES

• After leading San Diego to a clean sweep of the Texas A&M Invitational last weekend, opposite/setter Grace Frohling was recognized with a trio of awards, including a selection as the AVCA National Player of the Week, the West Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week, and a spot on the Texas A&M Invitational All-Tournament Team.

• The Los Angeles, California native totaled 35 kills across three matches and 11 sets played at Reed Arena from August 26-28, tallying a match-high 19 against the No. 6 Panthers, six against the Aggies, and 10 against the Rainbow Wahine. She also added two assists, a service ace, five digs, and nine block assists. Frohling is averaging 3.18 kills per set so far this season and is hitting a team-best .382.

• Frohling's efforts in College Station were rewarded with a chance to "take over" the official NCAA Women's Volleyball Instagram story on Friday. Fans can follow along with Grace on @NCAAVolleyball.

BLACKWELL NAMED WCC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week after a dynamic performance at the Texas A&M Invitational, the West Coast Conference announced on Monday morning.• The San Diego, California native (La Jolla High School) racked up a team-high 25 blocks (three solo) in College Station, setting forth six blocks (two solo) against the Panthers, eight block assists against the Aggies, and eight blocks (one solo) against the Rainbow Wahine. Blackwell, who also chipped in four digs on the weekend, is averaging a team-best 2.27 blocks per set so far in 2022.

• Blackwell, who transferred to USD from Indiana for the 2021 season, was a three-time WCC Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2021 before she was named to the All-WCC First Team. In late August, she was one of four Toreros selected to the 2022 All-WCC Preseason Team.

TRANSFERS MAKE SPLASH IN SAN DIEGO DEBUTS

• Setter Gabby Blossom, outside hitter Breana Edwards, and libero Madi Allen all set forth big performances last weekend at Reed Arena, making instant impacts in their respective San Diego debuts.

• Blossom, a graduate transfer from Penn State, where she accumulated more than 3,200 assists and 860 digs, was named the Texas A&M Invitational's Most Valuable Player after totaling 118 assists (10.73 assists per match) across all 11 sets in the event, also adding four service aces, three block assists, and 29 digs.

• Edwards, also a graduate transfer from Indiana, where she totaled 1,266 kills, 181 total blocks, and 27 aces, was the only USD player to best reigning WCC Offensive/AVCA National Player of the Week Grace Frohling's kill total (35) last weekend with 36 of her own.

• The Rainer, Oregon native averaged a team-high 3.59 kills per set in College Station, also chipping in an assist, five digs, and seven block assists.

• Allen, a junior transfer from conference rival BYU, with whom she earned three WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors and was selected to the All-WCC Second Team as a freshman in 2021, accumulated 19 digs (1.73 D/S), three assists, and a team-best six service aces over the weekend at Reed Arena.

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.

TOUGH COMPETITION

• Five of San Diego's 2022 opponents were ranked in August 29th's AVCA Coaches Poll

Those teams are…

• No. 10 Pitt - August 26 (3-2 USD win w/Pitt ranked No. 6)

• No. 3 Louisville - September 2

• No. 8 Ohio State  - September 3

• No. 23 UCLA - September 16

• No. 7 BYU - October 21 and November 22

• Utah, which San Diego plays in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on September 10, was not ranked in week one but received 102 votes, the most of any unranked team.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST LOUISVILLE

• The Toreros and the Cardinals have previously met just one time — in the second round of the COVID-19-altered 2020-2021 season's NCAA Tournament.

• The match, which was held at a neutral site (Omaha, Nebraska) saw then-No. 13 Louisville defeat then No. 21 San Diego by a 3-1 margin.

LAST TIME OUT

• USD swept its way through the Texas A&M Invitational at Reed Arena last time out, beating No. 6 Pitt 3-2 (August 26) before sweeping host Texas A&M and Hawaii on August 27 and 28.

AUGUST 26 - No. 25 USD 3, No. 6 Pitt 2

• First Set - (No. 25 San Diego, 25-23)

• Second Set - (No. 6 Pitt, 25-13)

• Third Set - (No. 25 San Diego, 25-17)

• Fourth Set - (No. 6 Pitt, 26-24)

• Fifth Set - (No. 25 San Diego, 15-8)

AUGUST 27 - No. 25 USD 3, Texas A&M 0

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

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

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

AUGUST 28 - No. 25 USD 3, Hawaii 0

• First Set - (No. 25 San Diego 25, Hawaii 18)

• Second Set - (No. 25 San Diego 25, Hawaii 21)

• Third Set - (No. 25 San Diego 25, Hawaii 23)