SAN DIEGO — No. 12 San Diego volleyball (7-1, 0-0 WCC) earned its fourth consecutive win in gritty fashion on Friday night, powering past Utah (6-3 0-0 Pac-12) in five sets at the Jenny Craig Pavilion to close out the USD Invitational behind a match-high 16 kills from Grace Frohling and a remarkable 20 total team blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One - Utah, 25-22

• USD jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead after a pair of attack errors from the Utes and a kill from Frohling (senior opposite/setter), but the visitors quickly rallied to tie it.
• Back-and-forth play ensued all the way up to a 9-9 tie, a score that was achieved after redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes notched a kill.
• San Diego then fell behind, trailing by as many as six before the Toreros reeled the Utes back in and cut the deficit to just two on a kill from sophomore outside hitter Haylee Stoner (Mission Hills High School) and a Utah attack error.
• That would be as close as USD would get, however, suffering a 25-22 defeat in Saturday night's opening frame to fall behind 1-0 in the match.

First Set Notables:

• Lukes: Four kills (.154)
• Stoner: Three kills (.750)
• Blossom: Seven assists
• Junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell (La Jolla High School): Five block assists
• Lukes and redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow: Four digs each.

Set Two - No. 12 San Diego 25, Utah 15

• San Diego wasted no time in responding to its first-set loss, overcoming another early deficit by ripping off seven straight points to take a 12-7 lead.
• The thrilling run featured both two kills from Frohling, four attack errors from the Utes, and a bad Utah set, giving the Toreros a lead they would not relinquish.
• Frohling continued to lead the way down the stretch as San Diego continued to create distance, recording three more kills and a pair of service aces to complement kills from Stoner and junior outside hitter Kylie Pries.
• USD led by as many as 11 as the set wound down, eventually closing things out in emphatic fashion behind a pair of powerful kills from graduate transfer (Indiana) outside hitter Breana Edwards to seal a dominant 25-15 win and even the match at one set apiece.

Second Set Notables:

• Frohling: Seven kills (.700)
• Stoner: Three kills (.750)
• Blossom: 12 assists
• Blackwell: Two blocks (one solo)
• Benbow, Blossom, and junior libero Madi Allen: Two digs apiece

Set Three - No. 12 San Diego, 25-18

• The Toreros picked up right where they left off in the third, battling back and forth with Utah up to a 7-7 tie before Stoner pushed USD ahead with a service ace.
• Two more ties ensued at 9-9 and 10-10, but both were quickly broken by more kills from Frohling and Edwards to give the Toreros an 11-10 lead.
• USD wouldn't trail again from that point on, building an extensive advantage via back-to-back service aces from Benbow, a service ace from Stoner, a kill from Pries, and a handful of errors committed by the Utes.
• The San Diego lead stretched to six points later in the set before a pair of Utah errors sandwiched a clutch kill from Pries to earn USD a 25-18 victory in the third frame that pushed it ahead 2-1 in the match.

Third Set Notables:

• Edwards: Five kills (.571)
• Frohling and Pries: Two kills apiece
• Benbow: Two service aces and four digs
• Blossom Three block assists
• Allen: Three digs

Set Four - Utah, 25-17

• The Utes raced to an early lead and never looked back in the fourth set, stretching their advantage to as many as seven at 9-2 before San Diego began to chip away.
• A kill from Stoner and a Utah error brought USD back within three at 11-8, but the Utes again pulled away to make it 19-10.
• Edwards got the Toreros as close as 24-17 with a kill as they battled to launch a late-set comeback, but Utah closed it out with one of its own a point later to take the set by a score of 25-18 and send the match to a decisive fifth set.

Fourth Set Notables:

• Stoner and Lukes: Three kills apiece (.750 and .286)
• Blossom: Nine assists
• Stoner: Two block assists
• Benbow and Lukes: Nine digs

Set Five - No. 12 San Diego - 15-9

• With an energized Jenny Craig Pavilion crowd on their feet, the Toreros began their bid to close things out, powered by three kills from Frohling early on in the frame to take a 3-2 lead.
• A clutch service ace from Benbow then made it 4-2 before Utah struck back on a service error and a pair of kills to knot the set at five.
• Stoner stepped up with a big kill to push USD back in front at 6-5, then Edwards added another for a 7-5 San Diego advantage.
• Five unanswered Torero points came next — a service ace from junior setter Alex Hoglund, three more kills from Edwards, and a Utah attack error — making it 12-7 in favor of USD.
• The Utes kept things interesting with two final points to make it 12-9 before San Diego pulled ahead for good, securing a 15-9 win in the set for a gritty, hard-fought 3-2 victory in the match to conclude play in the USD Invitational with clutch kill from Blackwell and two more Utah attack errors.

Fifth Set Notables:

• Edwards: Four kills (1.000)
• Blossom: Six assists
• Allen: Four digs
• Blackwell, Stoner, Frohling, and Edwards: One block assist

TORERO TIDBITS

• Frohling led the match with 16 kills (.256), also adding five digs, four block assists, and two service aces.
• Edwards was just behind with 14 kills while hitting .423, chipping in with two block assists and two digs of her own.
• Stoner set a new career high in kills with 10 while hitting a match-best .474 alongside seven block assists (one solo), a dig, and a service ace.
• Lukes was next with seven kills while hitting .074, contributing eight digs, five block assists, and an assist.
• Pries had four kills while hitting .250 to go with two digs and a service ace.
• Blackwell led the match with nine block assists (two solo), also adding two kills.
• Blossom had a match-high 44 kills, marking her eighth consecutive contest with 30 or more to begin her USD career alongside nine digs and a service ace.
• Benbow led the match in both digs (15) and service aces (three), also recording three assists for good measure.
• Allen wasn't too far behind with 11 digs and three assists of her own.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will remain at home next weekend to host No. 22 UCLA and crosstown rival San Diego State in the JCP. First serve on Friday against the Bruins is set for 7 p.m.