LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No. 15 San Diego volleyball (3-1, 0-0 WCC) dealt No. 3 Louisville (5-0, 0-0 ACC) its first set loss of the season in dominant fashion on Friday evening but could not close out a valiant fourth-set effort to extend the match, dropping a tough 3-1 decision to the Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena that marked the Toreros' first defeat of 2022. The loss came despite a match-high 17 kills from senior outside hitter Katie Lukes.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - No. 3 Louisville, 25-18

• A back and forth affair early on culminated in an 11-11 tie when senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling hammered home a kill.
• After the Cardinals jumped ahead, kills from Frohling brought USD within two points at 18-16 and 19-17, but San Diego couldn't get over the hump in the first frame, suffering a 25-18 defeat to fall behind 1-0 in the match.

Second Set - No. 15 San Diego, 25-13

• Though Louisville scored first, it was the Toreros who raced to an early lead in the second frame.
• A kill from sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner (Mission Hills High School), a service ace from redshirt senior Annie Benbow, a combo block from Stoner and Lukes, a kill from Lukes, and an attack error from Louisville pushed USD to a 5-1 advantage as the set got underway.
• The Toreros, who never trailed in the set, continued to expand their lead throughout the frame, staking themselves to a 13-7 advantage courtesy of a kill from graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards before the Indiana transfer gave San Diego a 10-point lead (its biggest of the night) later in the set to make it 22-12 in favor of the visitors.
• Louisville scored just once more in the second set after Edwards' big swing, allowing USD to rip off a trio of unanswered points to secure a 25-13 win, a decision that marked the Cardinals' first set loss of the 2022 season.

Third Set - No. 3 Louisville, 25-11

• San Diego struck first for a 1-0 lead with a kill from Grace Frohling but struggled to find its footing, falling behind by a score of 6-1 early.
• The Toreros cut the Cardinal lead to six on multiple occasions near the midpoint of the frame before falling behind by as many as 14.
• A pair of kills from Lukes down the stretch kept things interesting but proved to be too little, too late in the third set as Louisville pulled away for a 25-11 win to vault ahead 2-1 in the match.

Fourth Set - No. 3 Louisville, 26-24

• By far the match's most tightly contested set, the fourth began where the third left off — with a kill from Lukes.
• A kill from Frohling and a pair of attack errors from Louisville ensued, earning USD an early 4-1 lead.
• The Toreros maintained their early advantage up to a 9-9 tie, then fell behind by as many as three before tying it once again at 14 via a service ace from junior setter Alex Hoglund.
• Ties at 15 and 16 followed, with San Diego evening the score on an attack error from Louisville and another kill from Lukes.
• A kill from junior outside hitter Kylie Pries gave USD its biggest lead of the set at 20-16, then the Cardinals began to reel the Toreros in once again.
• After Louisville tied it at 21 with a kill, Frohling pushed San Diego back ahead with a kill of her own to make it 22-21.
• More back-and-forth play followed, with ties at 22, 23, and 24 before the Cardinals sealed a 26-24 win in the set to take the match by a 3-1 margin and deal the Toreros their first loss of 2022.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Lukes led the match with a season-high 17 kills while hitting a team-best .231 for the evening, followed by Frohling with 13, junior outside hitter Leyla Blackwell with six, Edwards with three, and Pries with two.
• Stoner and Frohling paced the USD defense with three block assists apiece, while Blackwell added two and Pries and Lukes each recorded one.
• Blackwell (La Jolla High School) notched the Toreros' lone solo block of the night.
• Graduate transfer setter Gabby Blossom (Penn State) racked up a team-high 40 assists and 16 digs.
• Benbow was next with 11 digs and three assists, followed by Lukes and junior libero Madi Allen (four digs each), Pries, Hoglund, freshman libero/defensive specialist Olivia Bennett, and Frohling (two digs each), and Blackwell and Edwards (one dig each).
• Hoglund set forth a season-high two service aces on Friday, and Benbow, Pries, Frohling, and Allen all had one.
• Allen, Stoner, and Bennett each tallied a single assist.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will conclude play in the Cardinal Classic tomorrow afternoon with a matchup against No. 8 Ohio State. First serve at the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena in Louisville is set for 2 p.m. PST, and the match is set to be streamed live on FloSports.