No. 4 San Diego (11-1, 2-0 WCC)  •  Gonzaga (3-10, 0-3 WCC) • Portland

September 29 | Martin Centre (2,000) • Spokane, Washington | October 1 | Chiles Center (4,852) • Portland, Oregon

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SPOKANE, Wash. — With two West Coast Conference wins and a second straight top-five ranking under its belt, No. 4 San Diego volleyball (11-1, 2-0 WCC) will travel to the Pacific Northwest this weekend, continuing WCC play with a pair of matches at Gonzaga (3-10, 0-3 WCC) and Portland as it seeks its ninth and tenth consecutive wins.

USD will get things started on Thursday night at the Martin Centre with a 6 p.m. contest against the Zags, then wrap up its weekend with a 1 p.m. matchup against the Pilots on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center.

The Toreros enter Thursday evening's action as winners of eight straight matches, a stint that dates back to September 3rd's sweep of No. 8 Ohio State at the Cardinal Classic.

HOLDING STRONG IN THE TOP 5
• USD held fast at No. 4 in Monday (September 26)'s AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll for the second consecutive week.

• No. 4 marks the Toreros' highest placement since September 16, 2013, when San Diego reached the highest national ranking in program history (No. 2).

•Monday's placement is the second-highest ranking in program history (details below)

USD'S HIGHEST ALL-TIME AVCA TOP 25 RANKINGS
1.  No. 2 - September 16, 2013

2.  No. 4 - Current Ranking (September 19 and 26, 2022)

3.  No. 5 - October 3, 2016 - October 24, 2016

4.  No. 6 - September 26, 2016

5.  No. 7 - September 19, 2016

6.  No. 8 - Seven times (Once this season, six times in 2013)
          • Most recent: September 12, 2022

7.   No. 9 - Six times (four in 2013, two in 2017)
          • Most recent: November 27, 2017

8. No. 10 - September 12, 2016

• San Diego, which got as high as No. 19 last season, began 2022 at No. 25 (preseason) and moved up in each subsequent poll before sticking at No. 4 in back-to-back weeks.

USD IN THE 2022 AVCA TOP 25 - WEEK BY WEEK
Preseason (August 15):                    No. 25

Week One (August 29):                    No. 15


Week Two (Sept. 5):                          No. 12


Week Three (Sept. 12):                      No. 8


Week Five (Sept. 19):                         No. 4


Week Six (Sept. 26):                          No. 4


• The Toreros have been nationally ranked in each of their last 25 seasons, including seven Top 5 rankings and 21 total placements in the nation's Top 10.

TOUGH COMPETITION
• Five of No. 4 San Diego's 2022 opponents were ranked when USD played them, or are currently ranked in September 26th's AVCA Coaches Poll.

Those teams are…

• No. 6 Pitt - August 26 (3-2 USD win)
• No. 3 Louisville - September 2 (3-1 USD loss)
• No. 8 Ohio State  - September 3 (3-0 USD win)
• No. 17 Pepperdine - September 22 (3-1 USD win)
• No. 15 BYU - October 21 and November 22

• Hawaii, which the Toreros swept on August 28, Utah, which San Diego beat 3-2 on September 10 and UCLA, which San Diego swept on September 16 were receiving votes at the time USD played them, receiving 48, 50, and 44 votes in those weeks, respectively.

• September 22nd's win over No. 17 Pepperdine marked USD's third win over a Top 25 opponent this season. The Toreros are 3-1 against such teams, and are 2-1 against the AVCA's top five.

HAYLEE STONER NAMED WCC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Following a dynamic weekend that saw her help No. 4 San Diego volleyball to its seventh and eighth straight wins, sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner has been named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week, the West Coast Conference announced on Monday afternoon.

• Stoner played a key role in USD's perfect weekend to open up West Coast Conference play, racking up 14 total blocks (three solo) and three digs across two matches at the Jenny Craig Pavilion against No. 17 Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount on September 22 and 24.

• The San Marcos, California native (Mission Hills High School) got things started with seven total blocks (two solo) on Friday against the seventeenth-ranked Waves, averaging 1.75 blocks per set in the Toreros' 3-1 win as she also chipped in a pair of digs.

• Stoner then stayed hot on Saturday afternoon for USD's weekend finale, adding another seven digs (one solo) for an average of 1.40 blocks per set alongside one more dig as her team hung on for a gritty 3-2 victory.

• For the season she's tallied 40 total blocks for an average of one block per set, which ranks second on the San Diego roster.

• Stoner's selection as the WCC Defensive Player of the Week marks the second consecutive week that a Torero has earned a conference honor and the second time this season that a USD player has earned the league's weekly defensive nod.

• It's her second career WCC accolade after being named to the All-WCC Freshman Team in 2021.

2022 SAN DIEGO WCC DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Date            Player                                                           Year/Position
8/29           Leyla Blackwell                                 Junior/Middle Blocker
9/26           Haylee Stoner                        Sophomore/Middle Blocker


2022 SAN DIEGO WCC OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Date             Player                                                      Year/Position
8/29            Grace Frohling                                    Senior/Opposite
9/19            Katie Lukes                      Redshirt Senior/Outside Hitter

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST GONZAGA
• The Toreros are 59-9 (.868) against the Bulldogs all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming in November of 2021, a 3-1 San Diego victory at the Martin Centre.

• USD has won 53 straight matches against Gonzaga dating back to 1994 and is 30-5 all-time in road matchups with the Zags.

• The Bulldogs last defeated the Toreros on September 30, 1994 — 3-1 decision in Spokane.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PORTLAND
• The Toreros are 61-9 against the Pilots all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming in November of 2021, a 3-0 San Diego sweep in the Chiles Center.

• USD has won 10 straight matches against Portland and is 29-6 all-time in road matchups with the Pilots.

• Portland last defeated San Diego on November 10, 2016 — a tough 3-2 decision in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

BLACKWELL HEADLINES DYNAMIC USD DEFENSE
• Led by junior outside hitter Leyla Blackwell, San Diego has ranked among the country's leaders in overall defense, limiting opponents to a minuscule .166 hitting percentage that leads the WCC and ranks 33rd nationally.

•Blackwell has been at the center of USD's dominant defense this season, leading both San Diego and the WCC with 1.42 blocks per set, which ranks 14th nationally.

•Her 64 total blocks (11 solo) rank second in the conference and 28th nationally.

• The San Diego, California native (La Jolla High School)'s dominance hasn't been limited to defense — she's totaled 69 kills through 12 matches so far in 2022 and is averaging 1.53 kills per set.

•An All-WCC First Team selection in 2021, Blackwell was one of three Toreros named to the 2022 WCC Preseason Team on August 24 and earned her fourth career WCC Defensive Player of the Week honor on August 29.

LUKES STAYS HOT
• Redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes continued to anchor the San Diego offense last weekend, totaling a team-best 31 kills across two wins against No. 17 Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• The San Clemente, California native got things started on Friday against the seventeenth-ranked Waves by leading the match with 16 kills, marking the third consecutive match in which she had done so as she hit .213 in the contest and averaged a match-best 4.00 kills per set for a total of 18 points in USD's 3-1 win.

• Lukes picked up right where she left off on Saturday afternoon against LMU, averaging 3.00 kills per set as she finished tied for the match-high in kills (15) with teammate Grace Frohling despite hitting just .091 in San Diego's gritty 3-2 win.

• For the season Lukes leads the Toreros with a total of 153 kills and an average of 3.48 kills per set, marks that rank fifth in the WCC.

FROHLING FLOURISHING
• Senior opposite/setter Grace Frohling has complemented Blackwell's lights-out defense and Lukes' high-octane offense with superb all-around play of her own so far this season.

• The Los Angeles, California native leads her team with 15 service aces and ranks second on the USD roster with 135 kills and 3.00 kills per set while hitting .328, racking up 10 or more kills in eight of San Diego's 12 matches so far.

• On the defensive side of things, she's chipped in 25 blocks (two solo), which rank third amongst her teammates, and 27 digs, which rank sixth.

•Frohling combined for 21 kills over the weekend against No. 17 Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, hitting .276 across nine sets for an average of 2.33 K/S.

• In that stretch she also added eight digs and nine blocks (one solo).

Frohling's Accolades in 2022:
August 24.........................................................................WCC Preseason Team
August 28......................................................Texas A&M All-Tournament Team
August 29......................................................WCC Offensive Player of the Week
August 30......................................................AVCA National Player of the Week
September 4...........................................Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team
September 12....................................... USD Invitational All-Tournament Team

BLOSSOM SETS THE TONE
• Graduate transfer setter Gabby Blossom has made an immediate impact for USD since arriving in San Diego over the summer from Penn State, racking up a team-best 474 assists, 123 digs, and a conference-high 10.53 assists per set through all 12 of the Toreros' matches thus far.

• Blossom combined for 82 assists and 28 digs over the weekend against No. 17 Pepperdine and LMU, recording 39 assists against the Waves on Thursday before adding 43 more against the Lions on Saturday.

• She has recorded 30 or more assists in each of the Toreros' 12 matches so far, including a season-high 53 on August 26 against No. 6 Pitt.

•The St. Louis, Missouri native earned all-tournament selections in each of USD's three non-conference events to open the 2022 season, including MVP selections in the Texas A&M Invitational and the USD Invitational.

EDWARDS EXCELLING IN SAN DIEGO • Graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards has also gotten out to a hot start as a Torero, racking up 136 kills through 12 matches (44 sets) so far at USD after joining the team from Indiana in the offseason. Her kill total (136) and kills per set average (3.09) both rank second on the San Diego roster.

• The Rainier, Oregon native continued her strong start over the weekend at the JCP against No. 17 Pepperdine and LMU, setting forth 25 kills while hitting .125 and averaging 2.78 kills per set.

• Her kills per set average (3.09) and kill total (136) in that two-match stretch were second only to Lukes, September 19th's WCC Offensive Player of the Week.

• She proved to be key in San Diego's 3-1 win over No. 17 Pepperdine last Thursday (September 22), contributing 15 kills while hitting .167 alongside five digs and a block assist.

BENBOW STEADY AS EVER
• Amid a flurry of offseason additions for the Toreros, redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow has continued to shine as part of a dominant San Diego defense, adding 33 digs across two matches against No. 17 Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount over the weekend at the JCP.

• The Frisco, Texas native set forth 17 against No. 17 Pepperdine on Thursday and 16 against LMU on Saturday, also adding eight total assists and a pair of service aces.

• For the season she's totaled a team-high 166 digs and 3.69 digs per set, has 29 assists, and has chipped in nine service aces, which rank third on the USD roster.

• Benbow, a 2021 All-WCC First Team selection and a 2019 All-WCC Honorable Mention, was one of three Toreros named to the 2022 WCC Volleyball Preseason Team in August.

• She enters this weekend's action with 1,331 career digs, which stands alone as the sixth-most in USD volleyball history.

• With three more she will overtake LaManda Mounts (1994-97), who currently holds the fifth-most digs in San Diego history with 1,334.

•Benbow is now just 158 digs off the San Diego all-time record of 1,489, held by Hunter Jennings (2013-2016).

HOW SWEEP IT IS
•USD has swept six out of its first 10 matches.

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.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• Over the last 20 seasons, San Diego is 235-45 at home in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, good for a remarkable .839 winning percentage.

LAST TIME OUT
September 22 - No. 4 San Diego 3, No. 17 Pepperdine 1
• First Set - No. 17 Pepperdine, 25-22
• Second Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-19
• Third Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-21
• Fourth Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-20

Notable:
• Lukes led the way for USD for the third consecutive contest, tallying a match-high 16 kills while hitting .213 and contributing four block assists and five digs for 18 total points.

• Edwards was just behind with 15 kills of her own while hitting .167 alongside five digs and a block assist.

• Blackwell hit .500 while recording eight kills and chipped in two digs and five block assists.

• Stoner paced the match with five block assists and two solo blocks, also adding two kills, an assist, a service ace, and two digs.

• Blossom totaled 39 assists, 10 digs, and a match/season-high four service aces. She has recorded 30 assists or more in each of the Toreros' first 11 games this season to begin her San Diego career.

• Frohling had six kills (.167), two service aces, three digs, and four block assists for a total of 10 points on the evening.

• Benbow led USD with 17 digs and two assists.

• San Diego out-hit Pepperdine .213 to .190, tallied eight service aces while holding the Waves to zero, and out-blocked the visitors 11-7.

• Thursday night's action featured 22 ties and nine lead changes.

September 24 - No. 4 San Diego 3, Loyola Marymount 2
• First Set - No. 4 San Diego, 28-26
• Second Set - No. 4 San Diego, 25-18
• Third Set - Loyola Marymount, 34-32
• Fourth Set - Loyola Marymount, 25-21
• Fifth Set - No. 4 San Diego, 15-8

Notable:
• Frohling and Lukes led the way for USD on Saturday with 15 kills apiece, hitting a team-high .353 and .091, respectively.

• Frohling tallied two service aces, five digs, one solo block and four block assists, while Lukes tallied seven digs.

• Stoner set a new career high with 11 kills while hitting .308, also contributing a service ace, a dig, a solo block, and a match-high six block assists.

• Edwards was just behind with 10 kills (.062) and chipped in two digs, two solo blocks, and two block assists.

• Blackwell had six kills while hitting .250 and added two solo blocks and three block assists.

• Blossom totaled a team-high 43 assists, a service ace, a team-high 18 digs, one solo block, and three block assists. She has recorded 30 assists or more in each of the Toreros' 12 games so far in 2022.

• Benbow had 16 digs and six assists, and Allen added four digs and an assist of her own.

• USD out-hit LMU .198 to .185 and out-blocked the visitors 16 to 14.5