LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Thirteen kills apiece from Grace Frohling and Breana Edwards powered No. 15 San Diego volleyball (4-1, 0-0 WCC) to a gritty win on Saturday afternoon at the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, downing No. 8 Ohio State (0-4, 0-0 Big 10) in straight sets in what marked the Toreros' second Top-10 win of 2022 (No. 6 Pitt on August 26).

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - No. 15 San Diego, 25-22

• The Buckeyes struck first for an early lead but the opening set quickly became a back-and-forth affair, with the two teams trading points for ties at six, seven, eight, nine, and 10 as the frame got underway.
• OSU pulled ahead midway through and expanded its lead to as three at 16-13, but a service error from the Buckeyes, a kill from junior middle blocker Leyla Blackwell (La Jolla High School), and a combo block from Blackwell and graduate setter Gabby Blossom quickly erased the deficit and knotted the score at 16.
• USD regained the lead at 17-16 on a kill from graduate outside hitter Breana Edwards, then built on it as the set wound to a close with two more kills from Blackwell, one from Frohling, and a service ace from redshirt senior libero Annie Benbow to make it 22-18.
• The Buckeyes continued to battle down the stretch but kills from Frohling, redshirt senior outside hitter Katie Lukes, and Edwards sealed the set for USD by a 25-22 margin, pushing the Toreros ahead 1-0 in the match.

Second Set - No. 15 San Diego, 26-24

• USD got on the board first before again trading points with the Buckeyes to get things started.
• Five ties ensued after San Diego's early 1-0 lead, culminating in a 10-10 deadlock courtesy of a kill from sophomore middle blocker Haylee Stoner (Mission Hills High School) as the frame neared its midpoint.
• After OSU jumped ahead again, it would be Stoner again who reeled the Buckeyes in, tying the score at 13 with a service ace.
• A combo block from Blackwell and Edwards followed by a kill from Edwards kept things knotted at 15, then San Diego began to create separation in earnest.
• Junior libero Madi Allen (Great Oak High School) notched her first kill of the year, followed by a kill from Lukes to make it 17-15 in favor of USD.
• The Buckeyes got one back to move it to 17-16, then Frohling hammered another kill for an 18-16 advantage.
• A pair of kills from Lukes made it 20-18, followed by a kill from Edwards to make it 21-19.
• An attack error from the Buckeyes, a Blackwell kill, another attack error, and two Frohling kills sealed it down the stretch, earning San Diego a taut 26-24 decision in the set that gave it a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

Third Set - No. 15 San Diego, 28-26

• The Toreros again struck first, an advantage that was again met with back-and-forth play on both sides of the net.
• USD and OSU battled through 11 ties early on before the Buckeyes took a 13-12 lead.
• San Diego trailed by as many as five as Ohio State began to create separation, but reeled the Buckeyes in with three straight kills from Edwards, a pair of attack errors from OSU, two kills from Lukes, a kill from Frohling, and another kill from Lukes to cut the deficit to one at 21-22.
• The Buckeyes answered with a flurry of points of their own to re-establish two-point leads at 22-20, 23-21, and 24-22, but the Toreros' comeback wasn't done yet.
• Stoner notched a kill to stave off set point for the first time, then Edwards completed the comeback with a kill to make it 24-24.
• A San Diego service error again brought the frame to set point at 25-24 OSU, but the Toreros stayed alive when the Buckeyes returned the favor and tied it at 25 with a service error of their own.
• An OSU kill moved the score to 26-25 and again pushed things to set point, but again San Diego found an answer, this time in the form of a clutch kill from reigning AVCA National Player of the Week Grace Frohling, knotting the score at 26.
• Edwards came up big with a service ace to push USD back out in front at 27-26, then a clutch combo block from Blackwell and Lukes sealed the win by a remarkable 28-26 margin, earning the Toreros a stunning 3-0 sweep of No. 8 Ohio State at the Cardinal Classic.

TORERO TIDBITS

• No. 15 USD's win over No. 8 Ohio State is San Diego's second win over a Top-10 team this season after the Toreros downed No. 6 Pitt on August 26 at the Texas A&M Invitational.
• Frohling and Edwards led the Toreros with 13 kills apiece, hitting .407 and .264, respectively.
• Lukes was just behind with 11 while hitting .194.
• Stoner (.444, five kills) and Blackwell (.417, six kills) led USD in hitting percentage while combining for another 11 kills.
• Blackwell again anchored the San Diego defense, tallying three block assists and the Toreros' lone solo block.
• Stoner, Edwards, and Lukes all had two digs.
• Blossom led the match with 38 assists and also chipped in eight digs.
• Benbow tallied a match-high 11 digs, followed by Blossom (8), Allen (7), Bennett and Lukes (5), Frohling (4), Edwards (3) and Blackwell and Stoner (1).
• Benbow, freshman libero/defensive specialist Olivia Bennett, and Frohling all had two assists, while Stoner added one.
• Stoner had a match-high two service aces, followed by Benbow Frohling, and Edwards with one.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are set to return home on Friday, September 9 for their season opener against SMU as they host the USD Invitational. First serve at the Jenny Craig Pavilion is set for 12 p.m.

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