SAN DIEGO — After a convincing five-game road stint to begin its 2022 season that saw the Toreros go 4-1 and defeat two Top-10 opponents, No. 12 San Diego volleyball is back in Alcala Park this weekend to kick off its home slate, hosting SMU, UConn, and Utah in the Jenny Craig Pavilion as part of the USD Invitational.

Action will begin on Friday at 12 p.m. with San Diego's home opener against the Mustangs, followed by a matchup with UConn later that evening at 7 p.m. USD will then wrap up its weekend on Saturday night with another 7 p.m. match, this time facing off with Utah.

Each of the Toreros' games this weekend will be streamed live on the WCC Network with Braden Surprenant (SMU and Utah) and David Gentile (UConn) on the calls. Live statistics will be available on USDToreros.com.

HIGHEST RANKING SINCE 2017
• USD checked in at No. 12 in Monday's AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, the Toreros' highest ranking since November 11, 2017, when San Diego landed at No. 9 for the second consecutive week.

•San Diego, which got as high as No. 19 last season, began 2022 at No. 25 (preseason), then jumped to No. 15 (week one) after a dynamic opening weekend that saw it beat No. 6 Pitt and sweep both Texas A&M and Hawaii.

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

• USD's highest-ever ranking came on September 16, 2013, when San Diego was selected by the AVCA as the No. 2 team in the nation.

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER TOP-10 WIN
• Fresh off a stirring takedown of then-No. 6 Pitt to open the 2022 campaign, the Toreros set forth another big win over the weekend in Louisville, sweeping No. 8 Ohio State in decisive fashion at the Cardinal Classic.

• San Diego's victories over the Panthers (August 26) and the Buckeyes (September 3) marked USD's first two victories against Top 10 teams since the Toreros beat conference rival No. 9 BYU on the road in Provo on October 18, 2019.

• The Toreros have beaten 37 ranked opponents in the last 13 seasons. Prior to this season, 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.

BLOSSOM AND FROHLING NAMED TO ALL-CARDINAL CLASSIC TEAM
• Last weekend's action also marked the second consecutive week that a pair of Toreros earned all-tournament honors, with setter Gabby Blossom and opposite/setter Grace Frohling teaming up to take home All-Cardinal Classic Team selections after also being selected to the Texas A&M Invitational All-Tournament Team late last month.

• Blossom, who was named the tournament MVP in College Station, continued her hot start in a San Diego uniform, racking up 78 assists (11.14 A/S) in two matches (seven sets) alongside 24 digs (3.43 D/S) and a block assist.

• The Penn State graduate transfer totaled 40 assists and 16 digs to begin the tournament on September 2 at No. 3 Louisville, then added 38 assists and eight digs the following day against No. 8 Ohio State at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

• For the season she's recorded a team-best 196 assists (10.89 A/S) and 53 digs (second on the USD roster, 2.94 D/S).

• Frohling,  a senior who so far this season has been named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, the WCC Offensive Player of the Week (August 29) and the AVCA National Player of the Week (August 30) set forth 26 kills (.294, 3.71 K/S), six digs, and three block assists in Louisville.

• The Los Angeles, California native had an even 13 kills in both matches at the Cardinal Classic, hitting .220 in USD's tough 3-1 loss to No. 3 Louisville on Friday before hitting a robust .407 in the Toreros' 3-0 sweep of No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday.

• For the season she has a team-high 61 kills and leads the Toreros in kills per set (3.39) and hitting percentage (.340) while also adding 12 blocks (second on the USD roster), 11 digs, three service aces, and four assists.

LUKES HEATING UP
• Redshirt senior Katie Lukes joined Blossom and Frohling in having a big weekend in Louisville last time out, racking up a team-high 28 kills across both matches at the Cardinal Classic.

• A match-high 17 kills (.231) alongside four digs and a block assist at No. 3 Louisville on Friday headlined the San Clemente, California native's performance at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, followed by another 11 kills (.194), five digs, and two block assists in San Diego's sweep of No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday.

• Lukes, who was named to the All-WCC Preseason team in August, is second to only Frohling on the USD roster in total kills (58) and kills per set (3.22), and ranks fourth on the Toreros with a .221 hitting percentage.

TRANSFERS TAKING CHARGE
• Outside hitter Breana Edwards and libero Madi Allen continued to make strong first impressions last weekend as their San Diego careers got underway after transferring from Indiana and BYU, respectively.

• Edwards, a graduate student from Rainer, Oregon, put together 18 kills (.212, 3.00 K/S) across both matches in Louisville, also adding four digs, two block assists, and a service ace.

• She proved to be key in San Diego's big win over No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday, totaling 13 kills while hitting .265 alongside a service ace, three digs, and two block assists.

• Edwards, who totaled 1,266 kills, 181 total blocks, and 27 aces across four seasons at Indiana,  has 54 kills (.188, 3.18 K/S), nine digs, nine block assists, an assist, and a service ace so far in San Diego.

• Allen, a junior from nearby Temecula, California (Great Oak High School) helped anchor the USD defense at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, recording 11 assists and four digs.

• For the season she has 30 digs (1.67 D/S), which ranks third on the roster, and leads the team with seven service aces so far in 2022.

• While at conference rival BYU from 2020-2021 she earned three WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors, was selected to the All-WCC Second Team as a freshman in 2021, and played in six NCAA Tournament matches, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021.

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 22 kills across two matches at the Cardinal Classic in Louisville last weekend.

• The Frisco, Texas native has set forth 11 kills in each of her last three matches, including USD's contests against No. 3 Louisville and No. 8 Ohio State, averaging a team-best 3.30 digs per set in that span.

• For the season she's totaled 60 digs (3.33 D/S), has 10 assists, and has chipped in two service aces.

• 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 1,225 career digs, one shy of Kristen Hurst (2001-2004)'s total of 1,226, which ranks sixth all-time in USD history.

• Benbow is now just 264 digs off the San Diego all-time record of 1,489, held by Hunter Jennings (2013-2016).

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• Over the last 20 seasons, San Diego is 228-45 at home in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, good for a remarkable .901 winning percentage.

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
• Six of San Diego's 2022 opponents were ranked in September 5th's AVCA Coaches Poll.

Those teams are…
• No. 10 Pitt - August 26 (3-2 USD win w/Pitt ranked No. 6)
• No. 4 Louisville - September 2 (3-1 USD loss w/Louisville ranked No. 3)
• No. 8 Ohio State  - September 3 (3-0 USD win)
• No. 22 UCLA - September 16
• No. 24 Pepperdine - September 22
• No. 10 BYU - October 21 and November 22

• Utah, which San Diego will play in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Saturday, was not ranked in week two but received 50 votes.

LAST TIME OUT
• No. 15 San Diego split its games in Louisville last weekend at the Cardinal Classic, dropping a tough 3-1 decision to host No. 3 Louisville on Friday (September 2) before sweeping No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday.

SEPTEMBER 2 - No. 3 LOUISVILLE 3, No. 15 USD 1
• First Set - No. 3 Louisville, 25-18
• Second Set - No. 15 San Diego, 25-13
• Third Set - No. 3 Louisville, 25-11
• Fourth Set - No. 3 Louisville, 26-24

Notable:
• 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.

SEPTEMBER 3 - No. 15 SAN DIEGO 3, No. 8 OHIO STATE 0
• First Set - No. 15 San Diego, 25-22
• Second Set - No. 15 San Diego, 26-24
• Third Set - No. 15 San Diego, 28-26

Notable:
• 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.