SAN DIEGO — A season-high sixteen kills from Leyla Blackwell on Saturday night headlined a balanced offensive attack for San Diego volleyball, earning the Toreros (1-4, 0-0 WCC) their first win of 2023 as they took down Boston College (2-3, 0-0 ACC) by a 3-1 margin to close out the USD Invitational at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - Boston College, 25-18

• The Eagles jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before Blackwell got San Diego on the board with her first kill of the evening.
• USD trailed through the midpoint of the set but pulled within one when a BC service error moved the score to 11-10.
• Boston College surged back ahead as the set progressed and sealed a 25-18 win in Saturday night's opening frame when Jane Petrie found her mark with a service ace.

Second Set - San Diego, 25-10

• Three San Diego service aces — one from Isadora Terçariol and two consecutive strikes from Amber Stivrins — helped the Toreros bounce back as they started Saturday night's second set on a 5-1 run.
• Olivia Bennett followed by notching back-to-back service aces of her own, putting USD up by six as the score moved to 9-3.
• Stivrins stretched the lead to ten points at 17-7 with a kill, then a combo block from Blackwell and Maya Kitna pushed it to 16, San Diego's largest advantage of the evening.
• Kylie Pries found her mark down the stretch to close things out, securing her team a 25-10 win in the second set to tie the match score at 1-1.

Third Set - San Diego, 25-18

• The Toreros picked up right where they left off as the third set got underway, beginning the frame with an 8-1 run that was punctuated by another service ace from Stivrins and a powerful kill from Pries.
• Pries notched a service ace later on to make it a 10-point, 14-4 USD lead, then a Boston College service error maintained USD's advantage at 18-8.
• Boston College staved off back-to-back set points as the third wound to a close but Blackwell came up clutch to close things out, notching a well-timed kill to earn her team a 25-18 win in the frame as it pulled ahead 2-1 in the match.

Fourth Set - San Diego, 25-20

• A trio of service aces from Terçariol helped USD race to a 6-0 lead in Saturday night's fourth set before Boston College responded and took a 10-9 advantage on a combo block.
• Haylee Stoner put USD up by two at 14-12 with a service ace of her own, but BC rallied to mount a late comeback, tying the score at 20 on a San Diego service error.
• The Toreros regrouped and finished the set with a decisive 5-0 run, winning the match 3-1 with a kill from Stoner, three kills from Blackwell, and a combo block from Blackwell and Terçariol.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Blackwell led the match with season-high 16 kills while hitting .297, marking the second-most of her USD career. Her six block assists on Saturday night were tied for the match-high.
• Pries was just behind with a season-high 14 kills of her own, also adding three block assists and 13 digs, which were just one shy of the USD lead.
• Stivrins totaled 12 kills, three service aces, five digs, and a block assist.
• Terçariol set a season high in assists (47) for the second consecutive match, falling just two assists short of her career high (49).
• Her four service aces on Saturday were the most she's ever recorded in a single match.
• Madi Allen and Isadora Tercariol were tied for the team lead in digs, with the duo both posting 14 of them.
• Bennett notched her sixth and seventh service aces of the season, tying her with Haylee Stoner for the team lead.
• Maya Kitna played in all four sets and recorded the first kill, dig and block assist of her college career, ultimately finishing with three of each.
• Boston College's 25-18 win in the first set came on a service ace from junior setter Jane Petrie, daughter of San Diego volleyball head coach Jennifer Petrie. Jane attended nearby Point Loma High School. 

UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action next Friday (September 8), when they travel to Los Angeles to take on Marist as part of the Trojan Invitational. First serve at the Galen Center is set for 5:00 p.m.