PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

The women’s volleyball team started their season off strong by taking on Gonzaga University at the Martin Centre in Spokane, Washington on Sept. 26, before continuing on to face Washington State University at the Bohler Gym in Pullman, Washington on Sept. 28.

The matchup against the Gonzaga Bulldogs ended in a victory for the Toreros after they prevailed in three straight sets for a fourth consecutive match with scores 25-13, 25-16 and 25-21. 

The win against Gonzaga marked volleyball coach Jennifer Petrie’s 500th career win. She currently has the most active wins out of all Torero coaches. The only other USD head coaches to reach the 500-win milestone are former baseball managers  John Cunningham and Rich Hill.

Coach Petrie told USD Athletics how it felt to hit the 500-win marker after the game against Gonzaga.  

Women’s volleyball players embrace Coach Pietre. Photo courtesy of @usdvolleyball/Instagram

“It’s just unimaginable to me,” Petrie said afterwards, still wringing water from her hair post victory celebration. “This has been built on so many years of so many great players and so many great coaches that have worked alongside me.”

The Toreros are 63-9 against the Bulldogs all-time, meaning they have beat Gonzaga 63 times total with only nine losses.  The two programs’ last meeting was in November of 2023, when USD beat Gonzaga 3-0 in Spokane, Washington. The Toreros have won each of the last 57 matchups between the two teams, and have swept the Bulldogs a total of 49 times in that span.

San Diego also recently competed in a preseason tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and went undefeated in the four-team Louisiana State University (LSU) Invitational.  After making the 1,589-mile trip cross country, the Toreros didn’t drop a set the entire  week, winning all nine of its frames across three matches. 

USD first-year Kylie Munday discussed how the LSU invitational prepared the team for conference play. 

“The end of preseason was a great way to feel prepared and confident going into conference play,” Munday said. “We competed really hard and are eager to start the conference off really strong this weekend. We are looking forward to an awesome season.”  

At the LSU Invitational, USD competed against North Florida, Boston College and Louisiana State University  in preparation for the in conference season. 

The 3-0 sweep of Power-5 opponent and tournament host LSU was spearheaded by USD sophomore outside hitter Nemo Beach, who tallied a team-high 13 kills. A kill in volleyball is an attack by a player that is not returnable by the receiving player on the opposing team, and it leads directly to a point or loss of rally.

Coach Jennifer Pietre enters the locker room after win over Gonzaga. Photo courtesy of @usdvolleyball/Instagram

Munday also continued her rapid ascent, notching the sixth double-double of her college career. Alongside her, USD senior Haylee Stoner and USD redshirt senior Madi Allen anchored a Torero defense that held the Tigers to a 0.113 hitting percentage. 

Stoner expressed her emotions around starting the season off on a strong note. 

“I’m really excited for this season,” Stoner said. “Our team is super strong and is able to face any opponent that comes our way, something we especially learned after the LSU invitational. I’m excited to see the growth in our team as the season continues.”  

The game against Washington State on Sept. 28 ended in defeat for the Toreros with the final score ending 3-1. The loss resulted in an end to what had otherwise been a highly successful five-game win streak for the women’s volleyball team. 

Before falling in its opening frame in Pullman Washington, USD had not lost a set since Sept. 14, when it was defeated by nationally ranked No. 12 Oregon at home in San Diego.     

The Toreros were within a point down the stretch in set one, 21-20, but could not keep up with the gap and fell short. The team was eventually able to even the match at 1-1 and USD appeared to be back in its rhythm when it led 22-20 late in the third set. However the Washington State Cougars closed the frame and ultimately ended up pulling back in front. The fourth set went similarly with Washington State embarking on a late 10-5 run to deal the Toreros a 3-1 loss in the match despite the visitors recent successes. 

In 2022 the women’s volleyball team made it to the final four of the National Collegiate athletic Association tournament and lost to the Texas Longhorns in the semifinals. Texas eventually went on to win the entire tournament and became national champions while San Diego was named a semifinalist alongside Pittsburgh. Looking ahead, the Toreros are gearing up for their next challenge on Thursday, October 3, 2024. They’ll be back on their home court, the Jenny Craig Pavilion, as they resume West Coast Conference (WCC) play against Pacific. The first serve is set for 7 p.m., and the Toreros will be looking to bounce back.

Coach Jennifer Pietre celebrates 500th career win with her team. Photo courtesy of @usdvolleyball/Instagram