SAN DIEGO — San Diego volleyball sent its graduating players off in style on Saturday afternoon, sweeping Gonzaga in straight sets to earn a dominant Senior Day win in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

The Toreros (16-10, 12-4 WCC) beat the Bulldogs (3-24, 0-16 WCC) by a 25-15 margin in the first set, then cruised to a 25-18 victory in the second. Gonzaga hung tough and fought off four consecutive match points before USD restored order and secured the 3-0 victory with a 25-22 win in the third and final frame.

Graduate student Amber Stivrins shined in her final college game, pacing Saturday afternoon's match with a dominant double-double that saw her tally 14 kills (.324) and 12 digs. Senior Leyla Blackwell was just behind with 11 kills of her own while hitting a robust .579. Haylee Stoner headlined the Torero defense with a match-high six total blocks alongside eight kills that she achieved by hitting .538.

As a whole, San Diego out-hit Gonzaga .319 to .120 and out-blocked the Zags nine to five.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - San Diego, 25-15

• Freshman Nemo Beached opened up Saturday's first set with a flurry of points, ripping off three consecutive kills as USD established an early 5-1 advantage.
• A service ace from Stivrins got the Toreros into double digits at 10-6, then Madi Allen added a service ace of her own to make it 20-9 in the home team's favor.
• Aided by four more kills from Beach and two apiece from Blackwell, Kylie Pries, and Haylee Stoner, San Diego closed the frame on a 16-9 run to pull ahead 1-0 in the match.

Second Set - San Diego, 25-18

• Highlighted by a pair of combo blocks from Blackwell and Pries, the Toreros raced to a 6-1 lead to begin Saturday's second set.
• The Zags pulled within one at 8-7 on a service ace, but key kills from Blackwell and Stivrins down the stretch had USD up by a six-point, 23-17 margin when Gonzaga took a late timeout.
• Back-to-back kills from Stivrins and Pries followed to seal a 25-18 win, pushing San Diego ahead 2-0 in the match.

Third Set - San Diego, 25-22

• The Toreros and Bulldogs were neck-and-neck to begin Saturday's third and final set, with Gonzaga trailing by just one point at 4-3 before San Diego embarked on a 5-0 run to make it 9-3 in its favor.
• Gonzaga rallied to tie the frame at 11-11 on a combo block, then pulled ahead briefly by a 12-11 margin before three consecutive kills from Stivrins at the set's midpoint established a 16-13 San Diego lead.
• Stoner had USD up by six at 21-15 after notching back-to-back kills, then a kill from Blackwell brought Saturday's contest to match point at 24-18.
• Gonzaga forced a late Torero timeout by fending off four consecutive match points before Blackwell found her mark again, hammering one last kill to seal a Senior Day sweep for San Diego in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. 

TORERO TIDBITS

• Beach had 10 kills while hitting .421 alongside three digs, a trio of blocks, and an assist.
• Stivrins' well-rounded performance on Saturday marked her third double-double of 2023.
• Isadora Tercariol led the match with 31 assists that complemented her five digs and three blocks. 
• Olivia Bennett tied the match high with 18 digs and added six assists.
• Madi Allen contributed eight digs and recorded a single service ace, which was the 100th of her college career.
• Alex Hoglund set forth a well-rounded performance, adding 10 assists, two digs, and her first kill since February 20, 2021.
• Pries had six kills and chipped in three block assists.
• Blackwell, Hoglund, Pries, Stivrins, and Tercariol were honored prior to Saturday's match with a special Senior Day presentation. 
• The Toreros played Saturday's match before 767 fans in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, which marked their second-largest home crowd of 2023.

THEY SAID IT
"(Playing at USD) just felt so meant to be," said Blackwell after the match, who attended nearby La Jolla High School and transferred to San Diego from Indiana in 2021. "It's just been the most rewarding experience of my life."

WHAT IT MEANS
USD finished the 2023 regular season with an overall record of 16-10, including a 12-4 mark in West Coast Conference play that places them at third place in the league standings behind Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine as of Saturday evening.

The 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Selection Show will be televised nationally on ESPN on Sunday, November 26 at 3:00 p.m. PST.