San Diego (5-6, 1-0 WCC)  •  Gonzaga (3-10, 0-2 WCC) •  Portland (6-8, 1-1 WCC)

September 28 • 6:00 P.M. | Martin Centre (2,000) • Spokane, Washington

September 30 • 1:00 P.M. | Chiles Center (4,852) • Portland, Oregon

Streaming  •  ESPN+  |  Live Statistics  • GoZags.com & PortlandPilots.com

Social  •  Facebook.com/USDVolleyball  •  Twitter.com/USDVolleyball  •  Instagram.com/USDVolleyball

SPOKANE, Wash. — Winners of five of their last seven matches and 19 conference contests in a row, San Diego volleyball (5-6, 1-0 WCC) is set to continue WCC play this weekend on the road, traveling to the Pacific Northwest to take on Gonzaga (3-10, 0-2 WCC) and Portland (6-8, 1-1 WCC).

The Toreros will begin their week on Thursday with a 6:00 p.m. matchup against the Bulldogs at Martin Centre before heading down to the Chiles Center on Saturday to play the Pilots at 1:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+, and live statistics will be available on GoZags.com and Portland Pilots.com.

LAST TIME OUT - September 23
SAN DIEGO — (Jenny Craig Pavilion) - San Diego 3, Saint Mary's 0
• Eleven kills from both Amber Stivrins and Haylee Stoner last Saturday afternoon helped San Diego open West Coast Conference play in style, earning the Toreros a dominant 3-0 sweep of Saint Mary's (6-8, 0-2 WCC) as they returned to the Jenny Craig Pavilion for the first time in 21 days.

• USD beat the Gaels 25-18, 25-17, and 25-22 to secure the victory in straight sets while outhitting their opponent .233 to .095.

Notable:
• Stivrins (.162) and Stoner (.688) were tied for the match high with 11 kills apiece.
• Stivrins also tallied nine digs, finishing one shy of a double-double.
• Four Toreros (Pries, Tercariol, Allen, and Bennett) totaled 10 or more digs last Saturday
• Blackwell and Pries were tied for the USD lead with five block assists apiece.
• Allen led USD with two service aces.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST GONZAGA
• The Toreros are 61-9 (.871) against the Bulldogs all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming on October 29, 2022, a 3-0 San Diego sweep in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• USD has won 55 straight matches against Gonzaga dating back to 1994 and is 31-5 all-time in road matchups with the Zags.

• The Bulldogs last defeated the Toreros on September 30, 1994 — 3-1 decision in Spokane.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PORTLAND
• The Toreros are 63-9 against the Pilots all-time, with the two programs' most recent meeting coming on October 27, 2022, a 3-0 San Diego sweep in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• USD has won 12 straight matches against Portland (including five straight at the Chiles Center) dating back to 2017 and is 30-6 all-time in road matchups with the Pilots.

• San Diego has swept Portland in 10 of those 12 matches, including each of the last five.

• Portland last defeated San Diego on November 10, 2016 — a tough 3-2 decision in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• USD last lost at the Chiles Center on November 4, 2015, when the Toreros fell to the Pilots by a 3-0 margin.

• The Toreros most recently lost a set to Portland on February 10, 2021, dropping a frame in a 3-1 win during the pandemic-modified 2020-2021 season.

WEST COAST CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
• After going undefeated in WCC play last season and sweeping Saint Mary's last Saturday, the Toreros enter Thursday evening's action riding an 19-match conference win streak.

• USD swept 13 consecutive WCC matches last year, beating Gonzaga (twice), Portland (twice), San Francisco (twice), Santa Clara (twice), Pacific (twice), Saint Mary's (twice), and No. 17 BYU in straight sets.

• San Diego is 294-73 (.801) in conference play since seven-time WCC Coach of the Year Jennifer Petrie took over in 1999. The Toreros have captured 10 WCC Championships in that span, including last year's 2022 crown.

IN IT TO WIN IT
• San Diego was picked first in the 2023 WCC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, the West Coast Conference announced on August 23.

• USD took home the top spot in the poll with 75 points and a commanding seven first-place votes, finishing six points ahead of second-place Pepperdine (two first-place votes). It's the first time that San Diego has been picked to win the conference since 2016, when the Toreros opened the season ranked No. 26 nationally and finished the year 24-6 (15-3 WCC).

THREE TOREROS EARN ALL-WCC PRESEASON HONORS
• Three Toreros were named to the 2023 WCC Volleyball Preseason Team, the West Coast Conference announced on August 23.

• Middle blockers Leyla Blackwell and Haylee Stoner and outside hitter Amber Stivrins comprised USD's preseason team selections. Blackwell has now earned a WCC preseason honor in back-to-back seasons (2022 and 2023), while Stoner and Stivrins received preseason recognition for the first time in their San Diego careers.

MILESTONE CHASING
• Between her 169 kills as a freshman at Louisville, her 692 kills in three seasons at Georgia, and her 136 kills as a Torero thus far in 2023, Stivrins enters Thursday's action with 997 kills, just three away from 1,000 for her career.

• And with a career record of 483-170, head coach Jennifer Petrie is now just 17 wins away from 500 at the helm in San Diego.

LEYLA BLOCKS WELL
• San Diego, California native Leyla Blackwell ranks 28th nationally with an average of 1.37 blocks per set.

• Her 56 total blocks through 11 matches in 2023 is the most on the USD roster.

• Blackwell is now a six-time WCC Defensive Player of the Week after earning the honor on September 11.