SAN DIEGO —Twenty-one days after being dealt a tough defeat at Washington State, San Diego volleyball returned home to host the Cougars.

Trailing 24-21 in the first frame, it appeared the Toreros might've been headed toward another loss in their rematch with the team atop the West Coast Conference standings.

Until Haylee Stoner stepped up, that is.

The San Marcos, California native ripped off two kills and a combo block to tie the opening set at 24. Then she teamed up with Isabel Clark to deny the Cougars again and put USD in front. By the end of the set San Diego had prevailed in a stunning 27-25 decision, taking a 1-0 lead on the back of a flurry of points from one of its most experienced players.

And by the end of the match the Toreros (10-7, 5-2 WCC) had avenged their late-September defeat, vaulting back into the conference title conversation by giving first-place Washington State (11-6, 6-2 WCC) a taste of its own medicine with a 3-1 (27-25, 11-25, 25-12, 25-19) victory before an energetic Homecoming and Family Weekend crowd of 986 fans at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

"This time we put a stop to (Washington State), we said no," said Stoner. "Our energy was super infectious…we wanted to beat them."

Put a stop to, indeed. Stoner tallied a remarkable 11 blocks (one solo) on Saturday, headlining a dynamic defensive effort that saw USD out-block WSU 15 to 13. She added eight kills while hitting a robust .533 for good measure, complementing yet another standout performance from freshman opposite Kennedy Osunsanmi, who had a team-high 13 of her own alongside five total blocks .

After its furious first-set comeback, USD dropped the second set 25-11. But it was all Toreros after that, with San Diego's first-year trio of Osunsanmi, Clark and setter Kylie Munday (who notched the 10th double-double of her young college career with 37 assists, 11 digs, and a team-high three service aces against the Cougars) helping guide their team to 25-12 and 25-19 wins to seal the match in their favor.

"Our freshmen are learning by leaps and bounds," head coach Jennifer Petrie said postgame. "And all season long, the experience that they've gained and the confidence that they've gained through match play has been outstanding."

For Petrie, the difference between Saturday's win and last month's result in Pullman was simple. And it was exemplified by Stoner.

"The girls rally around her; her positivity, her energy, her confidence, those are all contagious," Petrie added. "I think that we played with a lot more energy than we have in a long time."

NOTABLE:

• Saturday's win moved the all-time series between San Diego and Washington State to 3-2 in favor of USD, and marked the Toreros' first over WSU since San Diego defeated the Cougars in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at the JCP.
• Kristen Erland totaled four kills while hitting .333 and added three block assists.
• Madi Allen led USD with 20 digs to go with two assists and a service ace.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action on Thursday, when they travel to Stockton, California to play Pacific at the Alex. G. Spanos Center. First serve against the Tigers is set for 6:00 p.m.