PORTLAND, Ore. — It might have taken a little bit longer than the Toreros would've liked, but it was a sweep all the same.

San Diego volleyball (15-8, 10-3 WCC) prevailed with relative ease in the first two frames at the Chiles Center in Portland on Thursday night, beating the Pilots by scores of 25-20 and 25-22 as they closed in on their ninth sweep of 2024. But after Portland (12-12, 5-9 WCC) erased an early six-point deficit in the third set and pulled ahead by a precarious 25-24 margin down the stretch, USD's chances of securing a victory in straight sets on the road seemed to narrow.

Then outside hitter Kennedy Osunsanmi stepped up and delivered back-to-back-to-back kills, pushing the Pilots aside by a score of 27-25 to secure her team a 3-0 road decision that marked its 15th win in its last 20 matches.

The three-time WCC Freshman of the Week's 14-kill evening while hitting .323 was the latest in a season full of highlights and big moments for San Diego's first-year players. Isabel Clark entered the game as the reigning WCC Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week and lived up to the billing, contributing 10 kills, eight digs, and three service aces. And setter Kylie Munday, the conference's Freshman of the Week herself back on October 28, added 37 assists and seven digs of her own alongside three block assists.

Though it was a Torero rookie who closed things out on Thursday night, it was one of San Diego's most seasoned athletes who got things started. Redshirt senior libero Madi Allen helped USD create an early lead with a service ace that capped a 3-1 run to open the match, then found her mark from the service line again to create a 14-12 lead that put her team up for good in the opening period.

Portland led during the beginning stages of set two, and kept San Diego in check all the way up to a 10-10 tie midway through. Osunsanmi and Clark followed with back-to-back kills to put the Toreros in front by a 12-10 margin, and USD stayed ahead from there on out.

San Diego went up 13-7 and 17-12 in Thursday's third and final frame, but found itself trailing 24-23 after Portland battled back with a solo block. 2023 WCC Freshman of the Year Nemo Beach responded with a clutch kill to tie it and it was all Osunsanmi after that, with the Stevenson Ranch, California native ripping off a trifecta of kills to stop the Pilots' comeback efforts in their tracks and send her team off to Corvallis as 3-0 victors.

NOTABLE

• Clark and Allen were tied for the match high with three service aces apiece.
• USD combined for eight service aces against the Pilots, which is tied for the Toreros' second-most in a single match this season (September 19 vs. North Florida, nine). San Diego's other eight-service-ace performance in 2024 came in a 3-2 win over No. 17 BYU on September 12.
• Allen led USD with 12 digs. Olivia Bennett added another 11.
• Haylee Stoner had a team-high four block assists and contributed seven kills.
• Kristen Erland hit .417 while chipping in six kills.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action on Saturday afternoon, when they travel to Corvallis to take on Oregon State at Gill Coliseum. First serve against the Beavers is set for 12:30 p.m.