nemo beach sept. 2025 - credit thomas christensen
Thomas Christensen

Women's Volleyball

Gaels, Tigers Ahead for Toreros in Northern California Road Trip

First-place San Diego travels to Moraga and Stockton this week to take on Saint Mary’s and Pacific

MORAGA, Calif. — Winners of two straight WCC matches and six of its last seven games, San Diego volleyball (9-4, 2-0 WCC) is set to continue West Coast Conference play on the road this week, traveling to the Bay Area to take on Saint Mary's (2-11, 0-2 WCC) and Pacific (6-7, 0-2 WCC).

The Toreros will face off with the Gaels on Thursday night (6:30 p.m.) at the UCU Pavilion, then make the trip northwest to Stockton for a Saturday afternoon (12:00 p.m.) clash with the Tigers at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live statistics available on SMCGaels.com and PacificTigers.com.

LAST TIME OUT: TOREROS BEAT WAVES AND LIONS TO BEGIN WCC PLAY
• San Diego faced off with a pair of fierce rivals last weeknight to kick off its 2025 conference schedule, taking down Pepperdine (Thursday) and Loyola Marymount (Saturday) to move atop the league standings.

• USD cruised past the Waves 3-1 (25-20, 17-15, 25-19, 25-11) at the Firestone Fieldhouse before earning a thrilling 3-2 (14-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-14, 15-11) come-from-behind win over the Lions at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

BEACH AND DURGAN EARN WCC WEEKLY HONORS
• San Diego's Nemo Beach and Ava Durgan have been named the WCC Offensive Player and Freshman of the Week for September 29, 2025, the West Coast Conference announced on Monday morning, marking the second time this season that USD has taken home multiple weekly conference honors.

• In total, six San Diego players have taken home seven WCC weekly awards so far in 2025.

• Beach, a junior middle blocker from Chandler, Arizona, totaled 40 kills (.273), four assists, and one service ace this weekend against the Waves and Lions. She added 16 kills and two assists in the Toreros' 3-1 victory at the Firestone Fieldhouse on Thursday night, then added 24 more while hitting .327, two assists, and a service ace as USD held on to beat Loyola Marymount 3-2 in San Diego on Saturday afternoon. This is Beach's second weekly conference award of the season after she was also named WCC Offensive Player of the Week on September 1.

• Durgan, a first-year middle blocker from Spokane, Washington, played a key role in San Diego's wild win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday afternoon, tallying eight kills while hitting .429, two digs, and a solo block as the Toreros defeated the Lions 3-2 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. This marks the first WCC accolade of Durgan's young college career, as well as the Toreros' first Freshman of the Week recognition of 2025.

THE SPARK(S) THEY NEEDED
• Redshirt junior middle blocker BayLea Sparks totaled six blocks this weekend as San Diego defeated Pepperdine and LMU to begin conference play. She had four blocks (one solo) on Thursday night at the Firestone Fieldhouse as USD beat the Waves 3-2, then added two more block assists on Saturday in the Toreros' wild 3-2 win over LMU at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

KYLIE SETS THE TONE
• Sophomore setter Kylie Munday led USD to a pair of wins this weekend to begin WCC play, totaling 85 assists, 31 digs, two service aces, five kills, and three blocks.

• Munday, who had a double-double in both matches, helped the Toreros hit a combined .285 across a 3-1 win at Pepperdine and a 3-2 triumph against LMU.

• She had 39 assists, 13 digs, three kills, two blocks, and a service ace on Thursday night at the Firestone Fieldhouse, then added 46 assists, 18 digs, two block assists, two kills, and a service ace on Saturday at the JCP.

GOING THE DISTANCE
• San Diego has played five sets on eight different occasions this season, and is 6-2 in such matches.

• Approximately 61 percent (8 of 13) of the Toreros' matches so far in 2025 (entering Thursday) have gone five sets.

ROAD WARRIORS
• The Toreros began their 2025 season with eight straight away matches, marking the program's longest season-opening road stretch since 2006, when USD started its schedule by playing nine consecutive contests away from home.

• San Diego opened its 2025 campaign with three matches in Honolulu from August 29-31 as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic before traveling north to Los Angeles last weekend for three matches at the Trojan Invitational from September 5-7.

• USD then visited Washington for two matches at the Husky Invitational ahead of its return home to San Diego on September 18 to host Yale at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• While USD's early road swing in 2006 was one game longer, San Diego's 2025 schedule involves far more travel. The Toreros' first three matches in 2006 were technically away from home but took place across town at nearby San Diego State.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SAINT MARY'S AND PACIFIC
Saint Mary's:
• The Toreros lead the all-time series, 62-14, and are 30-8 against the Gaels all-time in Moraga.

• USD has won each of its last 12 matchups with SMC dating back to 2019, a streak that has included nine San Diego sweeps.

• San Diego hasn't dropped a set to Saint Mary's since November 18, 2021 (six straight sweeps since then), and hasn't lost a match to the Gaels since November 17, 2018 (when USD fell 3-0 on the road).

Pacific:
• The Toreros lead the all-time series, 23-1.

• USD's lone loss to the Tigers came back on November 20, 2021, when it dropped a 3-1 decision at Alex G. Spanos Center.

• Since then, San Diego has won six straight matches against UOP, including four sweeps.

• The Toreros prevailed in straight sets last time they traveled to Stockton, winning 3-0 on October 24, 2024.
 
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Players Mentioned

Nemo Beach

#1 Nemo Beach

OH
5' 11"
Junior
Kylie Munday

#12 Kylie Munday

S
5' 10"
Sophomore
Ava Durgan

#10 Ava Durgan

MB
6' 3"
Freshman
BayLea Sparks

#18 BayLea Sparks

MB
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Nemo Beach

#1 Nemo Beach

5' 11"
Junior
OH
Kylie Munday

#12 Kylie Munday

5' 10"
Sophomore
S
Ava Durgan

#10 Ava Durgan

6' 3"
Freshman
MB
BayLea Sparks

#18 BayLea Sparks

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
MB