PULLMAN, Wash. — San Diego's West Coast Conference surge continued on Thursday night, with a match-high 19 kills from Nemo Beach leading the Toreros (14-4, 7-0 WCC) past Washington State (11-6, 5-2 WCC) in straight sets before a crowd of 940 at Bohler Gym.

USD's 3-0 sweep of the Cougars came by scores of 25-20, 25-19, and 25-18, and saw San Diego lead from nearly start to finish in a match that featured only five lead changes. The victory extended the Toreros' win streak to seven, and kept USD in sole possession of first place in the WCC standings.

Beach's big evening — in which she paced the game with a .341 hitting percentage — complemented a dominant effort from the San Diego defense. Highlighted by six blocks from Kali Engeman, five Toreros recorded one block or more as they out-stuffed the Cougars 10 to 4. Setter Kylie Munday did her part on offense with 38 assists, marking her 25th straight game with 30 or more dating back to October 31, 2024.

After WSU opened up the match with three consecutive points, the Toreros ripped off an 8-0 run and never looked back, stretching their lead to as many as six on two occasions via an ace from Kylie Munday and a kill from Ava Durgan.

It was Durgan and Kali Engeman who gave the Toreros their first advantage of Thursday night's second frame with a stifling combo block. The set stayed close until its midpoint, when Beach crushed a kill to put her team up by five, and USD won by that same margin after Isabel Clark found the corner on set point.

A 10-2 San Diego run was the turning point in Thursday night's third and final set, an outburst that was fueled by four kills from Beach, two more from Clark, a combo block from Durgan and Engeman, and a service ace from Munday alongside a pair of WSU miscues. San Diego was up by nine when Beach went back-to-back to make it 23-14, then one last kill from Clark on match point sealed it, earning USD a key WCC win on the road.

NOTABLE

• Clark recorded 10 kills to go with two block assists.
• Olivia Bennett led USD with 11 digs and contributed a pair of assists.
• Munday added five digs and two block assists.
• Thursday night marked the Toreros' first-ever victory at Bohler Gym after entering the evening 0-3 all-time at the venue.
• San Diego has now won 10 of its last 11 matches dating back to September 13.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action on Saturday afternoon, when they travel northwest to take on Seattle U in what will mark their first-ever meeting with SU as a conference opponent. First serve at Redhawk Center is set for 1:00 p.m.