SAN DIEGO — When USD clinched the 2025 West Coast Conference Championship back on November 20 before a raucous, season-high crowd in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, there was an understanding amongst the team that there was still room to cement their dominance within the league even further.

"This team," head coach Jennifer Petrie told her players as confetti fell in a celebratory San Diego locker room, "deserves to be undefeated."

On Saturday afternoon, with their ticket to the NCAA Tournament already punched and the WCC trophy already in hand, USD (25-4) etched a new entry into the record books all the same, beating Gonzaga (14-15, 7-11 WCC) by a 3-1 margin at the JCP to go 18-0 in WCC play and finish unbeaten in the league standings for just the third time in program history.

"Extremely proud…doing it in that kind of dominating fashion is just so rewarding for the staff, the players, for everybody," Petrie said during a postgame television interview. "It's just incredible."

After falling behind 1-0 to begin the match when the Zags stole a one-sided opening frame that was still close (25-20) down the stretch, the Toreros locked in and dispatched the Bulldogs with ease. Thirteen kills from Nemo Beach, 11 more from Kennedy Osunsanmi, and 34 assists and a career-high five service aces from Kylie Munday helped San Diego race to 25-10, 25-7, and 25-12 wins to secure their 18th consecutive victory. USD led from start to finish in sets two and three, and allowed GU to pull ahead just twice in set four.

"Well distributed," Petrie said of her team's approach on the afternoon. "Kylie did an amazing job getting people involved, she really put a lot of pressure on Gonzaga."

It was a well-rounded effort for USD on defense as well. Olivia Bennett headlined a group of six Toreros with multiple digs by totaling 17 of her own, and BayLea Sparks racked up five blocks to lead four USD players who had more than one stuff.

The Toreros' commanding performance on both sides of the ball ensured their seniors were sent off in style. Before stepping back onto the court to recognize her five graduating players  — Kali Engeman, Kinley Swan, Grace Oliva, Maya Kitna, and Bennett — Petrie couldn't help but reflect on the legacies they're leaving behind.

"They really shined today," she described. "It's a testament to their careers, they just worked so hard."

USD finishes the 2025 regular season with 25 wins, already tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history with postseason play still remaining. San Diego has surpassed the 25-win mark just five times before, most recently in 2022 when the Toreros reached the NCAA National Semifinal. Five of the program's seven 25-plus-win seasons have come under Petrie, who has now won 10 WCC Championships and steered San Diego to the NCAA Tournament 22 times.

But on Saturday, if only for a moment, there was just one number that stood out for the coach who has succeeded all year in teaching her team to live in the moment.

"Eighteen (wins) in a row is just something to be so proud of," Petrie said while a montage of all of her team's 2025 conference victories played on the JCP's video boards. "I'm just so proud of the journeys that all of our seniors have been on…great leadership, great teammates, and just carrying on the legacy of our program."

The NCAA Selection show (3:00 p.m. PST, ESPN) awaits tomorrow afternoon. USD will gather in the JCP's Warren Hospitality Suite to learn their postseason destination as they head back to the tournament for the first time since 2022.

"I think that the sky's the limit for them," Petrie said when asked to assess her team's playoff chances. "Their confidence is really big, they've come back in a lot of really tight matches, they've been resilient, they've learned a lot, and we've grown together, we're super united…and we're so excited to get back to the tournament."

NOTABLE

• Beach added 11 digs to complete her eighth double-double of the season.
• Sparks hit .667 and added six kills. Osunsanmi hit .500 while adding four blocks.
• All three un-injured San Diego seniors saw game action on Saturday. Engeman had four kills and three blocks, Oliva added a kill, and Swan started in the match.
• USD out-hit Gonzaga .376 to .049, out-blocked the Zags 10 to 3, and out-aced GU 10-4.
• The Toreros have now won 60 consecutive matches against the Zags dating back to 1994.
• San Diego also went undefeated in WCC play in 2022 (18-0) and 2004 (14-0).

UP NEXT
NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship Selection Show

• Sunday, November 30, 2025
• 3:00 p.m. PST
• ESPN