LINCOLN, Neb. — San Diego volleyball will make its return to the NCAA Tournament this week, taking on Kansas State in the event's first round at the University of Nebraska's Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Toreros (25-4, 18-0 WCC), seeded eighth in their quadrant of the bracket, will play the Wildcats (17-9, 10-8 Big 12) at 4:30 PM CST on Friday in a matchup that will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Larry Punteney and Kathi Wieskamp on the call. Live statistics will be available on NCAA.com.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
• USD became the first team in the country to punch its ticket to the 2025 NCAA DI Women's Volleyball Tournament back on November 20 when it clinched the 2025 West Coast Conference Championship and the WCC's automatic qualifier with a 3-0 sweep of rival Pepperdine at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

BACK IN THE BIG DANCE
• The Toreros' 2025 NCAA Tournament berth is the 27th in program history and the program's first since 2022, when the Toreros won 28 straight matches and achieved a No. 2 national ranking enroute to the NCAA National Semifinal. USD lost just two matches that year, falling only to national champion Texas and national runner-up Louisville while taking a set from both teams.

• Twenty-two of the 27 NCAA Tournament appearances in program history have come under current head coach Jennifer Petrie.

CHAMPS AGAIN
• San Diego's 2025 WCC Championship is the 13th in program history and is also the program's first since 2022.

• Ten of USD's 13 conference titles have come under Petrie.

PERFECT
• The Toreros went a perfect 18-0 in conference play in 2025, securing just the third undefeated WCC season (and just the second under the league's current 18-game format) in program history.

• San Diego also went unbeaten in WCC play in 2022 (18-0) and 2004 (14-0).

THE STREAK
• USD enters Friday afternoon's action on a 18-game win streak, which marks the programs' longest since 2022 and the sixth-longest active streak of consecutive wins in the country.

• In 2022, the Toreros led the nation with a 28-match win streak en-route to the NCAA National Semifinal.

EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
• San Diego led the WCC with a .271 team hitting percentage, 1,490 team kills, and 1,392 team assists in 2025.

DOMINANT DEFENSE
• As a team, USD led the WCC in digs (1,588) and ranks second in team total blocks (290.5) and opponent hitting percentage (.171) this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST KANSAS STATE
• San Diego is 2-0 all-time against Kansas State. Both previous matchups have come at neutral sites, a trend that will continue with Friday's NCAA Tournament clash at the Devaney Center.

• USD and KSU's first-ever meeting came back on December 5, 1997 — exactly 28 years ago today — in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, when the Toreros beat the Wildcats 3-1. This matchup took place under former USD head coach Sue Snyder and was hosted in Long Beach, California.

• The second and most recent meeting between San Diego and Kansas State was on August 29, 2010, when USD (under current head coach Jennifer Petrie) also beat KSU 3-1, this time as part of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A FAMILIAR FOE
• San Diego assistant coach John Dunn joined the Toreros in May 2024 from Kansas State, where he had served as an assistant coach for the Wildcats since May 2023.

• He specialized in defensive strategy — particularly floor defense — while in Manhattan, working closely with the program's liberos and defensive specialists.

SAN DIEGO DOMINATES 2025 WCC END-OF-YEAR AWARDS
• San Diego volleyball's West Coast Conference dominance was punctuated by a flurry of end-of-year awards on Monday afternoon.

• The Toreros took home four of the league's five major awards alongside four 2025 All-WCC First Team selections, one 2025 All-WCC Second Team Selection, two 2025 All-WCC Honorable Mentions, and one 2025 All-WCC Freshman Team nod.

JENNIFER PETRIE NAMED 2025 WCC COACH OF THE YEAR
• For Petrie, it's the eighth WCC Coach of the Year nod of her legendary career and her first since 2022, when she was also named the nation's top coach by both the AVCA and VolleyballMag.com.

• She has steered USD to a 25-4 overall record in 2025 — already tied for the fourth-most victories in a single season in program history — while achieving the 18th 20-win season of her 27-year Torero tenure.

• Petrie has now won 10 WCC Championships and steered San Diego to the NCAA Tournament 22 times. Additionally, she has now mentored 11 WCC Players of the Year, four WCC Setters of the Year, four WCC Defenders of the Year, two WCC Liberos of the Year, 11 WCC Freshmen of the Year, and 69 All-WCC First Team selections. Her overall head coaching record, all of which has been achieved at USD, is 538-188 (.741).

NEMO BEACH NAMED 2025 WCC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• Beach, who was named the WCC Freshman of the Year in 2023, was selected as the 13th WCC Player of the Year in program history after a dominant 2025 season that saw her hit .261 and lead the league with 467 kills and 527 points, marks that ranked 25th and 26th nationally. She was also selected to the 2025 All-WCC First Team.

• Beach also recorded 208 digs, 41 blocks, and 36 service aces, and achieved eight double-doubles this season. She received three WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors in 2025.

OLIVIA BENNETT NAMED 2025 WCC LIBERO OF THE YEAR
• Bennett was named just the second WCC Libero of the Year in program history after totaling 440 digs, 146 assists, and 20 service aces in 2025.

• She achieved her 1,000th career dig on November 22 and was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week two days later. Bennett was also selected to the 2025 All-WCC Second Team and to the 2025 WCC All-Academic Team.

KYLIE MUNDAY NAMED 2025 WCC SETTER OF THE YEAR
• Munday earned her second straight WCC Setter of the Year honor after totaling 1,108 assists, 273 digs, 65 blocks (seven solo), 65 kills, and a team-high 47 service aces in 2025.

• She is the first player in program history to be named the WCC Setter of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

• Munday achieved 13 double-doubles in 2025 and had 50 or more assists in six different matches. She was also selected to the 2025 All-WCC First Team, earned a 2025 WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention, and was named the WCC Setter of the Week four times this season.

ISABEL CLARK NAMED TO 2025 ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
• Clark, the 2024 WCC Freshman of the Year, earned a 2025 All-WCC First Team honor after racking up 377 kills, 200 digs, 51 blocks (nine solo), and six service aces this season.

• She was named the WCC Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2025.

KALI ENGEMAN NAMED TO 2025 ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
• Engeman has made the most of her final college campaign, picking up a WCC Defensive Player of the Week nod on October 20 before finishing the regular season with a team-high 110 blocks (16 solo) alongside 227 kills while hitting a strong .390.

BAYLEA SPARKS NAMED 2025 ALL-WCC HONORABLE MENTION
• Sparks picked up an 2025 All-WCC Honorable Mention after shining on both sides of the ball in first season as a Torero, totaling 99 blocks (15 solo) and 115 kills while hitting a blistering .448.

• Sparks was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week on September 1.

AVA DURGAN EARNS 2025 WCC HONORABLE MENTION, ALL-FRESHMAN HONORS
• Durgan was named a 2025 All-WCC Honorable Mention and to the 2025 All-WCC Freshman Team after impressing in her debut college season, earning three WCC Freshman of the Week honors as she totaled 116 kills and 43 blocks (two solo) across 22 matches.

TOREROS OF THE WEEK
• San Diego received a conference-best 16 weekly West Coast Conference awards in 2025, which were earned by eight different players.

• USD won the WCC Offensive Player of the Week award five times, the WCC Defensive Player of the Week award four times, the WCC Freshman of the Week award three times, and the WCC Setter of the Week award four times.

GOING THE DISTANCE
• San Diego has played five sets on 11 different occasions this season, and is 9-2 in such matches.

• Approximately 37 percent (11 of 29) of USD's matches so far in 2025 (entering Friday) have gone five sets.