HONOLULU — San Diego volleyball will be back in the islands to open its season for a third consecutive year this weekend, beginning its 2025 schedule with matchups against Utah State (7:45 PM PST Friday), Marquette (7:45 PM PST Saturday), and tournament host Hawaii (8:00 PM PST Sunday) as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Fans can follow along with the Toreros' first two matches via live statistics before the weekend finale on Sunday night is streamed live on ESPN+ (video) and ESPN Radio Honolulu.

Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Chris McLachlin (color analyst) will have the call.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UTAH STATE, MARQUETTE, AND HAWAII
Utah State:
• The Aggies lead the all-time series, 3-1. San Diego won the last meeting between the two teams, which was a 3-0 Torero sweep in Logan, Utah back in September 1999.

Marquette: 
• USD and Marquette's lone previous meeting was also part of the season-opening tournament hosted by Hawaii. San Diego swept the Golden Eagles in August 2017 in what was then named the Texaco Rainbow Wahine Invitational.

Hawaii: 
• San Diego is 4-7 against the Rainbow Wahine all-time.

• USD and UH have played each other once in each of the last three seasons (2022, 2023, and 2024), with the most recent two of those matchups (2023 and 2024) coming at the Stan Sheriff Center. Both resulted in 3-1 USD defeats.

• San Diego's last win against Hawaii was a 3-0 sweep of the Rainbow Wahine on August 28, 2022 in College Station, Texas as part of the Texas A&M Invitational.

• The Toreros' most recent victory over UH at the Stan Sheriff Center was on August 26, 2017, when No. 22 USD swept No. 20 Hawaii as part of the Texaco Rainbow Wahine Invitational.

USD PICKED FIRST IN 2025 WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
• San Diego was picked to finish first in the 2025 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll, the West Coast Conference announced on August 20 as part of its annual volleyball preseason honors.

• Ten first-place votes propelled the Toreros to the top spot in the preseason poll. They totaled 120 points to vault ahead of second-place Pepperdine, which picked up a pair of first-place votes and 107 points.

• San Diego's selection as the conference's preseason favorite marks its first since 2023, when it also beat out Pepperdine to win the coaches' vote.

2025 WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL                                                                                                                   
RANK TEAM (1ST-PLACE VOTES) POINTS                                                                                                                                                
1. San Diego (10)             120                                                                                                                                              
2. Pepperdine (2) 107                                                                                                                                                       
3. LMU 97                                                                                      
4. Oregon State 86
4. Washington State 86
6. Saint Mary's 72
7. Pacific 51
8. San Francisco 50
9. Santa Clara 44
10. Portland 39
11. Gonzaga 28
12. Seattle 12

FIVE TOREROS NAMED TO 2025 WCC PRESEASON TEAM
• Outside hitters Nemo Beach and Isabel Clark, middle blocker Kali Engeman, setter Kylie Munday, and opposite Kennedy Osunsanmi were named to the 2025 WCC Preseason Team on August 20, giving USD a conference-high five preseason team honorees.

• Beach, a junior from Chandler, Arizona, earned WCC Preseason Team recognition for a second consecutive year after making 20 starts and playing in 27 of the Toreros' 28 matches in 2024. Eighteen matches with double-digit kills helped her tally 281 of them across 97 sets while hitting .223, and she added 49 total blocks, 130 digs, 14 assists, and five service aces before being named to the 2024 All-WCC Second Team. Beach averaged 2.90 kills per set, 0.51 blocks per set, and 3.26 points per set last year, and ranked second on the team in total kills, kills per set, and solo blocks (11).

• Clark, a sophomore from Orange County, California, joined Beach on the WCC Preseason after a dynamic college debut that saw her earn 2024 WCC Freshman of the Year, 2024 All-WCC First Team, and 2024 All-WCC Freshman Team honors. She played in all but one of the Toreros' 28 matches in 2024, making 26 starts while totaling a team-high 311 kills across 97 sets.

• Clark also added 54 total blocks, 185 digs, 15 assists, and 17 service aces last year, and ranked fourth on the team in digs, total blocks, and service aces. She averaged 3.21 kills per set (which led all WCC freshmen), 0.56 blocks per set, 1.91 digs per set, and 3.70 points per set.

• Engeman, a graduate transfer from the University of Minnesota, earned her first-ever WCC honor after playing in 17 matches for the Gophers in 2024, averaging 1.00 kills, 1.08 blocks and 0.16 digs per set while totaling 25 kills while hitting .286 and had 27 block assists. She saw postseason action during that season in Minneapolis, appearing against Kentucky in the 2024 NCAA Tournament's second round.

• Munday, the league's reigning Setter of the Year, was selected to the 2025 WCC Preseason Team after leading the Torero roster with 912 assists and averaging a WCC-best 9.50 assists per set across 26 matches and 24 starts in 2024. She ranked second on the team in digs, third in service aces, and fifth in total blocks. Under her direction, USD hit .251 as a team last season, which was the highest team mark in the conference.

• Osunsanmi, a three-time WCC Freshman of the Week, an All-WCC Freshman Team selection, and an All-WCC Honorable Mention a year ago, received 2025 WCC Preseason Team recognition following a debut college campaign that saw her play and start in all but one of the Toreros' 28 matches, totaling 251 kills while hitting .241 alongside 71 total blocks. She ranked third on the USD roster in kills and total blocks and had the fifth-most service aces among her teammates in 2024.

PORTAL ADDITIONS
• Head coach Jennifer Petrie added three players via the transfer portal this offseason.

Those players are…

Reese Bates | Libero/Defensive Specialist | Butler University
• Spent the first two seasons of her college career at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, totaling 219 digs and 32 service aces across 47 matches.

• Has nearly 66,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts volleyball instructional videos as well as NIL brand deals.

Kali Engeman | Middle Blocker | Minnesota
• Attended Georgia Tech (2021-2023) and Minnesota (2024) before transferring to USD

• Played in 17 matches at Minnesota, averaging 1.00 kills, 1.08 blocks and 0.16 digs per set Totaled 25 kills while hitting .286 and had 27 block assists

BayLea Sparks | Middle Blocker | High Point University
• Spent the first three seasons of her college career at High Point University in North Carolina

• Helped the Panthers win Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024

• Was named to the Big South All-Conference First Team (2024), also earned Big South Player of the Week honors (November 4, 2024)

IMPACT FRESHMEN
• San Diego has also welcomed three first-year players for the 2025 season.

Those players are…

Lauren Lynch | Libero | Sierra Canyon School
• Attended Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California, where she holds the all-time record for digs with 1,557

• Earned three All-Mission League First Team selections

Ava Durgan | Middle Blocker | Mead Senior High School
• Attended Mead Senior High School in Spokane, Washington, where she was named the Washington State Player of the Year as a junior

• Earned First Team All-League honors in her junior and senior years and was selected to the All-State team as both a sophomore and junior

Belle Groomes | Setter | St. Joseph Academy
• Attended Saint Joseph Academy in Cleveland, Ohio, where she totaled more than 800 kills, 180 aces, 180 blocks, 600 digs, and 1,300 assists

• Earned First Team All-District and All-State honors

• Was named the 2024-2025 Gatorade Ohio Volleyball Player of the Year

TOUGH COMPETITION
• Seven of San Diego's 2025 opponents qualified for last year's NCAA Tournament.

• Those teams include Hawaii, Marquette, Creighton, USC, Washington, Yale, and LMU.

COMPETING ON A GLOBAL STAGE
• From July 16-27 this summer, San Diego volleyball joined around 8,500 other student-athletes and officials from over 150 countries in competing for medals in 18 sports at the World University Games in Berlin, Germany, one of the largest multi-sport events in the world. The Toreros represented the USA as the nation's only women's volleyball team in the Games, and finished 10th of approximately 20 teams.

• USD earned wins over Team Australia, Team Chile, and Team Mongolia in the event, and suffered losses to Team Italy, Team Chinese Taipei, and Team Spain.

• Standout performances from multiple players placed the Toreros in the top 15 of several statistical categories once the WUG had drawn to a close.

• Outside hitters Nemo Beach and Isabel Clark led the charge for the Toreros on offense at the Games, ranking 9th and 13th in total points.

• Clark and Beach's high-octane efforts placed them as the 10th and 15th-most effective attackers in the event, respectively. Beach's impact also extended to the service line, with the Chandler, Arizona native checking in as the sixth-most impactful server at the international tournament.

• Kylie Munday orchestrated her team's offense with precision, earning her recognition as the Games' most efficient setter. She also placed 12th among all players in serving success rate.

• Libero Olivia Bennett anchored the USD defense by totaling the fourth-most digs in the tournament. Middle blocker Kali Engeman added the eighth-most blocks.