SAN DIEGO — USD volleyball's offseason included a trip to Berlin, Germany, where it took on stiff international competition as part of the FISU World University Games.

A month later, San Diego began its 2025 schedule with eight straight road matches, traveling to Hawaii, Los Angeles, and Washington as it completed its most away contests to begin a season since 2006.

On Thursday night, 292 days after they had last played in America's Finest City, the Toreros finally returned to the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

And for the most part, they looked right at home.

A third-set stumble that bled into the fourth set aside, USD (6-3, 0-0 WCC) played well for the majority of a 3-1 victory against Yale (2-4, 0-0 Ivy League) on Thursday night to begin the 2025 Jack Talmadge Volleyball Classic, ensuring that the JCP's brand-new Taraflex court was welcomed with a win.

Headlined by a double-double from Isabel Clark and a robust .500 hitting percentage from Kali Engeman, three Toreros racked up double-digit kills in their 25-16, 25-20, 18-25, 25-21 triumph over the Bulldogs. And setter Kylie Munday — fresh off MVP recognition at last weekend's Husky Invitational — conducted the San Diego offense with precision, notching a double-double of her own as she added 31 assists to go with 11 digs.

It was a similarly well-balanced effort for USD on defense, with Maya Kitna's five blocks pacing a group of eight different San Diego players that recorded one and five that had multiple stuffs. True freshman Lauren Lynch and senior Olivia Bennett perfectly matched one another as they each added 16 digs.

After cruising through (and winning) the first two frames with little drama and just five lead changes, USD headed to the third set with a 2-0 lead. Yale responded by playing the Toreros close through the opening stages of the third period, then pulled ahead near the midpoint as its lead eventually swelled to a game-high eight to force a fourth set.

The Bulldogs led 5-2, 7-3, and 14-10 to begin set four before San Diego caught its breath and responded. USD caught fire with a 6-0 run coming out of a timeout that turned an 18-14 Bulldog lead into a 20-18 Torero advantage. Yale called a timeout of its own after San Diego vaulted back in front, but it was too little, too late. The Toreros closed the match on a blistering 11-3 run that featured three kills from Engeman, two from Nemo Beach, and one apiece from Munday, Clark, and true freshman Ava Durgan, who hammered home the final point.

Now winners of three in a row, the Toreros won't have to go far for their next match. They'll be away from home again on Friday night, but will play close by in a crosstown rivalry matchup at San Diego State (7:00 PM, Mountain West Network).

NOTABLE

• Beach was tied for the match high with 16 kills while hitting .279. Clark (.214) had 14, and Engeman (.500) added 13 more.
• Bennett (two) and Munday (one) recorded the Toreros' only service aces
• Tatum Lane totaled a career-high eight assists.
• Lynch's 16 digs are a career-high.
• USD out-blocked Yale 11 to 6 and out-hit the Bulldogs .264 to .154.
• San Diego is now 3-0 against Yale all-time. All three victories have taken place at the JCP.
• Thursday night marked the first-ever match on the Jenny Craig Pavilion's new Taraflex court.