SAN DIEGO —Two hours, twenty-four minutes and five sweltering sets later, the Toreros finally prevailed.

Crosstown rival San Diego State made them sweat — both literally and figuratively — as they rallied to win back-to-back frames and force a decisive fifth one within the cozy confines of Peterson Gym.

But in the end, USD (7-3, 0-0 WCC) bent but didn't break, staving off a furious comeback from the Aztecs (5-5, 0-0 MW) to prevail by a 3-2 (25-16, 27-25, 16-25, 20-25, 15-9) margin and silence an at-times raucous hometown crowd.

Nemo Beach helped hold SDSU at bay by racking up a match-high 21 kills and adding 11 digs to achieve her first double-double of 2025. Isabel Clark was just behind, chipping in 16 kills of her own while hitting .282. Graduate transfer Kali Engeman anchored the USD defense by pacing the match with 10 blocks (two solo).

The Toreros ran away with the first set, but had to play from behind in set two. Chasing 22-14 down the stretch, they ripped off an 8-1 run to pull ahead 24-23, win 27-25, and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

It was all Aztecs for sets three and four before San Diego opened the fifth frame on an 8-3 surge. Three kills from Beach and two more from Clark followed, earning the Toreros a hard-fought victory across town at San Diego State.

NOTABLE

• Kylie Munday led all players with 43 assists.
• True freshman Lauren Lynch added nine digs.
• USD out-blocked SDSU 14 to nine, helping it out-hit the Aztecs .229 to .196.
• Friday marked the Toreros' first trip to — and win at — Peterson Gym since 2021.
• San Diego has now won each of its last four matchups against San Diego State dating back to 2019.
• The Toreros have now won four consecutive games.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action tomorrow night, when they return to the Jenny Craig Pavilion to close out the 2025 Jack Talmadge Volleyball Classic against UC San Diego. First serve against the Tritons is set for 7:00 p.m.