MALIBU, Calif. — After a rigorous, travel-filled non-conference schedule, San Diego volleyball (7-4, 0-0 WCC) is set to begin West Coast Conference play this week with matchups against a pair of league rivals, taking on Pepperdine (6-5, 0-0 WCC) and Loyola Marymount (2-7, 0-0 WCC) this Thursday and Saturday.

The Toreros will travel to the Firestone Fieldhouse on Thursday night for a 6:00 p.m. contest against the Waves, then return home to the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Saturday afternoon for a 12:00 p.m. battle with the Lions.

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Torero broadcaster Braden Surprenant on the play-by-play call on Saturday at the JCP.

Live statistics will be available on StatBroadcast (Thursday and Saturday) and USDToreros.com (Saturday).

LAST TIME OUT: TOREROS GO 2-1 AT JACK TALMADGE VOLLEYBALL CLASSIC
• USD won two of its three matches last weekend in San Diego as part of the second annual Jack Talmadge Volleyball Classic, defeating Yale at the Jenny Craig Pavilion 3-1 (25-16, 25-20, 18-25, 25-21) on Thursday night in its home opener and prevailing in thrilling five-set (25-16, 27-25, 16-25, 20-25, 15-9) fashion at crosstown rival San Diego State on Friday night before suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 (22-25, 21-25, 25-17, 27-25, 14-16) defeat to UC San Diego on Saturday night at the JCP.

EARNING SOME TOURNAMENT TITLES
• San Diego took home the trophy in three of its four 2025 non-conference tournaments, prevailing with a 3-0 record in the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic, a 2-0 record in the Husky Invitational, and a 2-1 record in the Jack Talmadge Volleyball Classic.

• USD's trio of first-place finishes in multi-team events this year saw it beat Utah State, Marquette, Hawaii, Washington, Arizona, Yale, and San Diego State.

ISABEL CLARK NAMED WCC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore outside hitter Isabel Clark has been named the WCC Offensive Player of the Week for September 22, 2025, the West Coast Conference announced on Monday afternoon.

• Clark was instrumental in San Diego's two wins over the weekend, totaling 56 kills (4.00 K/S) while hitting .276. She had 15 kills (3.75 K/S) on Thursday against Yale, added 16 more at SDSU on Friday while hitting .282, then erupted for a career-high 25 kills on Saturday against UCSD, averaging 5.00 K/S and hitting a robust .321.

• For her efforts, she was also named to the 2025 Jack Talmadge Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team.

• Monday marked Clark's first weekly WCC award of the season and her fourth career weekly conference honor.

• She has previously been named the WCC Freshman of the Week (November 11 2024 and December 2, 2024) and the WCC Offensive Player of the Week (November 11, 2024).

KALI ENGEMAN NAMED TO JACK TALMADGE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• Graduate student Kali Engeman was named to the 2025 Jack Talmadge Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team after being dominant on defense last weekend for San Diego, helping the Toreros to a pair of wins by totaling 19 blocks (four solo) and 12 digs across three matches.

• She had four blocks (three solo) and two digs on Thursday in a win over Yale, added 10 more (two solo) and two digs on Friday in a thrilling five-set win over San Diego State, and recorded five blocks (one solo) and eight digs on Saturday in a tough loss to UC San Diego.

• Thanks to the help of Engeman, Yale, SDSU and UCSD combined to hit just .170 against the Toreros.

LAUREN LYNCH SHINES AGAINST YALE, SDSU, UCSD
• First-year libero/defensive specialist Lauren Lynch helped San Diego earn a pair of victories over the weekend, totaling 29 digs, three assists, and a service ace as USD beat Yale and crosstown rival San Diego State.

• She had 16 digs and one assist on Thursday night against the Bulldogs, added nine more, an assist, and a service ace on Friday in a five-set win at SDSU, and had four digs and an assist on Saturday in a tough loss to UCSD.

LAST YEAR IN THE WCC…
• San Diego finished 14-4 in conference play last year, good for a tie with Pepperdine for second place behind league champion and NCAA Tournament participant LMU.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST PEPPERDINE AND LMU
Pepperdine:
• The Waves lead the all-time series, 38-45, but the Toreros won both matchups last season.

• San Diego prevailed in a pair of 3-1 decisions in 2024, winning by the same score at the JCP (November 9) and the Firestone Fieldhouse (November 27).

Loyola Marymount:
• San Diego leads the all-time series, 49-44, but has lost four straight matches to the Lions dating back to 2023.

• LMU won a pair of five-set decisions last season, beating the Toreros by a score of 3-2 both at Gersten Pavilion (October 10) and the JCP (November 2).

• USD's last win over LMU was back on November 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, when San Diego — then ranked No. 2 nationally — hung on for a gritty 3-2 victory on the road to preserve its perfect undefeated WCC season.

• The Toreros' last victory over the Lions at the Jenny Craig Pavilion came earlier that same year, when USD beat LMU 3-2 on September 22, 2022.

A BRAND-NEW FLOOR
• Torero volleyball opened its 2025 season with a brand-new Taraflex Court at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, marking the latest in a series of upgrades to the venue that have made it one of the premier arenas of its kind on the West Coast.

• The playing surface, considered the most dynamic in the industry, will provide San Diego athletes and opposing teams with unmatched shock absorption and superior grip.

• San Diego's new court features a striking design that includes USD, WCC, and sponsor logos on a rich light cherry colored playing surface framed by a bold navy blue border.

"The addition of Taraflex to the Jenny Craig Pavilion is representative of our continued investment in women's volleyball here at USD," said USD Associate Vice President/Executive Director of Athletics Kimya Massey. "Our student-athletes work tirelessly to uphold our program's championship standard, and we're proud to now provide them with a best-in-class playing surface that is comparable to what is used by the top programs in the country. This upgrade cements the Jenny Craig Pavilion's status as the top volleyball venue in the West Coast Conference, and as one of the best facilities of its size in the nation. I'm grateful to our USD facilities team and everyone at Gerflor USA for their hard work to get this installed ahead of our first home game of 2025."

• The Toreros' 2025 home opener — Thursday, September 18 against Yale —marked the first-ever game played on Taraflex in the JCP.

ROAD WARRIORS
• The Toreros began their 2025 season with eight straight away matches, marking the program's longest season-opening road stretch since 2006, when USD started its schedule by playing nine consecutive contests away from home.

• San Diego opened its 2025 campaign with three matches in Honolulu from August 29-31 as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic before traveling north to Los Angeles last weekend for three matches at the Trojan Invitational from September 5-7.

• USD then visited Washington for two matches at the Husky Invitational ahead of its return home to San Diego on September 18 to host Yale at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

• While USD's early road swing in 2006 was one game longer, San Diego's 2025 schedule involves far more travel. The Toreros' first three matches in 2006 were technically away from home but took place across town at nearby San Diego State.