LIMA, Peru — In its first competition as a program, San Diego beach volleyball played for a continental championship.

Lauren Watson and Niki Egan came up just short in the gold medal match at the 2026 FISU America Games on Saturday afternoon, falling to host Peru 2-0 (24-26, 17-21) and taking home silver in a run that carried the Toreros to the final in their debut on the international stage.

Competing as Team USA, Watson and Egan reached Saturday unbeaten, opening with straight-set wins over Colombia and Chile before advancing through the quarterfinals and outlasting Brazil in a three-set semifinal (15-21, 21-18, 15-12).

Sam Herman and Maddy White also represented USD in Lima, going unbeaten in pool play with wins over Chile (21-19, 21-16) and Argentina (21-9, 21-11) before falling in the quarterfinals.

The FISU America Games run through Aug. 1 and bring together the top university athletes from across North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, with competition held at the Villa Deportiva Nacional (VIDENA) and other venues built for the 2019 Pan American Games.

USD launched beach volleyball as a varsity program in July 2025 and will begin NCAA competition in spring 2027 as a member of the West Coast Conference.