In this issue - San Diego women’s sports hit every note this week: perfection, resilience, and a little holiday heat. USD volleyball went 18 and OH MY, capping an undefeated WCC season before learning its NCAA Round 1 matchup. In hoops, SDSU, UCSD, and USD all split their games, and Point Loma kept cooking with a Thanksgiving Classic sweep. And, in honor of USD volleyball’s big week, our Timeout Term breaks down the slide, featuring Kali Engeman’s textbook example.
🏐 USD perfect in conference play, learned NCAA Round 1 opponent
With their 3-1 win over Gonzaga on Saturday, USD went undefeated 18-0 in conference play, one of only five teams in the nation to claim the same.
Long-time USD coach Jennifer Petrie will now take her USD team to an other-worldly 23rd NCAA appearance in 27 years. Her teams have won their first-round match 16 times, made five sweet sixteen appearances, and finished 2022 in the Final Four. This year, she has a secret weapon for the first round: Be sure to read all about it.
While you’re at it, we dare you to find a San Diego team, men’s or women’s, who has had more NCAA appearances than USD volleyball over the past 25 years. (In case you were thinking SDSU men’s basketball, so were we. Nope).
🏀 San Diego Hoops Roundup: D1 Teams Split, Point Loma Dominates
All of the D1 teams went 1-1 this week.
Starting with SDSU in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, they defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 58-45, then lost to Penn State, 83-67. Across the two games, Nat Martinez scored 31, Naomi Panganiban 25, and Kennedy Lee, 20.
UC San Diego lost to No. 22 Washington State, 67-50, and then routed Portland State with their highest-ever scoring game against a D1 opponent, 94-64. Through the two games, Sabrina Ma scored 30, Rosa Smith 36, and Erin Condron, 32.
In Tempe, Ariz., USD lost to Little Rock 51-37 before beating Southeast Missouri State 65-55. Olivia Owens scored 23, Eva Ruse, 26, and Hallie Rhodes 18 across both.
Remember our “Plays like they are D1 but they are really D2” Point Loma? They hosted the Thanksgiving Day Classic, clobbering their opponents 93-67 and 76-56. Across the two games, Ruby Vlahov scored 44, Jocelyn Pascual had 31, and Izzy Navarro dropped 24.
⏱️ Timeout Terminology: Slide (Volleyball)
From ncaa.com: On a slide, the player runs behind the setter and moves more parallel with the net. That means the blockers have to move, too, and don’t have as much time to set up defensively.
The slide is one of the most thrilling type of attacks in volleyball, and NCAA writer Jacob Meyers shared, “This play takes a lot of practice to perfect.” USD’s middle blocker Kali Engeman and setter Kylie Munday spend hours getting it right.
Some terms are understood better in action, and that’s the case with the slide. Below, watch Engeman’s slide.
USD Middle blocker Kali Engeman shows off her slide. Watch the point that begins at 1:50 as she moves from the middle of the court and “slides” to the right, making her attack (a kill). The slide, a quick-paced play, requires extraordinary timing, great communication, speed, power, and agility. Video Credit: USD Toreros