SAN DIEGO - A little more than 24 hours after celebrating Senior Night and an undefeated West Coast Conference season, Toreros volleyball gathered again, this time around a screen, waiting for the NCAA Selection Show to reveal the next chapter of their season.
When San Diego’s name appeared on the screen, the room erupted.
USD, the No. 8 seed in its quadrant, will face Kansas State (17–9, 10–8 Big 12) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. PT at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb., widely considered the mecca of women’s volleyball.
Nebraska volleyball has played in front of rabid, sold-out crowds of 8,300+ for years, and this year’s undefeated 30-0 season has only intensified the frenzy. The program also holds the sport’s most astonishing statistic, a world-record crowd of 92,003 for a women’s sporting event, accomplished in 2023.
Nebraska also owns the longest sellout streak of any women’s program in the country, beginning September 25, 2001, and continuing even after the Huskers moved from a 4,000-seat venue to the 8,309-seat Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013.
And while Nebraska provides the stage, USD brings a postseason pedigree of its own. Head coach Jennifer Petrie has led the Toreros into the NCAA Tournament 22 times. Her teams have won at least one match 16 times, appeared in five Sweet 16s, and, in 2022, finished in the Final Four. Her ability to prepare her teams for the moment is well established, and she will bring that leadership to this year’s match up as well.
A Familiar Foe in an Unfamiliar Setting
Kansas State brings a nationally tested resume, including wins over five ranked teams: UNC, Iowa State, Kansas, Colorado, and Baylor.
Head coach Jennifer Petrie calls them “a pin-heavy team,” physical, aggressive, and a defensive challenge.
“That gives us an opportunity to really focus on our defense,” Petrie said. “We’ll have a very good idea of … how to approach it.”
She means that literally.
The Toreros have a built-in scout in assistant coach John Dunn who joined USD in May 2024 after serving as Kansas State’s assistant coach in 2023–24.
His insight, game plans, and familiarity with personnel offer USD one of the rarest gifts in the NCAA Tournament: informed preparation.
Players Ready for the Big Stage
Senior libero Olivia Bennett was on the 2022 team that went to the Final Four. Returning to the tournament feels like stepping back into a familiar, electric world.
“I know what it takes to get to the tournament,” she said. “And this team’s really got it. I’m super excited for us to get on the court and show all the fight we’ve had this season.”
Sophomore setter Kylie Munday, who has never played in the tournament, is embracing the moment.
“Just playing in the Bob, in that atmosphere,” she said. “Volleyball has grown so much, and Nebraska has led that. I’m super excited.”
Sophomore outside hitter Isabel Clark compared the Selection Show from 2024 and 2025. In 2024, “we thought we were going to be able to get in, so not hearing our name was like a gut punch,” she said. “Knowing this year that we were going, just the nerves of where we were going was exciting. We are super happy that we get to keep on playing.”
Opposite Kennedy Osunsanmi sees this opportunity as perfectly aligned with who USD has become.
“Whenever we play good teams, we play our best volleyball,” she said. “I can’t wait for the challenge.”
The Opportunity
Petrie’s roster blends senior steadiness with undergraduate firepower. Their offense has balance, with junior Nemo Beach leading the way. Five players have more than 100 kills on the season: Beach (467), sophomore Isabel Clark (377), graduate student Kali Engeman (227), freshman Ava Durgan (116), and redshirt junior BayLea Sparks (115).
Their sophomore setter Kylie Munday has 1,108 assists, 47 aces, and 273 digs, providing strong leadership for the team.
Defensively, Engeman (126) and Sparks (114) lead the team in blocks, while five players have 200 or more digs: Bennett (440), Munday (273), Lauren Lynch (221), Beach (208), and Clark (200).
The team’s confidence comes not from streaks but from standards.
And with an assistant coach fluent in Kansas State’s tendencies, USD enters this first-round match with clarity and a rare competitive edge.
The undefeated conference run wasn’t accidental. Athletic Director Kimya Massey noted that the team prepared well beforehand, playing a tough non-conference schedule that will help them in the NCAA tournament.
“For us to be able to show our talent and skill and … depth is going to be really fun to see against other teams across the country,” he said.
On Friday, the Torero dynasty turns its attention to Lincoln, Neb. And the next story is theirs to write.
Round 1 of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament
USD (25-4, 18-0 WCC) will play Kansas State in the match prior to Nebraska’s Round 1 contest against Long Island University.
Fri, Dec. 5 | 2:30 p.m. PT | USD v. Kansas State | ESPN+