SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Diego turned away the Zags in three sets in their regular season finale of the 2023 season. Despite mounting efforts late in the third set, the Torreros would hang on for a 25-15, 25-18, 25-22 win inside Jenny Craig Pavilion on Saturday.
 
THE ACTION
First Set – San Diego, 25-15

• Nemo Beach propelled San Diego (16-10, 12-4 West Coast Conference) in the opening set, leading all hitters with seven kills on ten attempts with no attack errors. Leyla Blackwell and Kylie Pries followed with four kills each as the Torreros hit at a .436 clip in set one.
• Needing three kills to surpass 1,000 career digs, Alisa Kim found all three within the first three rallies to become the 15th member of the 1,000 digs clubs in program history. Kim finished the set with nine digs. On the offensive side, Autumn Larson and Maggie Rickert led GU with three kills each, while Juliette Russell, Jody Smith, and Fallon Thompson each added two.
• San Diego controlled the majority of the opening set, racing out to a quick 5-1 lead behind a trio of kills from Beach. The Zags would slim the Torrero lead to a few times, but USD found themselves up seven by the midway point.
• Blackwell and Pries joined Beach in the final moments of the first set to open the match with a ten-point win.

Second Set – San Diego, 25-18

• San Diego looked to Amber Stivrins in set two, who led all with five kills. Blackwell added four more, while Olivia Bennett picked up six digs to aid USD in a 25-18 win.
• Russell was the leading scorer for the Zags in set two, with three of the team's eight kills. San Diego held Gonzaga to just a .025 hitting percentage.
• Similar to the first, USD quickly found themselves up early with a 7-2 lead. The Bulldogs battled back to within one on a Nia Damuni ace, but San Diego quickly responded to open a 15-10 lead. A pair of Gonzaga timeouts were not able ice the Torrero offense, who quickly put the set away and grabbed a 2-0 lead.

Third Set – San Diego, 25-22

• Stivrins led USD in the final set with eight more kills while Blackwell and Haylee Stoner added three to secure the sweep. Bennett recorded eight more digs to her match total of 18.
• Gonzaga notched a dozen kills behind Russell (three) and Rickert (three), while Kim's six digs brought her total to 18, matching San Diego's Bennett.
• The Torreros looked to run away in the third set after Blackwell brought USD to match point at 24-18. GU responded with a 4-0 run to force San Diego to call a timeout to regroup.
• Out of the timeout, it was Blackwell immediately who thwarted the Bulldog rally and complete the 3-0 win.

 
QUICK STATS

• Alisa Kim's 18 digs brings her career total to 1,015, which is 14th all-time behind Morgan Douglass (1,025). Kim is the first member of the 1,000 digs club since Tiyana Hallums (2015-18).
• Freshman setter Nia Damuni finished the 2023 season with 854 assists. That mark ranks tenth in the Gonzaga rally scoring era behind Denise Van De Mortel (989 in 2011).
• Viktoriya Ivanova and Alisa Kim each served 32 aces this season, placing them in a tie for seventh in the GU rally scoring era behind Jessica Herrera (33 in 2005).
• As a team, Gonzaga finished with 155 service aces, which ranks fourth in the rally scoring era.