San Diego converted a shaky first-set middle into its most complete conference result of the young season. The Toreros beat Pacific 25-20, 25-17, 25-15 Saturday at Jenny Craig Pavilion, earning their first West Coast Conference victory two days after a five-set loss to Saint Mary's.
Pacific led 15-12 at the first media timeout. Freshman Ryann Knuth answered with a kill, then served the rest of a four-point USD run. Nemo Beach participated in consecutive blocks of Hanna Vorhies, the second alongside Meghan Scholz, before Knuth's ace placed the Toreros ahead 16-15.
The set tightened once more at 17. Beach's kill put Kylie Munday at the service line for four straight points, including two BayLea Sparks kills. USD led 22-17 and did not release the margin. Sparks finished that frame with five kills on six attempts; Scholz supplied the last point.
There were five lead changes in the second before Kierstyn Barton's kill made it 10-9. The decisive sequence began later with a Pacific service error at 16-13. Freshman Emma Brewer ended each of the next four rallies while Knuth served: a kill, a solo block and two more kills. Brewer produced six kills on eight swings in the set, which Munday closed with an ace.
Belle Groomes then made her college debut at setter. An injury had kept her out for all of her 2025 freshman season. Her first assist set Brewer for a kill on the opening rally of the third; her first two kills arrived during a 7-0 run that stretched USD's lead to 14-6. Groomes handled each of the last four points, sharing a block, setting two kills and serving the match-ending ace.
Barton led all players with 10 kills and 12 points. Sparks committed no attack error while putting away nine kills in 12 swings. Brewer also had nine kills, Knuth served three aces, Munday totaled 26 assists over two sets and Lauren Lynch led the floor defense with 11 digs.
The team margins were broad. USD hit .360 and held Pacific to .126. The Toreros led 44-26 in kills, 7-1 in aces and 8-4 in team blocks. That balance made the match shorter than the opener and limited Pacific's opportunities to change the pressure with a long run of its own.
The third set added a second setter without interrupting the side-out pattern. Groomes finished with seven assists, two kills and five digs in that one frame. Her late block with Allie Dunnion and the two ensuing assists put her in every phase of the closing sequence. For a player returning from a season lost to injury, the debut was not a ceremonial appearance; it required her to direct the finish.
USD improved to 6-6 overall and 1-1 in the WCC. The official school record places the Toreros at 26-1 all-time against Pacific, with nine consecutive wins and seven sweeps during that streak. Denver visits Oct. 3. Saturday's most transferable gain was not the history; it was the number of available finishers, including a setter whose delayed debut ended with her serving the final point.