Why Not The Toreros?

Second-ranked San Diego’s historic season has been nearly a year in the making. Through utilizing the offseason and finding all of the right pieces, the Toreros put together one of the best teams in the nation. From their fifth-year veterans to their standout transfers, San Diego has put the nation on notice. 

After falling to Rice in the first round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, USD went back to the drawing board. During that time, there was a lot of productivity and it built a lot of confidence. It started with having a true offseason, the first since 2019. “We were on back-to-back spring and fall because of the pandemic,” head coach and WCC’s Coach of the Year Jennifer Petrie shared, “It was nice to be able to step away from being constantly in competitive mode to really work on our game.”

Having a true offseason helped a lot of players refocus while having time to decompress. It also gave room for the new additions to find their place on the team. First on the scene was grad transfer and now the WCC’s Setter of the Year Gabby Blossom.

Blossom got to USD in January, hoping San Diego would be the place for one last ride. According to the grad student, it has. “It’s been an unreal last season and it’s been so cool to achieve this success,” Blossom said. “We knew we had the chance to do something special and it’s made for a lot of fun times,” she continued, “I am so lucky I get to do it with the people I am doing it with.”

Initially reserved coming into San Diego as an older member of the team, Blossom was grateful for having everyone welcome her with open arms. “They allowed me to be their setter as a fifth year, as someone new," Blossom shared appreciatively. Quick to share her gratitude for her teammates and coaches, she continued, “They were all great in helping me fit into the way we play and the offense that we run.”

There was a slight learning curve for Blossom and the others, which is only natural after playing on different teams from different parts of the country. “It wasn’t an easy adjustment more towards the end of my career,” she admitted. But according to her, the coaching staff and the team granted her the patience and space necessary to get her to where she needed to be. 

She cited watching her teammates work hard to improve as something that inspired her to do the same. “Getting through that struggle to change things and fit what the team needed is something I am proud of,” Blossom said, “Seeing the offense do what they do now is something we envisioned in the spring, and to see it now has been so cool.”

Madi Allen and Bre Edwards also came in as transfers, joining the rest of the team that spring. Like Blossom, they rose to the challenge and were able to quickly assimilate and fit seamlessly into USD’s culture. “Madi has given us great depth in our back row,” WCC’s Libero of the Year Annie Benbow shared, “Bre on the outside has shown up huge for us this year.”

A huge part in getting the transfers and freshmen up to speed were USD’s fifth-year seniors. “We were starting the preseason already at a competitive level,” Petrie explained, “We didn’t have to start at ground zero. We had the fifth-years and the experience they brought in.”

Benbow, a fifth-year senior, with her tandem fifth-year Katie Lukes, were key players in getting everyone on the same page. Both spending their five years in the same program is a testament to what Petrie has built in San Diego. They bought in when they committed and continue to buy in every day. “The culture has really sunk in with them. They are well-respected and they are the pulse of the team,” Petrie said. 

As the title would suggest, San Diego has adopted the mantra, “Why not us?” Asking “Why not our team? Why not our school?” shifted the mentality of the team. Benbow explained it best, “At the beginning, we were saying ‘Oh we are the underdog,'" she continued, “We have shifted to ‘No, we aren’t the underdog, we deserve to be here.' We are a top-five team. People can think of us this way [being an underdog] but we are a top-two team for a reason. We deserve the rankings, and the wins have proved that.”

Watching the fifth-years embody this idea, it was easy for everyone else to follow suit. That mantra has kept them motivated, Petrie explained, “It’s like filling a bucket of credible thoughts that you can believe in and pull on when things are hard. The belief comes from the results of all their hard work. The bucket is full of all the things we have done this year to get to where we are now.”

The Toreros ended 18-0 in WCC action this season en route to the Conference title. It was the first time since 2004 that they went undefeated in conference play, and only the 14th time in WCC history. Their current 24-match win streak is the longest in program history. In that stretch was a 13-match sweep streak. To achieve such success was a result of a lot of hard work. “To do that body of work is not easy,” Petrie said.

It all started with a culmination of transfers and veterans in one space with the same goals. “We knew we wanted to go farther than we ever had,” Benbow shared, “We knew we had to work on things so we could go to the places we wanted to go. The pieces fell perfectly together."

San Diego proved this season they can compete and win against anyone. The Toreros went 5-1 against ranked opponents during the regular season. Their lone loss to then-No. 3 Louisville was their only this season. “It was a tough schedule, but our coaches wanted it that way, to push us and to make us relevant so we can host and come out of the regular season feeling good about where we were at,” Benbow shared. 

The Toreros earned a No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, their highest seeding in program history. They are currently on a streak of 13 straight NCAA appearances, while advancing in 21 of the past 23 seasons. Though they have never gone past the Sweet Sixteen, this team looks to continue making history. “I am excited about what’s ahead and we are far from over,” Benbow concluded. 

San Diego hosts Northern Colorado in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tonight at 7pm. Catch the action on ESPN+.