SAN DIEGO — When Leyla Black's hit went off the Stanford block and out of bounds, the Toreros were headed to the Final Four.
"Oh my gosh, it was an insane game," Torero Outside Hitter Katie Lukes said. She added, "(That was) a really good team that we played, and just the fact that we found ways, was just amazing. So it was definitely emotional. For sure."
"That's going to be something we look back on for the rest of our lives," Toreros Opposite Hitter Grace Frohling said.
While USD has been to the NCAA Tournament 25 of the last 27 years, defeating Stanford was like David conquering Goliath. Stanford is a nine-time national champion in volleyball. USD was playing in the Elite Eight for the first time ever.
"I mean, they did not say die throughout that entire match," said Head Coach Jen Petrie. She continued, "And there was plenty of opportunity. I felt like, okay, Stanford is getting some momentum right now. And our team would not let down who did not stop. (It was) so thrilling and so rewarding to see all of our hard work throughout the whole season culminate in such a huge victory on our opponents home court."
Next, the stage gets bigger, and so does the competition. On Thursday, the Toreros play the number one seeded Texas Longhorns in Omaha at a sold out arena that seats over 17,000 fans.
"Certainly there's nothing that can prepare an athlete for playing in that kind of electric energy that that's going to provide," Petrie said. "I think they're very well prepared for this moment. And I said, this is a celebration. We're in the Final Four. I mean, what can be better than that?"
WATCH RELATED: Number two seeded USD Toreros to host NCAA Volleyball matches