USD Toreros Open Season Monday

Blanche Alverson enters her second season as the head coach of the University of San Diego women’s basketball team with a clear objective: improve upon the 11-22 record from the 2025-2026 campaign. The Toreros will begin their 2026-2027 schedule on Monday night with a road game against New Mexico State. Alverson believes the previous season laid a necessary groundwork, noting that the team maintained strong chemistry and a solid approach throughout the year.

The program’s primary strength lies in its backcourt, which Alverson describes as the engine of the team. Junior Kylie Ray, a 5-foot-8 guard, averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season. She led the Toreros in scoring and finished third in rebounding, while also posting an 89.4% free-throw percentage, the highest in the West Coast Conference. Olivia Owens, a 5-foot-10 guard, contributed 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as a freshman. Owens earned All-WCC freshman team honors and recorded a career-best performance against Washington State with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.

Alverson’s squad also returns Lauren McCall, a 5-foot-6 senior who missed the entire 2025-2026 season due to injury. McCall joins a group of guards that includes sophomore Jessica Ajayi and junior Lilly Amor. Alverson stated that the backcourt provides depth and cohesion that was lacking in the previous year. The coach emphasized that Ray possesses high basketball intelligence and scoring ability, while Owens has developed significantly since her freshman year.

The frontcourt presents a different challenge, characterized by size but limited collegiate experience. The team relies on three transfers from major programs to fill these roles. Kiera Pemberton, a 6-foot-1 senior transfer from Baylor, and Sammie Wagner, a 6-foot-1 graduate transfer from Oregon, are expected to start. They will be joined in the rotation by junior Eva Ruse and sophomore Braelynn Barnett, a 6-foot-1 transfer from Georgetown. Ruse, a 6-foot-2 junior, averaged 5.5 points and 5.7 rebounds last season but was limited to brief stretches of play.

Alverson acknowledged that the frontcourt is unproven but expressed confidence in the pieces assembled on the floor. The team lost guards Hallie Rhodes and Jayden Rhodes, who combined for 13.6 points per game the previous year. The Toreros will face UC San Diego in the Bill Walton Classic on November 7 at Pechanga Arena. Other key games on the schedule include a road trip to Arizona State on November 17, a home game against UC Irvine on November 21, and a matchup with Santa Clara on February 27.