Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

COMING UP: vs. Lewis-Clark State, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. Walla Walla, Saturday, 9 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
TICKET INFORMATION: For home matches at Danny Miles Court, tickets can be purchased online through the OIT Ticket Portal or the day of the match at the gate. Tickets are $8.00 for adults, with a $5.00 ticket available for seniors, military members or OIT alumni. All seating is general admission.

WATCH LIVE: Fans unable to make it to the Basin for the weekend matches can watch live through Oregon Tech's Stretch Internet Portal, with Mike Safford calling the action. Live in-game stats will also be provided through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
HOME OPENERS: After playing their first six matches away from home, the Lady Owls make their Danny Miles Court debut this weekend – hosting Lewis-Clark State and Walla Walla. OIT will put a 4-match win streak in home openers on the line, along with a 5-match overall home win streak. Tech is a combined 17-7 in home openers since the program returned in 1998 – with their last opening loss coming in 2017. The Owls are 15-3 at home under head coach Ken Murczek – including a school-record 12-2 mark in 2021 – with OIT a combined 156-95 on their home court in the last quarter century.
 
CONFERENCE SEASON SET TO OPEN: The 2022 Cascade Conference schedule begins this week – a 22-game, double round-robin slate for each of the 12 league schools. The regular-season champion will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships and earn the right to host the CCC Tournament. The Top-6 teams in the regular-season standings advanced to the postseason, with the entire CCC Tournament to be held at a single site – as quarterfinal and semifinal games will be played Nov. 11 and the title game on Nov. 12.
 
TECH PICKED THIRD IN CCC PRESEASON POLL: For the first time since 2008, OIT was picked third in the Cascade Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, released in early August. Corban was the unanimous favorite, followed by Eastern Oregon and the Lady Owls, with Bushnell and Northwest rounding out the Top-5. Tech finished 18-4 in CCC play in 2021 – the fifth time in program history the Owls have placed third in the final league standings.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: A titanic match-up opens the CCC schedule, as Corban hosts Eastern Oregon – with both teams expected to be in the NAIA Top-10 when the new poll is released Wednesday. Corban is at 7-1, including wins over two Top-10 schools (Bellevue, Northwestern), while EOU is 7-1, having topped five Top-25 teams, including No. 2 Jamestown and No. 5 Midland. Northwest and Evergreen travel to Multnomah and Warner Pacific – as the Portland schools open their season; Lewis-Clark State and Walla Walla make the trip to Tech and Southern, while College of Idaho joins EOU in the Willamette Valley, facing Corban and Bushnell.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – LEWIS-CLARK STATE: The home opener is a rematch of the 2021 CCC Tournament quarterfinal in Klamath Falls, as the Warriors (5-1, 1-0 CCC) look to avenge a trio of losses to the Owls. LC has played a similar schedule to Tech – winning 4-of-5 matches against California schools – along with a conference opening victory over Walla Walla. Returners Grecia Ung Enriquez (2.91 k/s) and Cassidy Nelson (2.33 k/s, 1.19 d/s, 15 aces) lead the Warriors attack, setters Jennah Carpenter (4.52 a/s, 1.22 d/s) and Esther Kailponi (4.52 a/s) running the 6-2 offense, with libero Kenzie Dean (3.43 d/s, 9 aces) the top defender. OIT holds an 8-5 series edge, including a 3-0 mark against LC at Danny Miles Court.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WALLA WALLA: After making their season debut last week in a 4-set loss to Lewis-Clark State, the Wolves (0-1, 0-1) make the long trip looking to snap a pair of long streaks. WWU has dropped 28-straight matches, dating back to the 2019 season, while the Wolves are looking to end a 111-match CCC losing skid (dating back to October of 2015). The duo of Sahara Browning (3.50 k/s, 4.00 d/s) and Gabrielle Browning (2.00 k/s, 0.50 b/s) are the key to the Wolves attack, with setter Meherio Krainer (4.25 a/s, 1.75 d/s) returning in 2022. The two teams have met 16 previous times, with OIT winning all 16 matches, including 12 3-set sweeps.
 
OWLS HAVE WINNING TRIP TO CALIFORNIA: OIT closed out their non-conference schedule by winning 3-of-4 matches in California, sweeping a Tuesday doubleheader at Simpson and splitting 4-set matches in Rocklin – losing to William Jessup and topping Menlo. Tech's defense was the key on the trip – recording at least six team blocks in all four contests, while limiting opponents to a .160 hitting percentage or less in 3-of-4 matches.
 
RIPPLINGER SETS NEW MARK: Middle blocker Ashley Ripplinger had a huge match against Menlo – becoming the first Lady Owl to record 15 kills in a match without an attack error. The senior posted her fifth career 15-kill match (2019 vs. William Jessup, UC-Merced, Warner Pacific; 2020 vs. Lewis-Clark State) – however, the latest effort was on 25 swings – without a miscue. Jen Cueto had the previous mark of 14 kills on 21 swings (without an error) in 2004 vs. Cascade. Ripplinger leads the team with a .342 hitting percentage and recorded at least two blocks in all four California matches.
 
TECH SHOWCASES OFFENSIVE OPTIONS: Five other players recorded at least nine kills in a match in California, highlighting the depth at the net for the Lady Owls. Nicole Reyes had a match-high 18 kills vs. Menlo (hitting at a season-best .417 clip), while adding 14 digs – recording her 45th career double-double. Kaylin Talonen had 14 kills in the opener at Simpson, her third double-digit kills match of the year, with Molly Grace adding nine kills on 19 swings at Simpson. The freshmen tandem of Savanna Sterck and Willow Jacobson were key to the Owls success – Sterck pounding home 16 kills in the match vs. William Jessup, with Jacobson recording 10 kills in the second Simpson match, while recording at least one block in each of the four contests.
 
SETTERS CONTINUE TO SPLIT TIME: The Owls employed a 2-setter offense throughout their trip to California, with both Paige Tevelde and Courtney Isom posting nearly identical numbers. Tevelde combined for 62 assists, 25 digs and six aces – recording her first career double-double at Simpson. Isom finished the trip with 60 assists, 25 digs and two aces – including a career-high 15 digs at William Jessup.
 
ON DEFENSE: Both Aubrey Kievit and Kaley Whalen were key in the back row, combining for 100 digs on the trip. Kievit had 57 total digs, including a pair of 20-dig efforts, while adding nine aces – running a streak of matches with at least one ace to 10. Whalen recorded 43 digs in California, including a career-high 14 at Simpson.
 
RECORD BOOK: Seven current players rank among the Top-20 in the OIT career record book. Nicole Reyes leads the way, ranking No. 5 in kills (919), No. 9 in digs (961), No. 10 in aces (86), No. 13 in sets played (372) and No. 16 in matches played (104). Aubrey Kievit is No. 3 in digs (1,368) and No. 20 in aces (67); Courtney Isom is No. 10 in assists (1,175); Kaylin Talonen is No. 10 in kills (725); Brooke Cassidy is No. 13 in assists (525); Ashley Ripplinger is No. 14 in blocks (211); with Paige Tevelde No. 15 in assists (256).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Tech makes their first conference road swing, traveling to Washington for dates at Northwest (Sept. 9) and Evergreen (Sept. 10).