COMING UP: at Raider Invitational (Ashland, Ore.) – Thursday vs. Embry-Riddle, 11 a.m.; vs. Jessup, 3 p.m. Friday vs. Menlo, 9 a.m.; vs. Vanguard, 5 p.m.
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION: All four games from the Raider Invitational will be streamed online through Southern Oregon's
PrestoLive Portal (PPV - $5.00), with Live Stats available through OIT's
SIDEARM Sports Portal. Tickets for fans traveling to Ashland range from $8.00 for adults and $6.00 for seniors and students.
MULTIMEDIA: All photos from the 2023 season will be posted online via the
OIT Volleyball Flickr Page, while highlight clips and interviews will be posted online via the new
OIT Volleyball You Tube Channel.
SEASON OPENING GAMES: Since volleyball returned to OIT in 1998, the Lady Owls are 15-10 in their regular-season openers – but had a 3-match win streak snapped last season in a 5-set loss to Concordia (Neb.). Tech will open at a neutral site for the 16th time – having played their first game of a season at Danny Miles Court just twice – in 2001 (a win over Warner Pacific) and in 2021 (a win over Simpson).
BACK TO THE RAIDER INVITATIONAL: For the eighth time since 2008, the Lady Owls will travel to Ashland for the latest variation of the Raider Invitational, hosted by Southern Oregon. OIT competed in non-conference matches on SOU's home court in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2019 and 2022, combining for a 9-14 record. Tech posted their best record in 2019, going 4-2 during a pair of events hosted by Southern, including wins over Jessup and LC State. The 2023 event will feature eight teams playing games over three days - including three CCC teams (OIT, SOU, Corban), two Cal Pac teams (Simpson, Embry-Riddle) and three GSAC teams (Menlo, Jessup, Vanguard).
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EMBRY-RIDDLE: The Eagles (16-13) had a string of 4-straight NAIA Tournament appearances snapped in 2022, finishing fifth in the California Pacific Conference standings. ERAU returns Cal Pac Setter of the Year, Katie Rolle (9.08 a/s, 2.94 d/s, 28 aces), with All-Cal Pac blocker Dalia Haase (2.10 k/s, 0.92 b/s) and outside hitter Emma Barber (2.45 k/s, 2.82 d/s, 44 aces) the top returning offensive threats. OIT and ERAU played in the Raider Classic during the 2010 season, with the last meeting in 2012 in Merced, Calif.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – JESSUP: Formerly William Jessup University, the rebranded Warriors (16-13) are coming off their first-ever Golden State Athletic Conference tourney title, but dropped a 5-set match to Southern Oregon in the NAIA Tournament Opening Round. JU, headed to the NCAA Division II next season, must replace All-American Marina Gonzalez, but 2021 All-America outside hitter Taylor Dilley returns, alongside All-GSAC blocker Taylor MacCuish (1.88 k/s, 0.58 b/s). 6-foot-2 outside Maddy Miller (2.69 k/s) and libero Lauren Toon (3.72 d/s, 52 aces) are key to the Warriors attack.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MENLO: In their final season in the NAIA, the Oaks (12-14) were picked fifth in the preseason GSAC poll. All-GSAC libero Julia Tena (4.61 d/s, 34 aces) leads the Bay Area squad, with the team returning their top-two outside hitters in Gabby Mackenzie (2.32 k/s, 2.11 d/s) and Giulia Marinelli (1.87 k/s, 0.51 b/s). Setter Paige Harmann (4.52 a/s, 1.85 d/s) provides experience for the Oaks, a team looking for their first national tournament appearance since 2019. Tech topped MC in four sets last season in a preseason match in Rocklin, Calif.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – VANGUARD: The Lions (23-11) were picked as the co-favorites in their final year in the GSAC (transitioning to the NCAA Division II), looking for their ninth NAIA Tournament appearance since 2009. GSAC Freshman of the Year and All-America outside hitter Morgan Cole (3.02 k/s, 2.95 d/s, 0.42 b/s) is the anchor to the VU attack, with the team returning setter Madeline DeLucia (5.50 a/s, 1.87 d/s, 39 aces) and blocker Payton Darm (1.07 k/s, 0.86 b/s). It is the second all-time meeting, with the Lions topping OIT in five sets in the 2019 Raider Classic.
LADY OWLS PICKED EIGHTH: OIT received 74 voter points from the 12 Cascade Conference coaches, claiming the No. 8 spot in the 2023 CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, released last week. National runner-up, Corban, earned top billing with 137 points, with national semifinalist, Eastern Oregon, a close second (136). Southern Oregon (115), Bushnell (91), College of Idaho (91), Lewis-Clark State (84) and Northwest (75) finished ahead of the Lady Owls.
NEW LOOK CCC TOURNAMENT: The CCC postseason tournament will expand from six teams to eight teams – including a midweek play-in round featuring the final four seeds. The top four seeds, plus the play-in winners, will meet at the regular-season champion, to determine an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships.
GARRISON HEADS TO KLAMATH: The Lady Owls will have a new leader in 2023, as in April,
Alexis Garrison became the 12th head coach in program history. Garrison spent the past six years at fellow CCC school, Evergreen State – two years as a player, a season as an assistant coach and three years as head coach. During her tenure, Garrison posted a 24-26 record, including a 23-19 in CCC counters – qualifying for the 2022 CCC Championships – coaching five all-conference players and a NAIA All-American.
REPLACING A BIG SENIOR CLASS: Tech lost a big senior class to graduation following the 2022 season – including over 60-percent of all kills and 50-percent of all assists, digs and blocks. Offensively, 3-time All-CCC outside hitter
Nicole Reyes finished her career with over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs; outside hitter
Kaylin Talonen closed her tie at Tech with nearly 950 kills; while middle blocker
Ashley Ripplinger ranks among the Top-5 in program history with over 250 blocks. Setter
Courtney Isom was a 2-year starter and led the team in 2022 in assists, while libero
Aubrey Kievit was a 3-time All-CCC pick, ranking No. 2 in program history with over 1,700 digs.
CUPBOARD NOT BARE: Garrison will have a quality foundation of returning players in 2023 – including juniors
Paige Tevelde,
Molly Grace and
Kate Hicks. Tevelde averaged over five assists and nearly two digs per set in 2022; Grace, who will move from an opposite hitter to the left pin, was third on the team with 201 kills and hit at a .287 percentage; with Hicks leading the team with 72 blocks in the middle. Sophomores
Savanna Sterck and
Willow Jacobson will switch pins – Sterck to swing from the outside, while Jacobson will move to an opposite role. Sophomores
Kaley Whalen and
Abigail Sorensen are expected to fill key defensive specialist roles, with the lone senior,
Brooke Cassidy, seeing time as a setter and a serving specialist.
NEW PLAYERS ADD TO DEPTH: Six new players are poised to make their OIT debut in Ashland – three transfers and three true freshmen.
Aleksen Thayer, a 6-foot middle blocker from Truckee, Calif., is expected to make an immediate impact at the net after a stellar prep and club career, while setter
Aubrey Stennett, from Lake City High in Idaho, provides size at the net (5-foot-10). Transfer
Kennedy Kantola, from Linn-Benton CC, will split time between the two pins, while three players – transfers
Autumn Williams and
Eireen Dale Madelo, both of Rogue CC, along with freshman
Sumerlyn Spencer from Vacaville, Calif. – will provide key depth in the back row.
ALOHA: The Lady Owls will hit the road next weekend, traveling across the Pacific Ocean to Honolulu for the Magic Island Hawaii Classic, hosted by Eastern Oregon. Tech will meet a trio of NAIA foes at the event being held at Hawaii Pacific University - Benedictine Mesa, Providence and Truett McConnell.
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