COMING UP: at No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon, Friday, 7 p.m.; at College of Idaho, Saturday, 7 p.m. (MDT)

COMPLETE INTERACTIVE MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION: Friday's match at Eastern Oregon will feature Live Video on the Mountie Sports Network, with Live Stats via EOU's SIDEARM Stat Portal, with Saturday's match at College of Idaho featuring Live Video on the Yotes Digital Network and Live Stats through C of I's SIDEARM Stat Portal.
 
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.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT – EASTERN OREGON: The Mountaineers (7-0), the defending CCC champion and national semifinalists, are off to a dominant start to 2023 – winning 21 of the 24 sets played – averaging 12.9 kills and 3.1 blocks per set, while the fewest number of aces (19) in the league. A trio of returners – outside hitter Sade Williams (3.04 k/s, 3.08 d/s, 0.62 b/s), opposite hitter Madison Morgan (2.09 k/s, 0.89 b/s) and middle blocker Ashton Haughton (1.88 k/s, 1.00 b/s) pace the EOU attack. Setters Alexis McMurtrey (5.50 a/s, 2.75 d/s) and Hannah Ledgerwood (5.29 a/s, 2.21 d/s) run the 6-2 offense, with libero Hailey Arritola (3.58 d/s) among the top defenders in the CCC.
 
HISTORY VS. THE MOUNTIES: The weekend match-up between OIT and EOU will break a stalemate in the all-time series, as the two in-state rivals have split the 52 meetings since 1998. The Owls are 10-13 all-time on Eastern's home floor and are looking for their fifth win over a ranked EOU team since 2013.
 
FACING THE NO. 1-RANKED TEAM: Friday will mark the 12th time in program history that OIT meets an opponent ranked in the NAIA's Top-3 –The Owls met Fresno Pacific six times from 2004-11 when the Sunbirds were ranked either No. 1 or No. 2, while meeting Biola in 2004 when the Eagles were ranked No. 2 and met Cal Baptist in 2005 when the Lancers were ranked No. 1. Last season, the Owls dropped two matches to No. 1-ranked Eastern Oregon and a match to No. 3 ranked Corban. Tech is 1-10 all-time against a No. 1 or No. 2 team – with the lone win, a 5-set victory over Fresno Pacific during the 2011 season.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT – COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The Yotes (2-6) have a deceiving record – with three of their losses coming in 5-sets, all against high-caliber opponents (St. Mary, Providence, The Master's) – with the Idaho side averaging 11.7 kills and 2.5 blocks per set. Hitters Janae Rayborn (2.62 k/s) and Shelby Nichol (2.29 k/s, 0.68 b/s) are featured in the C of I attack, with veteran blocker Jade Warren (1.94 k/s, 1.13 b/s) key in the middle. Setters Savannah Hutchins (5.38 a/s, 2.50 d/s) and Analise Hitchcock (4.23 a/s, 1.29 d/s) share duties, with Clair Hodge (4.32) serving as the libero.
 
HISTORY VS. THE YOTES: Since volleyball returned to Tech in 1998, the Owls have a 13-45 mark against C of I, including a 5-23 record on the road. OIT heads into the weekend riding their longest win streak ever against the Coyotes (6-straight matches), coming on the heels of a 24-match win streak in the series by C of I.
 
TOUGH ROAD SWING: The annual trek to the easternmost reaches of the Cascade Conference has historically been a struggle for the Lady Owls. OIT has dropped 13-of-14 matches inside Eastern's Quinn Coliseum, while prior to the Owls 4-match win streak at C of I's Albertson Activities Center, Tech had lost 23-of-24 contests in Caldwell. Sweeps of the trip are rare, as OIT won both legs of the trip just twice – in 2003 and 2021.
 
TALE OF THREE MATCHES IN HAWAII: The difference between the two losses by OIT at the Magic Island Classic and the lone victory was evident in the numbers – as the Lady Owls recorded 63 total kills and a .129 hitting percentage in the two setbacks, while logging 47 kills and a .272 hitting percentage in the win over Truett-McConnell. Tech turned the serve and block into points – as the Lady Owls averaged 2.3 aces per set and 2.6 blocks per set in Hawaii.
 
OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Molly Grace paced the Lady Owls in Hawaii, leading the squad with 31 kills in the three matches. The junior had a dominant performance against Truett-McConnell, pounding down 13 kills on 25 swings, with just one hitting error. Willow Jacobson continued to be a threat from the right side, finishing the trip with 24 kills – while recording 6-or-more kills in all seven matches in 2023.
 
BIG BLOCK: Both Tech middle blockers continued a great start to the 2023 season, with Kate Hicks and Aleksen Thayer keying the defensive attack. Hicks posted 17 total blocks in the three matches – including seven blocks vs. BenU-Mesa and six blocks vs. Truett-McConnell – ranking among the Top-10 in the CCC with a 1.07 blocks per set average. Thayer has posted 3-or-more blocks in 6-of-7 matches this season, recording eight blocks on the trip, including four blocks against Providence.
 
STENNETT RUNS THE SHOW: The Owls turned the keys of the offense over to Aubrey Stennett during the final two matches in Honolulu, with the true freshman recording quality numbers in the one-setter attack. In the loss to Benedictine-Mesa, Stennett had 22 assists, seven digs, three blocks and three aces, while in the win over Truett-McConnell, the first-year OIT setter had 39 assists, seven digs and two blocks.
 
ACES AWAY: Tech has turned tough serving into offense, as Abigail Sorensen and Autumn Williams were key from the service line on Oahu. Sorensen recorded six total aces in the three matches and leads the squad with a 0.39 ace per set average. Williams was effective, recording at least one ace in all three matches, finishing the weekend with four aces.
 
CONFERENCE SEASON STARTS THIS WEEKEND: The 22-game Cascade Conference schedule begins in earnest (LC State played Walla Walla two weeks ago to start the slate) this weekend, as the first set of double round-robin games kick off. The Top-8 teams in the final standings will earn bids to the CCC Championships, with the winner, along with the regular-season champ, earning automatic bids to the NAIA Tournament. This week, Southern and OIT travel to College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon, Evergreen State and Northwest head to Walla Walla and LC State, with Warner Pacific and Multnomah making the short trip to Bushnell and Corban.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: The three ranked teams in the circuit continued to make noise in the preseason – as Eastern Oregon, Corban and Southern Oregon played well over the past week. Top-ranked Eastern sits at 7-0 after completing a 3-game sweep in Hawaii at the Magic Island Classic, No. 5-ranked Corban is 6-2 after earning Top-10 wins over Midland and Missouri Baptist in Nebraska, with No. 19-ranked SOU moved to 7-1 after winning all four games in California at Menlo's tourney.
 
NEXT WEEK: Lady Owls make their 2023 debut at Danny Miles Court, playing three matches in the span of five days – hosting Lewis-Clark State (Sept. 8), Walla Walla (Sept. 9) and rival Southern Oregon (Sept. 12).