COMING UP: at Hope International Summer Slam (Fullerton, Calif.) – Friday vs. Providence Christian, 10 a.m.; vs. Westcliff, 4 p.m. Saturday vs. The Master's, 10 a.m.; vs. Hope International, 4 p.m.
COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
GAMEDAY INFORMATION: Live Video of all four matches in California will be available through the
GSAC Sports Network (PPV - $10.00), with Live Stats via OIT's
SIDEARM Stat Portal.
MULTIMEDIA: All photos from the 2024 season will be posted online via the
OIT Volleyball Flickr Page, while game highlight clips will be posted online via the
OIT Volleyball You Tube Channel.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN: The second tournament of the season opens against the Sea Beggars (0-0), picked fifth in the California Pacific Conference preseason poll after a 12-15 season in 2023. PCC looks to improve an offense that averaged 9.7 kills per set, with the squad returning All-Cal Pac middle blocker Jacey Loewen (2.30 k/s, 0.81 b/s, 40 aces). Three other starters return for the Sea Beggars – outside hitter Sanaii Cooper (1.38 k/s), setter Isabella Taue'etia (3.69 a/s, 1.30 d/s) and libero Chanelle Jones (4.01 d/s). It is the first-ever meeting between the schools.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WESTCLIFF: Day 1 closes out against the Warriors (0-0), picked third in the Cal Pac preseason poll – despite losing three all-conference players, returning just two players from last season's 11-13 team, while posting a roster with just one player taller than 5-foot-9. Defensive specialists Ella Beck (1.28 d/s, 14 aces) and Sam Swanson (2.24 d/s, 5 aces) are back, with the team looking to improve on a .163 hitting percentage and 1.48 blocks per set. It's the first-ever meeting between OIT and the Warriors.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – THE MASTER'S: OIT opens up Day 2 in California against the Mustangs (1-0) from the Great Southwest Athletic Conference, a club coming off a season opening home sweep of La Sierra. TMU finished 18-12 in 2023, with the team featuring a strong serving game (2.2 a/s) and quality play at the net (2.1) – with the squad returning All-GSAC picks Ruby Duncan (3.31 k/s, 2.56 d/s, 67 aces) and Timberlie Miller (8.96 a/s, 2.17 d/s, 66 aces). Up front, blocker McKenna Brady (1.94 k/s, 1.11 b/s) is paired with UC-Irvine transfer Grace Colburn, who had 17 kills and 19 digs against LSU. It is the fifth all-time meeting (and first since 2016), with TMU leading the series, 3-1.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Tournament play ends against the host Royals (0-0) open their season under new head coach Jamie Hofman, as HIU looks to rebound after a 9-16 season in 2023. The GSAC school returns firepower, as all-conference selection, outside hitter Cassidy Koffroth (3.05 k/s, 3.14 d/s, 31 aces) is back, with the team counting on production from Addie Mathias (2.70 k/s, 2.02 a/s, 2.08 d/s) and setters Stacy Dawes (4.11 a/s) and Caron Flores (4.14 a/s). The teams met once before, a 5-set OIT win in 2016.
OFF TO CALIFORNIA: Tech heads back to the West Coast, competing at the Hope International Summer Slam for the first time since 2016. Playing in the Golden State is nothing new for the Owls, as OIT have played in California in 25-of-27 seasons since volleyball returned – including trips to the Summer Slam in 2009 (going 0-4) and 2016 (going 2-2). The 2024 tournament has 11 teams in attendance – four Great Southwest Conference clubs, four California Pacific Conference teams and three Cascade Conference squads.
TECH HAS BANNER WEEKEND ON THE BEACH: Making a cross-country trip to West Palm Beach, Fla., the Lady Owls won 3-of-4 matches – including a sweep of Sun Conference stalwarts, Webber International and Keiser. Tech came out of the gate with a team hitting percentage of .225 (well above the .161 mark from 2023) and posted 2.62 blocks per set. It was the best start OIT since the 2021 season, when the Owls opened the year, 9-1.
THAYER HAS RECORD-SETTING MATCH: Monday was one for the record-books, as middle blocker
Aleksen Thayer posted the most blocks in a 5-set match in program history. The sophomore recorded 13 blocks in the contest with Benedictine Mesa, breaking the record of 12 (occurring three times). It was the most blocks by an OIT player in 12 years, as Madisen Garlie had 14 blocks in a 4-set match in 2014. Thayer finished the trip with 24 blocks, ranking No. 2 in the CCC after Week 1 of the season.
MORE ON THE BLOCK: Aleksen Thayer was not the only one posting big numbers at the net, as senior
Kate Hicks was a wall at the net in the Sunshine State. The blocker averaged 1.06 blocks per set – ranking No. 6 in the CCC, recording 5-or-more blocks in a pair of matches. Hicks added 26 kills and a team-best seven aces, while hitting at a .284 percentage.
GRACE LEADS THE ATTACK: Senior
Molly Grace started the 2024 season right where she left off last year, recording a pair of double-doubles – averaging over three kills and three digs per set. The outside hitter had 16 kills and 14 digs against Webber International, had 13 kills and 19 digs vs. Benedictine Mesa, adding 19 kills against Keiser. Grace was also solid at the net, recording 10 blocks and adding six aces.
ON THE RIGHT SIDE: Juniors
Willow Jacobson and
Lex Boccia shared the opposite hitter role, both key to the Owls attack. Jacobson hit at a solid .236 percentage, racking up 36 kills and 15 blocks in her three rotations, while Boccia, in her first matches at Tech, logged 30 kills, six blocks and a .216 hitting percentage.
TWO-SETTER SYSTEM: Senior
Paige Tevelde and true freshman
Lucy Boyd traded time in the back row in OIT's 6-2 offense – helping the Owls post a .225 attack percentage. Tevelde combined for 81 assists in the four contests, adding 26 digs and five aces, while Boyd, in her collegiate debut, had 74 assists and 22 digs.
IN THE BACK ROW: The Owls got quality performances from their junior defensive specialists, as
Kaley Whalen and
Abigail Sorensen each posted big numbers. Whalen ran a string of double-digit dig matches to 25 by posting 10-or-more digs in all four matches – averaging 4.06 digs a set in Florida. Sorensen was equally impressive, including a 21-dig performance against Benedictine Mesa, combining to average 3.38 digs a set.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Seven of the 12 teams in the circuit made their season debuts last week – headlined by big efforts by Tech, Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon. EOU finished a perfect 4-0 at C of I's Kickoff Tournament, including wins against Top-20 teams from Montana Western and Viterbo, with SOU going 2-0, including a win over a Top-25 Bellevue club. This week, Northwest and SOU join OIT at the HIU Summer Slam, Walla Walla and LC State are joined in Lewiston by Pacific Union and Carroll, EOU heads to San Antonio for a tournament, Evergreen State opens their season in Great Falls and Corban is off to Wisconsin for a tournament at Viterbo.
RECORD BOOK: Four players enter 2024 ranked in the Top-20 of the OIT career record book – with
Kate Hicks No. 6 in blocks (280),
Paige Tevelde No. 10 in assists (1,244),
Molly Grace No. 11 in kills (744) and
Kaley Whalen No. 11 in digs (826).
LOOKING AHEAD: The Owls open up the home schedule, along with the 22-match Cascade Conference slate, with a match-up next Thursday vs. No. 10-ranked Southern Oregon at 6 p.m.
