COMING UP: vs. No. 3 Corban, Friday, 6 p.m.; vs. Bushnell, Saturday, 4 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Fans unable to head to Washington can follow the Lady Owls online – as Live Video Friday at Evergreen will be available via the Geoducks YouTube Channel, while Saturday's match at Northwest will be provided through the Eagles YouTube Channel. Live Stats of all Cascade Conference matches will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
RALLY FOR THE OWLS: The Lady Owls will host a Dinner Auction to support their program on Oct. 18 at the Growler Guys Ballroom (old Reames Country Club Clubhouse). The event will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. – and feature dinner courtesy of Howard's Meat Center and an auction for great gift packages. Click the GiveCampus Link to purchase your ticket to the great event.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EVERGREEN: The Lady Owls make the trip up the I-5 corridor, opening a weekend set in Washington against Evergreen, facing a Geoducks (1-11, 1-7 CCC) club that ended an 11-match losing streak on Saturday at Warner Pacific. Evergreen lost their first 33 sets of the season, scoring 20-or-less in all 33 frames, before the road win – as the Geoducks average just 6.7 kills and allow 3.3 aces per set. Zofia Formella (1.84 k/s, 0.37 b/s), Ashley Walker Campbell (1.50 k/s, 0.34 b/s) and Sophia Scroggins (1.45 k/s, 1.71 d/s) are the top offensive options, Jayden Vaimaona (3.12 a/s, 1.04 d/s) is the setter, with Amaialyne Cepeda (3.51 d/s) the libero. OIT holds a 35-11 all-time series lead on Evergreen.
 
RETURNING HOME: Friday's match is a homecoming for the OIT coaching staff – as both head coach Alexis Garrison and assistant Sierra Wolff are Evergreen grads. Garrison played for the Geoducks in 2017-18 and was a coach from 2019-22, while Wolff played at the Olympia school from 2018-22. Garrison is a perfect 4-0 coaching against her alma mater.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – NORTHWEST: The first half of the league schedule ends Saturday at Northwest, as the No. 23-ranked Eagles (10-4, 4-4) are off to a tremendous start. NU has key CCC wins at C of I and at home vs. Walla Walla, holding opponents to a .136 attack percentage, while averaging 11.4 kills and 2.04 aces per set. All-CCC hitter Kaitlyn Mickle (3.37 k/s, 0.35 b/s) is the top offensive option, with the trio of Delaney Sparks (2.02 k/s, 0.61 b/s), Aubree Dees (2.00 k/s, 2.65 d/s, 28 aces) and Kalli Budge (1.40 k/s, 1.04 b/s) all providing a scoring punch. Morgan Harter (7.06 a/s, 2.24 d/s) is the primary setter, with Elle Van Berkum (4.06 d/s) the libero. The two teams split two matches in 2024, with NU holding a slim 29-28 series lead.
 
PLAYING RANKED TEAMS: Saturday's match at Northwest will be the Owls fifth match against a Top-25 team this season, with Tech trying to snap a 23-match losing streak to ranked opponents. Over the last 10 years, OIT is a combined 5-65 against ranked teams, including three wins vs. Eastern Oregon and single wins vs. Corban and SOU.
 
A BREAKTHROUGH WIN: Facing their seventh opponent in the NAIA Top-25 poll in the last eight contests, the Owls finally earned a much-needed win, outlasting the Beacons in five sets. OIT held Bushnell to a .065 hitting percentage in the decisive final set, while allowing the top serving team in the CCC to post just six aces. Tech evened their record in five set matches in 2025 to 2-2.
 
BLOCK STEPS UP: For the fourth time in six matches, OIT recorded 10-or-more blocks as a team – recording a season-high 15 blocks in the win over Bushnell. Four different players had 6-or-more blocks – Aleksen Thayer had five blocks in both matches – moving six blocks away from 300 for her career, Willow Jacobson combined for nine blocks in the contests, Savanna Sterck logged seven blocks, with Alexa Gugliotta finishing with six blocks vs. Bushnell.
 
SENIORS KEY: The trio of Savanna Sterck, Willow Jacobson and Abigail Sorensen were instrumental in the Lady Owls success last week. Sterck led Tech with 22 kills, including 15 kills in the win over Bushnell – pushing her career total over 700. Jacobson combined for 19 kills in the two matches, while tying a career-high with seven blocks vs. Bushnell. Sorensen was a wall in the back row, recording back-to-back 20-dig matches, posting 22 digs vs. Corban and 24 digs vs. Bushnell – taking over the CCC lead in digs per set, while moving 133 digs away from 1,000 digs in her OIT career.
 
GOSS HAS CAREER NIGHT: Freshman Steffini Goss stepped up in a big way vs. Bushnell, giving the Owls another option at the net. The outside hitter has seen an expanded role, setting a new career-high with 11 kills, while adding two blocks.
 
BOYD CONTINUES TO SET AWAY: The Owls got another quality weekend from setter Lucy Boyd – as the team shifted back to a one-setter attack vs. Bushnell. The sophomore combined for 64 kills and 14 digs over the two matches and ranks No. 2 in the CCC in assists per set.
 
TOUGHEST LEAGUE IN THE NAIA: To say that the Cascade Conference is the best volleyball league in the NAIA would be an understatement – as currently, 8-of-11 teams are in the NAIA Top-25 poll (No. 1 EOU, No. 4 CRB, No. 14 LCSC, No. 15 C of I, No. 23 NU, BU/WWU/SOU RV). In addition, the CCC has nine teams rated in the Top-41 of the Massey Rating, one of the official metrics to determine at-large bids to the NAIA Tournament.
 
AROUND THE CCC: Eastern Oregon ran the gauntlet over the last week – earning road victories at LC State, Walla Walla and College of Idaho – and are one of two remaining undefeated teams in the NAIA. Also posting a perfect weekend was Corban with their wins at OIT and Southern. The first half of the league schedule ends this weekend, with Tech and SOU heading to Northwest and Evergreen, Warner Pacific traveling to EOU and C of I, with LC and Walla Walla making the trip to Corban and Bushnell.  
 
LEAGUE LEADERS  (TOP-5): Kills Per Set – Juliauna Forgach Aguilar (LCSC) 4.63, Sahara Browning (WWU) 4.45, Makayla Roginksi (CRB) 3.61, Taylor Boyce (LCSC) 3.41, Kaitlyn Mickle (NU) 3.39; Attack Percentage – Kiauna Mack (EOU) .348, Makayla Roginski (CRB) .346, Gracie Boeder (CRB) .327, Chloe Kennedy (NU) .321, Leah Agost (BU) .303; Assists Per Set –Teagan Scott (LCSC) 8.60, Lucy Boyd (OIT) 8.42, Shaynee McWilliams (C of I) 7.48, , Megan Harter (NU) 7.08, Kate Stidham (EOU) 7.07; Digs Per Set – Abigail Sorensen (OIT) 4.67, Kaile'a Ontai (CRB) 4.52, Ella Stosich (LCSC) 4.34, Kailey Shirley (BU) 4.16, Ellie Van Berkum (NU) 4.06; Blocks Per Set – Kiauna Mack (EOU) 1.84, Karissa Lindner (LCSC) 1.35, Soleil Sands (BU) 1.30, Cora Young (C of I) 1.27, Aleksen Thayer (OIT) 1.22.
 
OIT IN THE CCC TOP-10: As a team, the Lady Owls rank No. 5 in the CCC in digs per set (14.76); No. 6 in attack percentage (.191), blocks per set (2.11) and aces per set (1.98); ranking No. 8 in kills per set (11.76) and assists per set (10.98). Individually, Abigail Sorensen leads the league in digs per set (4.67) and is No. 10 in aces per set (0.40); Lucy Boyd is No. 2 in assists per set (8.42), with Aleksen Thayer No. 5 in blocks per set (1.22).
 
RECORD BOOK: Six players on the 2025 roster rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book – as Kaley Whalen is No. 4 in digs (1,395), Aleksen Thayer is No. 6 in blocks (294), Lucy Boyd is No. 11 in assists (1,254), Abigail Sorensen is No. 11 in digs (867) and No. 14 in aces (81), Savanna Sterck is No. 12 in kills (718), with Willow Jacobson is No. 19 in blocks (174) and just outside the Top-25 in kills (525).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Owls return home for their longest homestand of the season – beginning next Friday night (Oct. 10) at 7 p.m. vs. Lewis-Clark State.