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

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both weekend matches will be carried on the Owls Sports Network with Mike Safford on the call. Live Stats from all Cascade Conference matches will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal. Friday night is Mental Health Awareness Night – as the Owls draw attention to mental health issues – while Saturday is Military Appreciation Night, recognizing the current and retired military in our community.
 
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 – CORBAN: Perennial power and No. 3-ranked Corban makes the drive from the Valley for Friday's encounter, a Warriors (10-3, 4-2 CCC) team which has advanced to 9-straight NAIA Tournaments and reached the national semifinals in 2024. The current club was swept last week at Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho, but features an efficient offense which averages 13.7 kills per set and limits foes to a .124 hitting percentage. Returning all-stars Makayla Roginski (3.64 k/s, 0.82 b/s) and Emma Bischoff (2.76 k/s, 2.73 d/s) anchor a deep attack, with Kendra Bittle (2.76 k/s, 1.71 d/s, 0.51 b/s) and Gracie Boeder (1.84 k/s, 0.91 b/s) key options. Abby Guindy (6.78 a/s, 1.91 d/s) and Nadeiah Howard (4.64 a/s, 1.91 d/s) run a 2-setter system, with libero Kaile'a Ontai (4.60 d/s) leading the league in digs. Corban has posted wins in 19 of the last 20 meetings and holds a 34-26 all-time series edge.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – BUSHNELL: Saturday night, Tech welcomes Bushnell to the Basin, a Beacons (10-6, 4-2) team coming off a win at C of I and a squad that has qualified for three of the last five NAIA Tournaments. Bushnell averages 11.8 kills per set and leads the league in aces per set (2.47), while holding opponents to a .117 attack percentage. Six-rotation hitters Hailey Heider (3.21 k/s, 2.56 d/s, 31 aces) and Amyah Semau (2.24 k/s, 2.76 d/s) are joined by Leah Agost (2.66 k/s, 0.64 b/s) and Soleil Sands (1.40 k/s, 1.42 b/s) to key the offense, with setters Avery McCallister (4.88 a/s, 0.91 d/s) and Emma Fa'alogo (5.87 k/s, 1.54 d/s) directing the attack and Kailey Shirley (4.34 d/s) the top defender. The two teams split matches last season, with OIT holding a slim 20-19 series edge.
 
PLAYING RANKED TEAMS: Friday's match at Southern Oregon will be the Owls fourth match against a Top-25 team in their last five contests, with Tech trying to snap a 22-match losing streak to ranked opponents. Over the last 10 years, OIT is a combined 5-64 against ranked teams, including three wins vs. Eastern Oregon and single wins vs. Corban and SOU.
 
ACES AWAY: Tech used a dominant run at the service line to roll to Saturday's win at Warner Pacific, recording a season-high 16 aces. The 16 aces equaled the No. 5 all-time mark on the single-game, 3-set match mark, while establishing the most aces in a 3-set CCC match. Lucy Boyd led the way for OIT, tying a career-high with six aces, including an ace on the first three points of the match.
 
STREAKS STOPPED: Saturday's win ended a pair of long streaks for OIT – a 5-match losing streak to begin Cascade Conference play, which coincided with a 5-match streak of failing to hit at a .200 percentage.
 
BOCCIA LEADS THE ATTACK: Pacing the Lady Owls offense against SOU and Warner Pacific was Lex Boccia, who combined for a team-best 14 kills. The senior hit at a .333 clip for the week, including eight kills on 16 swings, without an attack error, in Saturday's win at Warner Pacific.
 
THAYER CLIMBING BLOCK LIST: Middle blocker Aleksen Thayer inched closer to the OIT all-time blocks record, recording nine blocks in last week's matches. The junior recorded the tenth match with 7-or-more blocks with seven blocks at Southern Oregon, adding two more at Warner Pacific, pushing her career total to 284 – 54 blocks away from the program record of 338.
 
SORENSEN EXTENDS DIGS STREAK: Last week, libero Abigail Sorensen extended a string of double-digit dig matches to five – posting 13 digs in Tuesday's loss at Southern Oregon, adding 17 digs in the win at Warner Pacific. The senior moved past the 800-dig mark for her OIT career and is 179 digs away from the coveted 1,000-dig mark for her career.
 
AROUND THE CCC: Just two unbeaten teams remain in the CCC (and are 2-of-3 remaining unbeaten teams left in the NAIA) – as both Eastern Oregon and Lewis-Clark State swept matches last weekend. The two teams will meet this weekend, as EOU and C of I head to LC and Walla Walla, Corban and Bushnell travel to Southern Oregon and OIT, while Evergreen and Northwest have a midweek match, before both travel to Warner Pacific.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS  (TOP-5): Kills Per Set – Sahara Browning (WWU) 4.94, Juliauna Forgach Aguilar (LCSC) 4.79, Makayla Roginksi (CRB) 3.64, Taylor Boyce (LCSC) 3.50, Kaitlyn Mickle (NU) 3.44; Attack Percentage –Gracie Boeder (CRB) .335, Makayla Roginski (CRB) .335, Kiauna Mack (EOU) .332, Chloe Kennedy (NU) .310, Alexa Gugliotta (OIT) .301; Assists Per Set –Teagan Scott (LCSC) 8.91, Lucy Boyd (OIT) 8.45, Kate Stidham (EOU) 7.21, Megan Harter (NU) 7.07, Shaynee McWilliams (C of I) 7.06; Digs Per Set – Kaile'a Ontai (CRB) 4.60, Abigail Sorensen (OIT) 4.49, Kailey Shirley (BU) 4.34, Ellie Van Berkum (NU) 4.24, Ella Stosich (LCSC) 4.06; Blocks Per Set – Kiauna Mack (EOU) 1.91, Karissa Lindner (LCSC) 1.48, Soleil Sands (BU) 1.42, Alexa Wheeler (C of I) 1.26, Cora Young (C of I) 1.26.
 
OIT IN THE CCC TOP-10: As a team, Tech ranks No. 2 in aces per set (2.36), No. 4 in attack percentage (.206), No. 5 in kills per set (11.76), No. 6 in blocks per set (1.96), No. 7 in digs per set (14.34) and No. 8 in assists per set (10.88). Individually, Lucy Boyd ranks No. 2 in assists per set (8.49), Abigail Sorensen is No. 2 in digs per set (4.49) and No. 8 in aces per set (0.43), with Aleksen Thayer No. 7 in blocks per set (1.21).
 
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. 7 in blocks (284), Lucy Boyd is No. 11 in assists (1,190), Savanna Sterck is No. 12 in kills (696), Abigail Sorensen is No. 13 in digs (821) and No. 15 in aces (79), with Willow Jacobson is No. 19 in blocks (165) and just outside the Top-25 in kills (506).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Owls head to Washington for a pair of matches – Oct. 3 at Evergreen State and Oct. 4 at Northwest.