COMING UP: vs. Simpson, Saturday, 2 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Saturday's match will be streamed live on the Cascade Sports Network, powered by Hudl, with Mike Safford on the call. Live Stats will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal. Links to both video and stats can be accessed at OregonTechOwls.com.  
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ABOUT THE OPPONENT – SIMPSON (2-8)
OIT LEADS SERIES, 36-1 | LAST MEETING IN 2026 (OIT 3, SU 1): The non-conference schedule ends Saturday, as the Lady Owls open the home schedule with a return match-up against Simpson. The Redhawks were winless in four matches at the HIU SummerSlam, but have played well against good teams – winning sets against Southern Oregon, Bushnell and Northwestern – all nationally ranked teams. SU averages 11.3 kills and 1.2 blocks per set, but opponents are averaging nearly three aces per set. The attack runs through three players – Mariah Napoleon (3.91 k/s, 2.47 d/s), Louise Oliveira (2.85 k/s, 0.32 b/s) and Tiara Manns (1.97 k/s, 1.29 d/s), with Brooke Sarahina (4.85 a/s, 1.79 d/s) and Ella Perry (4.38 a/s, 1.62 d/s) running the 6-2 offense. Brooklyn Jimenez (3.35 d/s) is the Redhawks libero. Tech takes a 15-game win streak against SU into the contest.
 
PERFECT WEEKEND IN CALIFORNIA: Tech hit the road for the second-straight weekend, competing in the 10-team Hope International SummerSlam. The Lady Owls took care of business against four California schools, winning each of the matches, to improve their season record to 5-2. The Owls attack was outstanding, hitting at a .241 percentage, while recording 2.47 aces per set, while holding their opposition into 101 hitting errors.
 
BLOCK PARTY: In the Lady Owls 5-set win over La Sierra, the squad recorded 18 blocks – the 11th time an OIT team has recorded 18-or-more blocks in a match. It was the sixth time Tech had 18-or-more blocks in a 5-set win and the first since August of 2024.
 
THAYER NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Recording one of the more dominant weekends at the net in program history earned Aleksen Thayer Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The senior was a wall at the net, combining for 32 blocks in the three matches, averaging 2.13 blocks per set, while adding 19 kills on the attack. The senior became the third player in OIT history to record three matches with 10-or-more blocks in a career (joining Madisen Garlie and Brandie Heupel), logging 11 blocks in the win over La Sierra. Thayer, who has recorded at least one block in each of the 96 matches she has played at Tech, leads the CCC in blocks per set (1.73).
 
SCHILLING HAS HUGE TRIP: Leading the Lady Owls attack in California was Kaliko Schilling, who posted 10-or-more kills (including three double-doubles) in each of the four matches, combining for 50 kills, 40 digs, nine blocks and 14 aces. The transfer had 17 kills, 10 digs and five aces in Friday's win over Simpson, adding 12 kills, 11 digs and seven aces vs. Hope International – becoming the seventh player in OIT history with 7-or-more aces in a match – all three set matches.
 
GOSS STEPS UP OUTSIDE: Tech got a big boost from sophomore outside hitter, Steffini Goss, who had a career weekend in California. Goss was inserted into the rotation late in the match vs. La Sierra and never left, combining for 38 kills and nine blocks. Against Simpson, Goss had a career-high 15 kills, while recording 11 kills in the Day 2 win over Life Pacific.
 
RAMSAY TAKES ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITY: Taryn Ramsay was the go-to setter for the Owls in California, as Tech turned to a one-setter rotation due to an injury to 2-time all-conference setter, Lucy Boyd. The sophomore capitalized with an outstanding weekend, averaging 10.07 assists per set – including two double-doubles (46 assists, 12 digs vs. La Sierra, 44 assists, 10 digs vs. Simpson), and a stat-filled match vs. Life Pacific, recording 33 assists, five digs and five blocks.
 
OPPOSITES HAVE BIG DAYS: The Owls got solid performances from their opposite hitters, as Tiffini Goss led the way on Friday and Laci Hoylman paced Tech on Saturday. Goss had a career-high 14 kills against La Sierra and nine kills vs. Simpson, combining for eight total blocks. Hoylman posted back-to-back career-highs with eight kills against both Hope International and Life Pacific, averaging 2.57 kills per set, while hitting at a .253 clip.
 
WHALEN SURPASSES 1,500 DIGS: Defensively, Tech relied on libero Kaley Whalen throughout the trip to California, as the fifth-year senior posted 18-or-more in each of the four matches. In Saturday's win over Life Pacific, Whalen became the third OIT player to surpass 1,500 digs in a career, finishing the tournament averaging 5.27 digs per set. She had a season-high 24 digs against La Sierra, the 26th time Whalen has posted 20-or-more digs in a match.
 
AROUND THE CCC: Four teams in the league posted perfect 4-0 records at tournaments and another finished with a 4-1 mark – showcasing the depth in the Cascade Conference. Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho and OIT each recorded 4-0 marks at the HIU SummerSlam – with EOU earning a win over No. 1 Northwestern and C of I toppling The Master's. LC State was 4-0 at the Big Sky Challenge, handing No. 6 Providence their first loss, while Corban was 4-1 in Sioux City, Iowa – earning three Top-10 wins. This week, C of I and EOU co-host a tournament against Frontier Conference teams, LC State and Walla Walla each meet Montana State-Northern, Northwest travels to Arizona for a tournament at OUAZ, while Southern Oregon, Bushnell and Corban match-up in the Valley against Columbia International, Simpson, Taylor and Pacific Union.
 
OIT PICKED SEVENTH IN CCC POLL: After finishing ninth in the regular-season standings in 2025 (climbed to eighth after Walla Walla was forced to vacate wins due to an ineligible player), the Lady Owls open the new season picked seventh in the CCC Preseason Poll, released Aug. 6. Tech and Northwest share the position with 52 voter points, chasing Eastern Oregon (118), the defending national semifinalist, who received nine first-place nods. Corban (106) is second, followed by both Southern Oregon and College of Idaho with 92 points. Just ahead of the Owls are Lewis-Clark State (74) and Bushnell (69), with Walla Walla (28), Evergreen State (25) and Warner Pacific (14). The Top-8 finishers following the 20-game CCC schedule, will advance to the CCC Championships.
 
NAIA TOP-25 POLL: The NAIA announced the preseason Top-25 poll on Aug. 12, with seven OIT opponents opening 2026 in the national ranking. Eastern Oregon opens the year at No. 2, Corban at No. 5, Oklahoma Wesleyan at No. 12, College of Idaho at No. 18, Bushnell at No. 19, Southern Oregon at No. 22 and Lewis-Clark State at No. 23.
 
RECORD BOOK: Four current Lady Owls rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book. Aleksen Thayer leads the way, holding the all-time blocks (384) mark, with Kaley Whalen No. 3 in digs (1,515), No. 17 in aces (77) and No. 19 in assists (227), while Lucy Boyd is No. 9 in assists (1,595) and No. 21 in aces (72) and Taryn Ramsay is No. 17 in assists (317).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Lady Owls open up the 20-game Cascade Conference schedule with home games against Walla Walla (Sept. 4, 2 p.m.) and Lewis-Clark State (Sept. 5, 5 p.m.)