COMING UP: vs. Evergreen, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. Northwest, Saturday, 7 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both weekend matches will feature Live Stats through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal and a live stream on the Cascade Sports Network with Mike Safford on the call. Links to both stats and video can be accessed at OregonTechOwls.com.
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ABOUT THE OPPONENT – EVERGREEN (2-10, 1-7) | OIT LEADS SERIES, 37-11 | LAST MEETING IN 2025 (OIT 3, TESC 0): Tech returns home Friday night, hosting head coach Alexis Garrison's alma mater – The Evergreen State College. The Geoducks earned their first CCC win last week against Warner Pacific, but the team has struggled offensively, averaging 8.3 kills per set and not posting greater than 26 kills in each of their seven league losses. TESC looks to Sophia Scroggins (2.55 k/s, 2.18 d/s) as the top attacker, with Zofia Formella (1.58 k/s, 1.42 d/s), Bright Brubaker (1.42 k/s, 0.45 b/s) and Annalise Orlowski (1.37 k/s, 0.47 b/s) working pin-to-pin. Setters Jayden Vaimaona (3.42 k/s, 1.42 d/s) and Riley Mangan (3.16 a/s, 1.39 d/s) share duties, with Jaci Yamada (2.81 d/s) the libero. OIT is 6-0 all-time vs. the Geoducks under Garrison.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT – NORTHWEST (6-11, 2-6) | NU LEADS SERIES, 29-28 | LAST MEETING IN 2025 (OIT 3, NU 0): The quick homestand ends Saturday against Northwest, as the Owls look to extend a 3-match win streak in Klamath against the Eagles. NU enters the weekend on a two-game win streak, topping both Evergreen and Warner Pacific after opening league play with six losses, with the club averaging 10.2 kills and 1.4 blocks per set. The Eagles spread their offense around, as Afton McRae (2.15 k/s, 0.33 b/s) is the only player averaging over two kills per set, with Chloe Kennedy (1.87 k/s, 1.39 d/s, 0.45 b/s), Haylee Koetje (1.92 k/s, 2.27 d/s) and Trinity Godina (1.39 k/s, 0.65 b/s) the top attackers. Setter Katelyn Bogetti (8.00 a/s, 2.08 d/s) ranks third in the CCC in assists per set, while Sydney Faber (3.27 d/s) the top defender.
 
CHANCES ON THE ROAD: The Cascade Conference gauntlet continued for the Lady Owls, having to face a pair of 2025 NAIA Tournament teams on the road – with Tech playing some quality volleyball in the Willamette Valley. Against No. 6-ranked Corban, OIT limited the Warriors to a .149 hitting percentage and forced a five-set match – holding an 11-10 lead in the final set, before the hosts were able to pull away for the win. One night later against Bushnell, the Owls finished with a .209 attack percentage, their second-highest hitting night in CCC play this season, but couldn't overcome 10 Beacons aces, as the Eugene school rallied for a four-set win.
 
FRESHMAN LEADS ATTACK: The Lady Owls turned to a freshman for production on the outside on the road swing, as Ka'ala Masaoka made the most of an opportunity. Masaoka, who did not see the court in 12-straight matches, entered in Set 4 against Corban and posted seven kills, while a night later, led Tech with 13 kills in the four set match at Bushnell.
 
CAREER NIGHT FROM SOPHOMORE: Tech got a huge boost in the Corban match from middle blocker Alexa Gugliotta, as the sophomore recorded a career-high 14 kills in the contest. Gugliotta led all OIT players with a .387 attack percentage, while adding four blocks, extending a streak of matches with a block to 21 – posting a block in 41 of 43 career matches.
 
WHALEN SETS NEW OIT MARK: Libero Kaley Whalen had her best weekend of the 2026 season in the Valley, combining for 61 digs in the two matches. The fifth-year player had a season-high 37 digs at Corban, becoming the first OIT player to record five career matches with 30-or-more digs. Whalen sits 140 digs away from the Lady Owls all-time career digs mark, is 22 digs away from the No. 10 spot in Cascade Conference history and just 10 digs from No. 2 on the OIT all-time list.
 
KNESS ON A ROLL: Defensive specialist Emma Kness has taken her three-rotation role in the back row to a new level, posting double-digit digs in three-straight matches, including career-highs of 16 digs at Corban and 15 digs at Bushnell. For the season, the junior is averaging 2.37 digs per set.
 
MORE ON THE SETTERS: For the first time in a month, Tech stepped away from the one-setter offense, as freshman Daisie Gargurevich made her collegiate debut at Corban, joining Taryn Ramsay in the rotation. Ramsay played the bulk of the serves, combining for seven kills, 74 assists, seven aces and 14 digs in the two matches, while Gargurevich had six assists and six digs at Corban and added an assist at Bushnell.
 
AROUND THE CCC: Home teams dominated last week, as Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho remained unbeaten, sweeping Walla Walla and Lewis-Clark State, with Corban and Bushnell sweeping OIT and Southern Oregon, while Northwest and Evergreen swept Warner Pacific. This week, EOU and C of I will meet Wednesday in La Grande for a first-place battle before traveling to WP, WWU and LC host Bushnell and Corban, with SOU and OIT welcoming Northwest and Evergreen.
 
STANDINGS: Eastern Oregon 8-0, 19-0; College of Idaho 8-0, 15-0; Bushnell 6-2, 11-4; Lewis-Clark State 5-3, 11-3; Corban 5-3, 12-5, Southern Oregon 4-4, 12-6; Walla Walla 3-5, 3-6; Oregon Tech 2-6, 8-8; Northwest 2-6, 6-11, Evergreen State 1-7, 2-10, Warner Pacific 0-8, 0-9.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: Kills/Set – Sahara Browning (WWU) 4.27, Keira Vaughn (EOU) 3.89, Emma Bischoff (CRB) 3.48, Taylor Boyce (LC) 3.41, Mikale Roy (LC) 3.21. Assists/Set – Shayne McWilliams (CI) 9.56, Taryn Ramsay (OIT) 8.74, Katelyn Bogetti (NU) 8.00, Kate Stidham (EOU) 6.63, Annie Hite (SOU) 5.79. Digs/Set – Kaley Whalen (OIT) 5.00, Dani Street (CRB) 4.32, Chloe Farr (BU) 3.92, Ella Stosich (LC) 3.67, Avery Lewis (CI) 3.57. Blocks/Set – Aleksen Thayer (OIT) 1.56, Julie Whitley (EOU) 1.24, Soleil Sands (BU) 1.20, Alexa Wheeler (CI) 1.17, Gracee Robertson (CRB) 1.16.
 
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 (433) mark, with Kaley Whalen No. 3 in digs (1,699), No. 13 in aces (89) and No. 18 in assists (250), while Lucy Boyd is No. 9 in assists (1,595) and No. 21 in aces (72) and Taryn Ramsay is No. 16 in assists (639). Sumerlyn Spencer sits just outside the Top-25 in aces (64)
 
NEXT WEEK: Tech begins the second half of the CCC schedule on the road, with matches at Lewis-Clark State (Oct. 9) and Walla Walla (Oct. 10), the start of a 4-match road swing.