CORVALLIS, Ore. – Away from competition since October 31st, the Oregon State volleyball team will return to the court for a pair in the Bay Area. The Beavers will face road tests against Santa Clara and San Francisco this week.
THE MATCHUPS
November 7 at Santa Clara 6 p.m. ESPN+
November 9 at San Francisco Noon ESPN+
NUMBERS TO KNOW
.857 – Lauren Rumel had an .857 clip in the first set against Gonzaga. She tallied six kills on seven swings.
1.60 – Oregon State’s 1.60 aces/set is the third-most in the WCC this season. The Beavers have 125 service aces through 78 sets.
4 – By weekend’s end, the Beavers will have played in four different Golden State locales.
8 – Yasemin Narlioğlu’s 3.45 digs/set rate in league play places her eighth in the conference.
11- The Beavs will have their 11th meetings with both teams this weekend.
20 – Lauren Rumel’s 20 kills were her most in a three-match set. Her career-best is 21, from a four-set match win to open 2024.
THE WEEK’S OPPOSITION
• Oregon State heads back out on the road to the Bay Area, where they’ll face Santa Clara and San Francisco.
series renewals
• Oregon State split the first meetings with these foes in early October.
• OSU and Santa Clara will meet for the 11th time in a series that’s split evenly at 5-all. It will be the first meeting in Santa Clara.
• The Beavers and Dons will face each other for the 11th time as well but the series has been dominated by OSU’s 10-0 lead.
looking back at Last Week
• The Beavers dominated Gonzaga on Halloween night, taking a sweep over a future Pac-12 foe. OSU used 25-14 wins in the first two sets before finishing the Bulldogs late in the third at 25-22.
• Lauren Rumel tallied 20 kills – one shy of tying a career-best – and a .529 clip to lead the offense.
• Emma Lilo used a double-double of 19 assists and 13 digs to help the effort.
A New Era Underway
• For the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, OSU is an affiliate member of the WCC before returning to a rebuilt Pac-12 in 2026-27.
• Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State will join OSU and Washington State in the Pac-12 on July 1, 2026.
Aces wild
• The Beavers tallied 11 service aces in the sweep of Gonzaga. It marked the second highest in a WCC match since the four-set win at Portland to end September, when they had a dozen.
• In the sweep of Gonzaga, the Beavs had back-to-back sets with four aces.
• This season, Light’s 0.40 aces/set mark is the second best in the league.
• Light’s five-ace match at Portland in ranks atop the league’s single-match performances in WCC action. It ranks as tops in the league during four-set matches.
• Lilo’s five-ace outing against San Francisco three weeks ago is the most in a five-match set this season.
Lilo Leveling up
• Standing at 539 assists, Lilo entered OSU’s top 10 for assists in a single season by a freshman in the win over Saint Mary’s last month with her 485th helper.
• The Kailua, Hawaii, product currently sits in 9th place, just eight away from sole possession of eighth.
Top 10 for Assists by a Freshman
7. Izzi Szulczewki (2020-21) 589
8. Emily Irwin (1992) 546
9. Emma Lilo (2024) 539
10. Tricia Becker (1987) 495
THOSE OF IRON, STRENGTH WILL NEVER YIELD
• Four Beavs – Emma Lilo, Annika Hester, Lauren Rumel and Zaria Thornton – have played in all 78 sets so far in the 20 matches played this season.
• Rumel played in all 120 sets (in 30 matches) in 2023.
League honors
• Oregon State’s pair of preseason conference-honored student-athletes were Hester and Rumel
• The Beavers were picked to finish fourth in the conference by the league’s coaches in the preseason poll.
• The fourth-place selection is the highest for the Beavers in the Behonick era.
THE WORLD TO CORVALLIS
• For the second consecutive year in the Behonick era, the Beavers will have three international student-athletes.
• OSU has a pair from Turkey – Alara Doğanyüz and Narlioğlu – along with Iris Coba (Italy).
• Oregon State is one of five league schools with at least three international student-athletes.
OUR MISSIONOregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS)
