By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Christine Tylutki (Monroe/Monroe, Mich.), a sophomore setter/right side hitter for the Owens Community College women's volleyball program, has signed with Siena Heights University to continue her playing career.
Tylutki closed her Owens career as one of the most versatile players in program history. As a sophomore, she finished third on the team in total blocks (117), third in digs (329), third in aces (50), first in assists (845), second in hitting percentage (.322) and fifth in kills (272) over 46 matches.
In addition to those stats, Tylutki had two triple doubles in kills, assists and digs, seven double doubles in assists and digs and five double doubles in kills and assists. Her two triple-doubles came on Aug. 27 vs Sauk Valley (11 kills on a .476 hitting percentage, 24 assists, 12 digs and six blocks) and Oct. 7 vs Catawba Valley (13 kills on a .440 hitting percentage, 29 assists, 12 digs and four blocks).
Following the season, Tylutki was named First Team All-OCCAC, First Team All-Region XII and Region XII District F tournament MVP. She also earned OCCAC player of the week recognition on Sept. 4.
As a freshman, Tylutki finished second on the team in assists with 814, while adding 360 digs, 86 blocks, 27 aces and 84 kills. She was named the OCCAC player of the week on Sept. 27.
Overall, Tylutki finished her two-year career with 356 kills, a .275 hitting percentage over 892 attempts, 1,659 assists, 77 aces, 689 digs and 203 blocks (38 solo).
Academically, Tylutki was a member of the OCCAC's All-Academic team in the fall and spring semesters as a sophomore. She was also a member of the team as a freshman when the award encompassed the whole school year.
Prior to her time at Owens, Tylutki was a First Team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Monroe Evening News All-Region player at Monroe (Mich.) High School.
Tylutki becomes the fourth sophomore from last year's team to sign with a four-year school. She joins Brooke Gyori (Clay/Oregon, Ohio), who signed with NCAA Division I University of Tennessee at Martin, Tyanna Smith (Bowling Green/Bowling Green, Ohio), who signed with NAIA Shawnee State University and Annie Lindeman (Ottoville/Ottoville, Ohio), who signed with NAIA Shawnee State University.
Siena Heights, an NAIA program, finished 21-12 overall last year, including an 8-8 mark in Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play. The team's season ended with a loss to Cornerstone in the WHAC tournament. Former Owens volleyball standout Taylor Purcell (Bedford/Temperance, Mich.), who finished fifth in kills and third in hitting percentage on last year's team, will be back for her senior year to team with Tylutki.
NOTES
In 2016, the Owens women's volleyball program achieved the best season in program history at the NJCAA Division II level.
The Express finished 41-5 overall, went 14-0 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play, won the Region XII District F tournament championship and advanced to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, where they advanced to the national semifinals before finishing third in the nation with a five set win over No. 4 Catawba Valley. The finish represented the highest in program history at the NJCAA Division II level, which the team has competed at since 2001.
In fact, the program has now captured two consecutive conference championships with back-to-back 14-0 records, and two straight Region XII District F tournament championships. After finishing ninth in the nation at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in 2015, the program has also recorded back-to-back top 10 finishes nationally.
In 2016, the team ascended to No. 2 in the NJCAA Division II national poll, where they spent the final four weeks of the regular season before the poll concluded for the year. Overall, the team spent seven straight weeks ranked in the top five after opening the year at No. 7. The No. 2 ranking was the highest in program history at the NJCAA Division II level.
For more info on the Owens volleyball program, visit here.