SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University, now alone atop the Northwest Conference volleyball standings, will play a split schedule this week to close out the first half of the NWC slate. The Pirates host Whitman College on Wednesday night at 6:00 pm. The Bucs will travel to play at Lewis & Clark College on Friday at 7:00 pm. Watch the Whitworth volleyball schedule for live links to both contests.
For those fans coming on Wednesday night, masks are required inside the Whitworth Fieldhouse, regardless of vaccination status.
For those fans planning to attend Friday's match, Lewis & Clark College requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event. Please view the official 2021 spectator policy and plan accordingly.
The Pirates: Whitworth (11-2 overall, 6-0 NWC) played some of its best volleyball of the season last weekend, defeating Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran at home.
The Pirates bounced back from a first set loss to defeat Puget Sound 24-26, 25-17, 25-21, 25-15 on Friday night. Whitworth hit .204 and got 48 combined assists from Saylor Anderson and Joelle Forbes. Forbes also served four aces. Maddie Lee led the way with 17 kills (.300 hitting percentage) and added 19 digs. The Bucs also got a career-best night from Abigail Hudson on the right side. She had 12 kills while hitting .379. Kaity Barr had one solo block and five block assists.
Whitworth played its best all-around match of the season during Saturday's first place showdown with PLU, defeating the Lutes 25-12, 25-15, 25-20. The Pirates were on fire, hitting .393 as a team and they posted 9.0 team blocks. Lee had 12 kills and hit .476. Barr had 10 kills in 12 attacks without an error (.833) and finished with five blocks (two solo, three assists). Cassidy Franklin had 10 kills in 13 attacks without an error (.769) with three block assists. Forbes served four more aces.
Pirates Sweep Honors: Maddie Lee was selected as the NWC's Volleyball Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week and Kaity Barr was chosen as the conference's Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week following the victories over Puget Sound and PLU.
Lee finished with 29 kills in 61 attempts during wins over UPS and PLU. Against the Loggers she hit .300 with 17 kills (4.25 kps), along with 19 digs and three block assists. Against the Lutes she hit .476 with 12 kills (4.0 kps) and a service ace.
Barr helped Whitworth take over sole possession of first place in the NWC standings. Against UPS she had one solo block and five block assists in four sets. She had five blocks in three sets vs. PLU. She leads the NWC in blocks per set this season.
NWC Stat Leaders: Whitworth leads the Northwest Conference in several statistical categories. Most notably, the Pirates lead the NWC and rank third in all of NCAA DIII in team blocks per set (2.47). They also rank first in the NWC in kills per set (12.57), assists per set (11.54), team hitting percentage (.201), opponents' hitting percentage (.106), and digs per set (17.67).
Individually, Lee is first in points per set (4.25) and second in kills per set (3.67). Barr is first in blocks per set (1.11, 17th in DIII) and second in hitting percentage (.330). Franklin is third in blocks per set (1.04) and fourth in hitting percentage (.310). Anderson is third in service aces per set (0.54) and Eva Millan is fifth in digs per set (5.11).
NWC Poll: Whitworth was picked first on eight out of nine ballots in the 2021 NWC preseason coaches poll. The Pirates had 64 points to outdistance PLU, who had the remaining first place vote and 56 points. Puget Sound was third in the poll (45 points), while Pacific (Ore.) was fourth (43 points). Coaches cannot vote for their own school.
The Coach: Kati Bodecker, 140-59 heading into her ninth season guiding the Pirates, is a three-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year after leading Whitworth to four NWC championships in her first eight seasons. Bodecker has also directed the Pirates to four appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019). In 2013 she coached the Bucs to a 15-13 record, becoming the first Whitworth volleyball coach to post a winning record in her first season since Margaret Campbell in 1990. She previously had been the head coach at Priest River High School, leading the Spartans to five state tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2012. She was a four-year starter at the University of Idaho, helping lead the Vandals to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances as a sophomore and junior.
The Opponents: Whitman College is 4-10 overall and 2-4 in the NWC. The Blues lost at home to Pacific Lutheran (3-0) and Puget Sound (3-1) last weekend. Despite the fact that Whitworth has won six in a row and 25 of the last 29 vs. the Blues, Whitman always plays the Pirates close, including four matches last season. Three went to five sets and the other went four. Christina Boxberger (Jr., RS) leads her team with 2.37 kills per set. Sydney London (Jr., Opp) adds 1.48 kills and 0.77 blocks per set.
Lewis & Clark is 5-6 overall and 2-3 in the NWC. The Pioneers have won three straight and are undefeated (4-0) at home this season. L&C beat Willamette 3-1 last Friday, then had a no-contest due to COVID reasons vs. Linfield on Saturday. That match will eventually count as a win on the Pioneers' record. Izzy Willis (So., OH) averages 3.42 kills and 0.4 service aces per set. Kelsey Parker (Sr., RS) contributes 2.83 kills and 0.41 blocks per set. Whitworth has not played L&C since 2019, when the teams split with each winning at home.
Coming Up Next: Whitworth will open the second half of its Northwest Conference schedule with matches at George Fox and Pacific on October 15-16.
