SPOKANE, Wash. – After winning two of three matches last weekend in Southern California, the Whitworth volleyball team will open Northwest Conference play at home this weekend against George Fox and Pacific (Ore.).

The Pirates host George Fox on Friday night at 7:00 pm.  The Bucs host Pacific on Saturday at 5:00 pm.  Per Washington State mandate, masks will be required for all fans in the Whitworth Fieldhouse, regardless of vaccination status.

The Pirates:  Whitworth opened its participation at the Whittier Invitational with a thrilling 25-15, 18-25, 25-14, 21-25, 15-13 victory over Chapman.  The Pirates scored the final two points of the match to pull out the win.  Kaity Barr had a dominating match with 17 kills, no errors and a .538 hitting percentage.  She added two service aces, one solo block and five block assists for 22.5 points.  Maddie Lee was right behind with 16 kills, two aces, one solo and six block assists (22 points).  Saylor Anderson dished a season-high 33 assists and served four aces.  Whitworth hit .197 while holding the Panthers to .134.

The Bucs dropped the first two sets in Friday's second match before rallying to win 12-25, 17-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-10.  Whitworth's opening set was its most inefficient of the season (-0.135) with 11 errors and only six kills.  By the third set, Whitworth hit .325 and had found its rhythm.  Lee had 15 kills, while Barr had 13 kills (.462) and three blocks.  Both had 15 points.  Kaitlyn White served three aces.  The Pirates hit .165 to .147 for Whittier.

Whitworth could not repeat its come-from-behind performance against Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday afternoon.  The Pirates again dropped the first two sets before responding in the third.  However, the Sagehens pulled out a tight fourth frame to win 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23.  No Pirate player reached double figures in kills.  Cassidy Franklin led the team in points (12.5) with nine kills and seven block assists.  Abby Wolverton added nine kills and five block assists (11.5 points).  Eva Millan led the defense with 25 digs. 

Saturday's second match was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols within the University of La Verne team.

NWC Stat Leaders:  Whitworth leads the Northwest Conference in several statistical categories.  The Pirates are first in team hitting percentage (.175) and in kills per set (11.93).  They are second in team blocks per set (2.38). 

Individually, Barr leads the conference in hitting percentage (.381) and is second in blocks per set (1.10).  Lee leads in total kills (100) and is fourth in kills per set (3.33).  Franklin is third in the conference in blocks per set (1.00) and Millan is fifth in digs per set (4.73). 

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:  George Fox University is the hottest NWC team out of the gate this season, based on non-conference results.  The Bruins (5-1) defeated Pacific University 3-0 in a non-conference match last weekend, its only game of the week.  GFU is hitting .158, but leading the NWC in opponent hitting percentage (.103).  The Bruins have played the league's best defense, leading the NWC in both blocks per set (2.5) and digs per set (17.6).  Kassandra Staton averages 3.05 kills per set.  Bailey LeBreton leads the NWC in blocks per set (1.58), while Sophia Lawrence leads the league in digs per set (6.00).  Whitworth and George Fox have not played each other since 2019, when the teams split.  The Bruins won 3-1 in Spokane and the Pirates won 3-2 in Newberg.

Pacific University is 2-4 after non-conference play.  Following its 3-0 loss to George Fox last weekend, Pacific defeated Mills (Calif.) 3-0.  The Boxers hit .137 as a team while opponents are hitting .212.  They average 1.44 blocks and 15.44 digs per set.  Mara Murphy leads the players who have appeared in every match in kills (2.00).  Haley Walz is second in the NWC in digs per set (5.75).  Carissa Ramirez averaged 0.71 blocks per set.  Whitworth defeated Pacific twice in 2019, by 3-1 scores at home and on the road.

Coming Up Next:  Whitworth will travel to Linfield and Willamette for a pair of Northwest Conference matches on September 24-25.