SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team got off to a solid start to the 2021 season last weekend at the Trinity Fall Classic. The Pirates hope to continue the momentum this weekend with four more matches at the Whittier Invitational in Southern California.
Whitworth will play Chapman and Whittier at Whittier on Friday. The Bucs will play Pomona-Pitzer and LaVerne at LaVerne on Saturday. Watch the Whitworth volleyball schedule for live links to this weekend's games.
The Pirates: Whitworth opened the season with a win over Hendrix College last Friday at Trinity. The Pirates dropped the first set, then took control to win 19-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-19. Abby Wolverton led the way with 13 kills and a .440 hitting percentage. Kaity Barr led the team with 15.5 points, finishing with 12 kills (.526), two solo blocks and three block assists. Saylor Anderson and Joelle Forbes combined for 22 assists apiece.
The Bucs followed with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 win over Concordia (Texas) on Friday. Maddie Lee had 11 kills (.385) and 15 digs, while Jaye Hodge came off the bench for six kills (.385). Eva Millan finished with 16 digs and Forbes had 16 of Whitworth's 31 assists.
Whitworth defeated Texas Lutheran 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18 in Saturday's early match in a battle of teams that went 2-0 on Friday. Lee led the way with 21 kills, her Whitworth career-high. Wolverton added nine kills, while newcomers Sophia TurningRobe and Cassidy Franklin had seven kills each. Millan came up with 33 digs, her career-best.
The Pirates closed the tournament against top-ranked Trinity and nearly rallied for a stunning upset before falling 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 15-10. Lee finished with 19 kills and 19 digs to lead Whitworth in both categories. She also served two aces. Barr had 12 kills and six block assists, while Franklin contributed 11 kills, two solo blocks and three block assists as the Pirate middles. Anderson dished 28 of Whitworth's 49 assists.
All-Tournament Team: Maddie Lee and Eva Millan were both named to the Trinity Fall Classic All-Tournament team for their efforts. Millan averaged 5.38 digs per set, while Lee had 3.81 kills per set.
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: All four of Whitworth's opponents this weekend are members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SCIAC). None of them played any volleyball in 2020-21. Because of that, there is no preseason coaches poll for the conference.
Chapman University (Orange, Calif.) went 23-5 overall and 14-2 in the SCIAC in 2019. The Panthers fell to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the SCIAC tournament final, just missing the NCAA Division III tournament. Chapman was supposed to play last weekend, but matches were cancelled due to COVID protocols. The Pirates last played the Panthers on August 30, 2014, winning 3-0 at the Pacific Coast Classic (hosted by LaVerne).
Whittier College (1-4) went 1-3 at the Pacific Coast Classic last weekend, including a 3-1 loss to George Fox. The Poets went 13-14 overall and 8-8 in the SCIAC in 2019. Whitworth last played Whittier in 2019, defeating the Poets 3-2 on August 30th at a tournament in Texas.
Like Whittier, Pomona-Pitzer is 1-4 after going 1-3 at last weekend's Pacific Coast Classic. Also like Whittier, the Sagehens lost 3-1 to NWC member George Fox. Pomona-Pitzer went 12-14 overall and 6-10 in the SCIAC in 2019. Whitworth defeated the Sagehens 3-0 at a tournament in Oregon on Sept. 8, 2017.
La Verne is 3-1, but lost 3-0 to George Fox. The Leopards, longtime leaders in the SCIAC, went 15-13, 9-7 in 2019. Whitworth last played LaVerne on August 29, 2014, losing 3-1 on the road.
Coming Up Next: Whitworth will host George Fox and Pacific (Ore.) on September 17th and 18th in the first home matches, and first conference matches, of the season.
