SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team continues its fight to the finish for a 2022 Northwest Conference volleyball crown this week with a pair of challenging road matches. The Pirates play at Whitman College on Wednesday night (6:00 pm) and at Willamette University on Saturday night (6:00 pm).
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date access to video and live stats.
Tickets: Digital tickets are required for entrance to the Whitworth Fieldhouse for all fans. Tickets can be purchased in advance using the Hometown Ticketing App. Follow the Tickets link on the schedule for access. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Whitworth students, as well as faculty and staff, get free admission by using an ID number.
The Pirates: Whitworth (13-5 overall, 7-3 NWC) remains tied for first place in the NWC standings after a pair of grueling five-set matches last weekend.
The Pirates fell in five sets to visiting Pacific Lutheran on Friday night, 25-13, 19-25, 25-13, 25-27, 15-11. Whitworth was run out of the gym in the opening set, but regained enough footing to take the Lutes to the fifth game. The Pirates led 5-1 early in the final set, and 11-10 late, but could not hold off the hard-charging Lutes. Whitworth finished with a season-low .062 hitting percentage, but stayed competitive with a season-high 14 blocks. Ella Jimenez led the way with 17 points on 12 kills, eight block assists and one service ace. Cassidy Franklin contributed 13.5 points with 11 kills and five block assists. Jaye Hodge served three of Whitworth's eight aces.
The Pirates were nearly knocked out of title contention on Saturday night, down two sets and trailing 18-14 in the third game to visiting Puget Sound. The Loggers served for the match at 24-23 before Whitworth rallied to win 22-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-12 and move back into a first place tie in the standings with UPS. Whitworth served a season-high 11 aces, led by four from Joelle Forbes, who also had 27 assists. Maddie Lee had 20.5 points with 14 kills, three aces and seven block assists. Eva Millan finished with 27 digs to help Whitworth avoid a second loss of the season to Puget Sound.
Packed NWC title Chase: Seven NWC teams remain mathematically alive for the league championship, within two games of first place with six matches to play. Whitworth and Puget Sound are tied for first with 7-3 records. George Fox and Willamette, both 6-4, are only one game behind. Pacific (Ore.), Pacific Lutheran and Whitman are all 5-5 and only two games behind. There is no conference tournament in volleyball, so the champion of the regular season earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
The MVP: Maddie Lee is the reigning Northwest Conference Player of the Year. She is back at it again in 2022, ranking highly in the conference in total kills (204), kills per set (3.24, 4th in the NWC), and points per set (3.72, 4th). Lee's numbers are slightly down this season, partly because of injuries and partly because she has more help on the offensive attack.
Build the Wall: Ella Jimenez has been a force on defense for the Pirates in 2022. She leads the NWC and ranks 18th in NCAA Division III in total blocks (82) and ranks 9th in DIII in blocks per set (1.17). In addition, she ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage (.310). Right behind, Cassidy Franklin is fourth in the NWC in blocks per set (1.00), second in total blocks (72) and second in hitting percentage (.312) Ella and Cassidy are a big reason the Pirates lead the conference, and rank 11th in DIII, in team blocks per set (2.30).
NWC Leaders: Whitworth ranks first in the NWC as a team in several statistical categories. In addition to blocks per set (see above), the Pirates lead the league in kills per set (12.01), assists per set (11.03) and team hitting percentage (.196).
History Achieved: The 2021 Pirates became the first Whitworth team to finish its Northwest Conference schedule undefeated and the first NWC team to traverse the league slate without a loss since PLU in 2009. Whitworth won its 11th Northwest Conference volleyball title last fall. It is the 10th championship since 2001 and fifth under head coach Kati Bodecker.
In addition, Whitworth posted its best regular season record since the Pirates went 23-2 during the regular season in 2002.
NWC Poll: Whitworth was picked first on eight out of nine ballots in the 2022 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 (47 points), while Pacific (Ore.) was fourth (41 points). Coaches cannot vote for their own school.
The Coach: Kati Bodecker, now 174-67 in her tenth season guiding the Pirates, is a four-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year after leading Whitworth to five NWC championships in her first nine seasons. She is 121-25 in conference matches during that time. Bodecker has also directed the Pirates to five appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021). 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 comes into Wednesday's match 7-11 overall and 5-5 in the NWC. The Blues lost a tough four-set decision to Puget Sound on Friday, then rallied to beat the same PLU team that defeated Whitworth on Friday in five sets on Saturday. Junior Kenzie Martinez leads the team in kills per set (3.33 – 4th in the NWC). Fellow junior Nicole Kelly is a six-rotation player, averaging 3.08 kills and 2.61 digs per set with a team-high 24 aces. She leads the team in points per set (3.69). Whitworth defeated Whitman in three sets at home on September 21st, thanks to a season-high .370 team hitting percentage. Maddie Lee had 12 kills.
Willamette is 7-9 overall and 6-4 in the NWC heading into a contest against Whitman on Friday night. The Bearcats swept Linfield at home on Friday, but lost in four sets at Pacific on Saturday. Sophomore Olivia Cadien ranks second in the conference in kills per set (3.49). Senior Dani Queja, a three-year starter, plays all over the floor with averages of 2.25 kills and 2.53 digs per set with 25 service aces. Whitworth swept Willamette in Spokane on September 24th. Maddie Lee had 11 kills while Cassidy Franklin was in on four of the team's seven blocks.
Coming Up: The Pirates will host Lewis & Clark and George Fox on October 28-29 in the final home matches of the season.
