SPOKANE, Wash. – The chase for the 2022 Northwest Conference volleyball title is coming down to the wire as Whitworth hosts its final home matches of the season this weekend. The Pirates play Lewis & Clark on Friday night (7:00 pm) and George Fox 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 (14-6 overall, 8-4 NWC) remains tied for first place in the NWC standings after splitting a pair of road matches last week.
The Pirates won in four sets at Whitman College on Wednesday night. After dropping the opening game, Whitworth roared back to win 21-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-17. Jaye Hodge had 19 points on 13 kills, a career-high five aces and one block. Ella Jimenez had 17 points on 10 kills (.500 hitting), five blocks and two aces. Maddie Lee added 10 kills. Joelle Forbes (21) and Megan Lange (20) combined for 41 of Whitworth's 42 assists in the match. The Pirates swept the season series against the Blues and they have won the last 11 contests against Whitman.
Whitworth nearly pulled out another comeback from two sets behind, but this time fell 25-22, 25-22, 11-25, 24-26, 17-15 at Willamette on Saturday night. The Pirates had a 10-6 lead in the fifth set, but could not close out the Bearcats. Maddie Lee finished with 21 points on 16 kills, three aces, one solo block and two block assists. Jaye Hodge added 12 kills and an ace, while Cassidy Franklin had 10 kills (.500 hitting), and six block assists. Ella Jimenez was in on seven of Whitworth's 14 team blocks. Eva Millan finished with 24 digs. Willamette ended an 11-match losing streak to the Pirates.
Packed NWC title Chase: Four Northwest Conference schools are tied for first place in the standings heading to the final two weeks of the season. Puget Sound, George Fox and Willamette join Whitworth at the top, all with 8-4 records. Pacific Lutheran is only one game behind at 7-5. 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 kills per set (3.19, 4th in the NWC), and points per set (3.71, 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 16th in NCAA Division III in total blocks (94) and ranks 7th in DIII in blocks per set (1.19). In addition, she ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage (.307). Right behind, Cassidy Franklin is fourth in the NWC in blocks per set (0.96), third in total blocks (78) and first in hitting percentage (.323) Ella and Cassidy are a big reason the Pirates lead the conference, and rank 8th in DIII, in team blocks per set (2.33).
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 (11.93), assists per set (10.91) and team hitting percentage (.195).
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 175-68 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: Lewis & Clark College (1-16 overall, 0-12 NWC) will fight hard over its final four matches to avoid becoming the first NWC school since 2007 to go winless in league play. The Pioneers lost 3-1 at Pacific and 3-0 at PLU last weekend. Sophomore OH Debbie Chun leads the team in kills per set (2.63), while junior OH Izzy Willis leads in points per set (2.91). Whitworth won in three sets at Lewis & Clark on September 30th behind 10 points each from Maddie Lee and Jaye Hodge. The Pirates have won three in a row in the series.
George Fox is 11-8 overall and 8-4 in the NWC heading into Friday night's match at Whitman. The Bruins won 3-2 at Puget Sound and 3-1 at Linfield last weekend to earn a share of first place in the standings. Junior OH Kassandra Staton averages 3.03 kills per set and has 20 service aces. Senior MB Bailey LeBreton is a force in the middle, averaging 2.68 kills and 0.92 blocks per set. Whitworth pulled out a four-set win at George Fox on October 1st behind 16 kills from Maddie Lee and 14 kills and two aces by Jaye Hodge. The Pirates have won the last four in the series.
Coming Up: The Pirates will finish off the regular season with matches at Linfield (Thursday, Nov. 3) and Pacific (Friday, Nov. 4).
