SPOKANE, Wash. – After two straight appearances in the Northwest Conference women's tennis tournament championship match, head coach Rachel Aldridge hopes this year's class of incoming first-year Pirates will help keep the team knocking at the door of a league championship, now and into the future.

"This incoming group of first-years has all of the passion and drive we are looking for to build up and continue our legacy of phenomenal team culture," Aldridge said. "We are a young team this year, but these Pirates are determined to continue developing as a team and compete to win while representing Whitworth well."

The three new players are Natalie Budge, Olivia Corbett and Rose Matsunaga.  They join a group of four returnees who finished 9-8 overall and 6-2 in the NWC in the spring of 2022.

Natalie Budge comes to Whitworth from Gresham, Oregon and is primarily interested in pursing biology or accounting. Natalie competed in the OSAA state tournament. She led her high school tennis team to a silver finish in the district tournament before going on to compete at the OSAA tournament.

Olivia Corbett is a first-year player from Pendleton, Oregon and is planning on studying in the business field. She placed fourth in the OSAA 5A singles tournament her senior year of high school.

Rose Matsunaga is a first-year from Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. Rose competed primarily as a doubles player in high school and comes in with a good amount of tournament play experience. She is considering nursing as her major.