SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team will play a split schedule this week. The Pirates host Whitman on Wednesday night (6:00 pm). The team will turn around quickly for a road match at Linfield on Friday (7:00 pm).
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date live access to results.
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 (7-7 overall, 4-2 NWC) split at home last week, defeating Puget Sound 3-0 on Friday before falling to league-leading Pacific Lutheran 3-1 on Saturday.
The Pirates played perhaps their best all-around match of the season in Friday's 25-14, 25-15, 25-23 win over the Loggers. Whitworth hit .300 and held UPS to .056. Logan Spencer had 10 kills and hit .421, while Cassity Franklin finished with nine kills (.600) and two block assists. Josephine Thompson returned after missing three matches and had 16 assists and Mya Rodriguez added 14 assists. Puget Sound and Whitworth were co-NWC champions in 2022.
Pacific Lutheran came into the Fieldhouse and pulled off a 26-24, 25-19, 28-30, 25-22 win over the Pirates in a hard-fought contest on Saturday. Whitworth had a chance to take the early initiative in the match, leading 24-21 in the opening set before the Lutes reeled off five straight points and turned that momentum into a match victory. Franklin had 14 points on 10 kills, two solo blocks and four block assists. Kaity Barr added 11.5 points with eight kills, one solo block and five block assists. Whitworth finished with 15 team blocks, but PLU served nine aces. Taylor Miche dug 28 balls on defense.
Raising the Barr: Kaity Barr leads all NWC players, and ranks 10th in all of NCAA Division III, in blocking (1.19 per set). Barr is a big reason Whitworth ranks sixth as a team in the nation in blocks per set (2.45). She also ranks third in the NWC in hitting percentage (.359) and 10th in service aces (0.47 per set).
In addition, Cassidy Franklin is fourth in the NWC in blocks per set (0.90) and Abigail Hudson is eighth (0.78). Ella Jimenez ranks seventh in the conference in kills per set (2.88), while Taylor Miche ranks seventh in the conference in digs per set (4.43).
NWC Poll: Whitworth finished third in the Northwest Conference preseason coaches poll with 51 points, behind Puget Sound (62) and Pacific Lutheran (53). Puget Sound, the other co-champion with the Pirates last season, got six first place votes, PLU got one and Whitworth received two.
The Coach: Kati Bodecker has a record of 181-74 heading into her 11th season guiding the Pirates. She is a four-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year after leading Whitworth to five NWC championships in her first nine seasons. She is 128-28 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 is 3-10 overall and 2-4 in the NWC coming into Wednesday's match. The Blues lost to both PLU and UPS by 3-0 scores last weekend. Matt Helm is in his 12th season as head coach at Whitman. Senior OH Kenzie Martinez is fifth in the NWC in kills per set (2.95), while senior OH Nicole Kelly adds 2.71 kills per set and leads the team in service aces (18). Whitworth won both matches against Whitman last season, 3-0 in Spokane and 3-1 in Walla Walla.
Linfield is 6-7 overall and 2-4 in the NWC heading into Friday's contest. The Wildcats lost 3-0 at George Fox last Friday, but bounced back to win 3-0 at home against Pacific on Saturday. Linfield is still a relatively young team. Sophomore OH Areaya Watanabe leads the 'Cats in kills (2.40) and points (2.88) per set. Sophomore MB Lexi Correa adds 1.47 kills per set and ranks sixth in the NWC in blocks (0.81 per set). Haley Domeck is in her fourth year as head coach. Whitworth and Linfield played a pair of five-set thrillers in 2022, each coming from two sets behind and each winning on the other's home floor.
Coming Up: Whitworth will open the second half of the NWC schedule with contests at Willamette and Lewis & Clark on October 13-14.
