SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth University hopes to continue its hot start to the Northwest Conference volleyball schedule when the Pirates visit Oregon for a pair of matches this weekend. Whitworth will visit Pacific University on Friday night (7:00 pm) and George Fox University on Saturday (6:00 pm).
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date live access to results.
The Pirates: Whitworth won both matches at home last weekend to even its overall record at 5-5 and start out 2-0 in conference play.
The Pirates played perhaps their most complete match of the season in Friday night's sweep of visiting Willamette. Whitworth hit a season-high .337 as a team to defeat the Bearcats 25-22, 25-18, 25-17. Ella Jimenez had 15 kills and added an assist and block assist for a match-high 16.5 points. Kaity Barr totaled 11 points on six kills, three aces, 1 solo block and two block assists. Mya Rodriguez (16) and Josephine Thompson (11) combined for 27 assists. Whitworth's defense limited the Bearcats to only 36 points scored in the match.
The Pirates defeated Lewis & Clark 25-18, 24-26, 25-22, 25-16 on Saturday night. Whitworth led 10-1 in the second set before the Pioneers roared back to win. The Pirates did not let L&C build on that momentum to pull an upset, putting the opponent away in the next two sets. Amblessed Okemgbo pounded a career-high 17 kills and totaled 18 points, which included two block assists. Barr filled up the stat line with 12 kills, two aces, one solo block and five block assists for 17.5 points. Jimenez also had a dozen kills. Rodriguez played the entire way at setter and finished with 31 assists and 24 digs. Whitworth had 11 team blocks in the match.
Raising the Barr: Kaity Barr leads all NWC players, and ranks 11th in all of NCAA Division III, in blocking (1.27 per set). Barr is a big reason Whitworth ranks seventh as a team in the nation in blocks per set (2.51). She also ranks third in the NWC in hitting percentage (.348) and sixth in service aces (0.54 per set).
In addition, Ella Jimenez ranks fifth in the conference in kills per set (3.10), while Taylor Miche ranks seventh in the conference in digs per set (4.05).
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: Pacific is 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the NWC. The Boxers host NCAA Division II St. Martin's tonight before hosting the Pirates on Friday. Last week Pacific lost 3-1 at home to George Fox on Friday and 3-0 on the road to Pacific Lutheran on Saturday. Head Coach Kip Yoshimura, who had previous head coaching roles at NCAA Div. I Gonzaga and NAIA powerhouse Lewis-Clark State, is in his 11th season guiding the Boxers. Junior OH Mara Murphy is leading the NWC in kills per set (4.04) and points per set (4.67). Senior setter Emily Cheavtharn is second in the conference in assists per set (8.8). Last year Whitworth defeated Pacific 3-1 in Spokane, but the Boxers won 3-1 in Forest Grove in the Pirates' regular season finale. That setback dropped Whitworth into a tie with Puget Sound for the NWC title and gave UPS the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. Pacific also ended a 12-matching losing streak to the Bucs.
George Fox returns virtually its entire roster from 2022. The Bruins are 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the NWC heading into a match on Friday night against Whitman. GFU followed its 3-1 win at Pacific last Wednesday with a five-set heartbreak loss at Puget Sound on Saturday night. Emily Davis has been the Bruins' head coach since 2016. Senior OH Kassandra Staton leads a very balanced George Fox offense with an average of 2.79 kills per set. Senior MB Olivia Jacobson is fourth in the NWC in blocks per set (0.93). Last year Whitworth swept George Fox 3-0 in Spokane and won 3-1 in Newberg, Oregon.
Coming Up: Whitworth will host Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran on Sept. 29-30.
