SPOKANE, Wash. – This week the Whitworth volleyball team faces a tough task at Whitman College on Tuesday night (6:00 pm) before returning home for the first time in three weeks to host Linfield University on Saturday (6:00 pm).
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date access to live 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 (18-2 overall, 10-0 NWC) played its first matches since 2011 as a nationally ranked team over the weekend and found a pair of opponents determined to pull off a season-defining upset.
The Pirates had to hold on twice to defeat George Fox 25-23, 25-18, 24-26, 23-25, 15-13 on Friday night in Newberg, Oregon. Whitworth served a match-point leading 24-23 in the third set before the Bruins scored three straight and then won the fourth set to send the contest to a fifth game. The Pirates jumped to a 12-4 lead in the fifth set only to watch GFU rally to within 14-13 before Cassidy Franklin ended the match with a kill. Ella Jimenez finished with a match-high 20 kills, while Amblessed Okemgbo added 16 kills. Whitworth only had 4.0 team blocks but made up for it with 73 digs, including 18 by Taylor Miche and 13 each from Jimenez and Megan Lange.
The Pirates lost the opening set at Pacific on Saturday night before bouncing back to win 21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-12. Whitworth improved its hitting every set, beginning at .122 in the first set, followed by .262 in the second, .293 in the third and .321 in the fourth. Jimenez added 18 more kills along with a pair of service aces. Okemgbo and Lauren Kremer (.455) had 11 kills apiece. Josephine Thompson had 27 of Whitworth's 53 assists and Miche added 20 digs. Whitworth swept the season series against the Boxers.
Jimenez honored again by NWC: Ella Jimenez is the NWC's volleyball Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week for the third time in 2024. She led the Pirates offensively with 38 kills (4.2 kills per set) and 43 total points in the road wins over George Fox and Pacific. She was previously selected on September 9th and 23rd.
Taylor Miche (Sept. 3), Cassidy Franklin (Sept. 30) and Lauren Kremer (Oct. 14) have each been the Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week once. Amblessed Okemgbo (Sept. 16) has also won the Offensive award, giving Whitworth seven weekly awards in 2024.
Pirates in the Polls: Whitworth made its first appearance in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III poll since 2011 last week. The Pirates made their debut at #24 in the polls after starting the season 16-2. The next poll will be released on Wednesday, October 23rd.
NWC Stat Leaders: Whitworth leads the conference in several key statistical categories. The Pirates are first in team hitting percentage (.229 – 34th in NCAA DIII), opponent hitting percentage (.097 – 17th in DIII), kills per set (12.99 – 39th in DIII), total kills (922), assists per set (11.90), total blocks (171.5 – 23rd in DIII) and is second in blocks per set (2.42 – 11th in DIII).
Individually, Ella Jimenez leads the league in kills per set (3.65), total kills (259), points per set (4.55), and is fourth in service aces per set (0.51). Cassidy Franklin leads the NWC in hitting percentage (.317) and is fourth in blocks per set (1.00). Lauren Kremer is fourth in hitting percentage (.284) and fifth in blocks per set (0.99). Amblessed Okemgbo is fifth in hitting percentage (.271). Taylor Miche is fourth in digs per set (4.41) and 10th in aces per set (0.42).
NWC Standings Update: Whitworth (10-0) leads the conference, one game ahead of PLU (9-1) and two ahead of Puget Sound (8-2) in the standings. The top four teams will make the NWC tournament at the end of the season (Nov. 15-16) and the team that finishes first in the regular season earns the right to host.
The Coach: Kati Bodecker has a record of 211-81 in her 12th season guiding the Pirates. Bodecker picked up her 200th win as Whitworth's coach on Sept. 13th vs. Chapman University. 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 152-32 in conference matches. 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 Tuesday night's match 4-13 overall and 3-7 in the NWC. But Whitworth knows better than anyone that the Blues are tough to beat at home this time of year under 13th-year head coach Matt Helm. Whitman defeated the Pirates 3-2 in Walla Walla last October. The Blues are coming off a 3-2 win at Pacific last Friday and a 3-0 loss at George Fox on Saturday. Whitman is tough on defense, ranking third in the NWC in digs per set (15.67) and fourth in blocks per set (1.80). They have a pair of first-year players leading the way. Middle hitter Courtney Cline is second in the NWC in blocks per set (1.06) and adds 1.28 kills per set. Outside hitter Arina Gushchina leads the team in kills per set (2.59). Whitworth had to go four sets to defeat the Blues in Spokane on September 24th, thanks to 14 team blocks, including nine by Cassidy Franklin.
Linfield is 5-13 overall and 2-9 in the NWC heading into Friday's match at Whitman. The Wildcats are coming off losses to Puget Sound (3-0) and Pacific Lutheran (3-1) at home last weekend. Lacey Bell continues her first season as head coach in an interim role. Linfield ranks second in the conference in kills allowed per set (10.61). Sophomore OH Nora Myre ranks fourth in the NWC in kills per set (2.84) and leads the team in service aces (22). Junior Araeyna Watanabe addes 2.53 kills per set. Whitworth beat the Wildcats 3-0 in McMinnville on September 27th, using nine team blocks to hold Linfield to a -0.031 hitting percentage.
Coming Up: Whitworth will play at Lewis & Clark and Willamette on November 1st and 2nd.
