SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team will host the 2024 NWC volleyball tournament this weekend at the Whitworth Fieldhouse. Semifinals will take place on Friday and the championship is on Saturday. The Pirates earned the right to host the conference tournament by winning the 2024 NWC regular season title.
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 $12 for adults and $6 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Students from all three schools get free admission by using a school photo ID.
NWC Tournament Info: The 2024 Northwest Conference playoffs consist of a four-team tournament hosted by regular season champion Whitworth. The semifinals are on Friday, Nov. 15 as top-seeded Whitworth plays 4th-seeded George Fox at 7:30 pm. The first semifinal features #2 Pacific Lutheran vs. 3rd-seeded Puget Sound at 4:30 pm. The winning teams play in the championship at 6:00 pm on Saturday, Nov. 16. While the 2024 Northwest Conference championship was decided by regular season play, the 2024 NWC tournament will determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III post-season.
The Pirates: 23rd-ranked Whitworth (24-2 overall, 16-0 NWC) posted only the second perfect NWC record in school history by defeating Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran at home last weekend.
Whitworth clinched the outright NWC title with Friday's 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 win over Puget Sound. The Pirates trailed early in each set but finished strong in all three. Whitworth hit .224 while holding the Loggers to .105. Ella Jimenez had 16 kills, while Amblessed Okemgbo added seven kills. Cassidy Franklin was in on five of Whitworth's eight blocks (two solo, three assists). Josephine Thompson had 17 of the team's 33 assists and served three aces.
The Pirates had to rally from down two sets to pull out a win over Pacific Lutheran and secure a perfect conference season. Whitworth won 14-25, 23-25, 25-9, 25-16, 15-12, outscoring the Lutes 65-37 over the final three set. It was a balanced effort as Jimenez had 11 kills, Franklin and Abigail Hudson had eight apiece and Okemgbo, Lauren Kremer and Lindsey Short each contributed seven. Kremer was part of five of the Pirates' nine blocks (one solo, four assists) and served three of the team's 15 aces. Taylor Miche led the squad in aces (5) and digs (13).
Championship Pedigree: The 2024 NWC title is Whitworth's 13th in school history and 12th since 2001. Whitworth has now won or shared seven conference crowns under 12th-year head coach Kati Bodecker.
Road Warriors: Whitworth survived a brutal stretch that saw the Pirates play seven out of eight Northwest Conference matches on the road between Oct. 11 and Nov. 2. Not only did Whitworth come through unscathed, the Bucs excelled, winning five of those road matches in straight sets.
Pirates in the Polls: Whitworth again held steady in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III poll last week. The Pirates remained 23rd in the most recent poll (Nov. 6). The next poll will be released on Wednesday, November 13th.
NWC Stat Leaders: Whitworth leads the conference in several key statistical categories. The Pirates are first in team hitting percentage (.227 – 40th in NCAA DIII), opponent hitting percentage (.094 – 11th in DIII), kills per set (12.87 – 42nd in DIII), total kills (1,171), assists per set (11.78 – 59th in DIII), total blocks (216.5– 31st in DIII) and in blocks per set (2.38 – 12th in DIII).
Individually, Ella Jimenez leads the league in total kills (338), points per set (4.68 – 23rd in DIII), and in service aces per set (0.57 – tied). She is second in kills per set (3.71) Cassidy Franklin is second in the NWC in hitting percentage (.314) and in blocks per set (1.00). Lauren Kremer is third in blocks per set (0.98) and fifth in hitting percentage (.249). Amblessed Okemgbo is fourth in hitting percentage (.279). Taylor Miche is fifth in digs per set (4.18).
The Coach: Kati Bodecker has a record of 217-81 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 six NWC championships in her first ten seasons. She is 158-32 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: George Fox finished fourth in the NWC (10-6) and is 14-11 overall. The Bruins closed well, defeating Linfield 3-1 at home last Friday and Lewis & Clark 3-0 on the road on Saturday. Emily Davis, the 2019 NWC coach of the year, is in her ninth season. GFU ranks second in the NWC in kills per set (11.99) and in assists per set (11.22). Sophomore RS Gracie Bearden leads the team in kills per set (2.78 – 7th in the NWC) and has 32 aces. Senior setter Addison Coulter is fourth in the NWC in aces per set (0.54) despite splitting time with teammate Kennedy Kibby. Whitworth rolled past George Fox 3-0 at home in September but had to survive a furious Bruin comeback in a 3-2 win on the road in October. Last season George Fox finished third in the regular season but knocked off Whitworth in the semifinals of the NWC tournament to reach the championship match.
The Other Half: The other half of the NWC tournament bracket features Tacoma-area rivals Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound. The teams tied for second in the NWC at 13-3, but PLU was declared the #2 seed based on NWC tiebreakers.
Pacific Lutheran finished the regular season 18-7 overall. Last weekend the Lutes won 3-0 at Whitman on Friday before dropping the five-set heartbreaker at Whitworth on Saturday. Kevin Aoki, an 11-time NWC coach of the year, is in his 29th season at PLU. The Lutes lead the NWC in service aces (2.31 per set) and rank second in digs per set (16.16). Senior libero Makenna Jackson keys the defense, averaging 4.57 digs per set (third in the NWC). She is also third in the conference in aces per set (0.56). Freshman middle Julissa Pernsteiner leads the team in kills per set (2.33), blocks per set (0.90 – 4th in the NWC) and in points per set (3.22 – 9th in the NWC). Whitworth defeated PLU 3-1 in Parkland in October to end the Lutes' 22-match conference winning streak. The Pirates barely pulled out a 3-2 win over PLU at home last weekend. In 2023 the Lutes won the NWC title then defeated Willamette and George Fox to claim the first-ever NWC tournament.
Puget Sound is 16-8 heading into the tournament after closing the regular season with a 3-1 win at Whitman last Saturday night. Mark Massey, a three-time NWC coach of the year, is in his 29th season leading the Loggers. UPS is second in the NWC in blocks per set (2.29 – 13th in NCAA Div. III) and in team hitting percentage (.209). Senior OH Mackenzie Leith leads the team in kills per set (2.78 – 6th in the NWC). First-year middle Maddie Badger leads the conference in hitting percentage (.320), blocks per set (1.12) and is fifth in points per set (3.49) but did not play last weekend in Eastern Washington. Whitworth defeated Puget Sound 3-0 both on the road and at home this season. The Loggers did not qualify for the 2023 NWC tournament but earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament as co-champions with Whitworth in 2022.
Coming Up: The NCAA Division III field will be announced on Monday morning.
