SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's tennis will host Whitman in a Northwest Conference match on Saturday before hosting CC of Spokane in an exhibition match to close the weekend.

Check the women's tennis page for live links to Saturday's action.

The Pirates: Whitworth (3-3, 1-0 NWC) comes into the weekend winners of three straight, including a 9-0 sweep of Puget Sound in the conference opener last weekend in Tacoma.

Natalie Budge and Olivia Corbett won the #2 match 8-3, Meredith Bedford and Audrey Johnson wrapped up an 8-3 win in the #3 match minutes later before Clara Todd and Gracie Smyley completed the sweep with an 8-5 win over the Loggers #1 duo. Olivia Paige rolled past Perez 6-1, 6-1 in the #2 Singles and then Budge finished a 6-0, 6-1 win over Chatham at #3 to give Whitworth the clinching 5-0 lead.

Smyley is 3-1 this season while Budge, Todd, and Turner-Esposito are all 2-1. The Pirates have a 15-8 record overall including a 3-1 record in the #1, #3, and #5 slots.

The Coach: Rachel Aldridge is in her seventh season as Whitworth's women's tennis coach. She's led the Pirates to a 36-28 conference record, and four trips to the NWC conference tournament. Aldridge was a four-year standout for Whitworth, graduated in 2011, and served as an assistant coach from 2012 to 2014 before taking over.

The Opponent: Whitman (4-2) will head to Spokane this weekend for its conference opener at the Scotford Tennis Center. The Blues are coming off a 9-0 sweep of DePauw and have won three of their last four.

Grace Carter is the only senior on the roster, Arianna Castellanos returns after being named first team all-conference in 2023, and Teleya Blunt returns after being named second team all-conference in her freshman season. Whitman is coached by John Hein who's led the program since 2008, he's since become one of the most accomplished coaches in the conference.

Looking ahead: Whitworth will host Linfield and Lewis & Clark next weekend.