SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's tennis will take on top-seeded and defending-champion Whitman on Saturday in round one of the Northwest Conference tournament.

The match begins at 10 a.m. at the Whitman tennis courts, refer to the women's tennis scheduling page for live play-by-play and scores.

The Pirates: Whitworth (9-8, 4-3 NWC) punched its ticket into the NWC tournament for the third time in four years. The Pirates had an odd last weekend of the season, they took on Lewis-Clark State in a non-conference season finale while they awaited the final NWC results to play out. The Pirates ultimately clinched their spot in the tournament after Lewis & Clark defeated Linfield.

In the last two NWC tournament appearances (2021, 2022) Whitworth has won the semifinal round before losing in the championship match. In 2022 the Pirates knocked off Whitman 6-3 before falling to Linfield, and in 2021 they beat George Fox before losing to Linfield.

If Whitworth is to advance this season, they'll have to get past Whitman (14-7, 7-0 NWC) who has yet to lose in conference play. In the first meeting between the two teams on March 3, Whitman won 8-1 (the only point from the Pirates was in the #3 doubles match where Paige Oliver and Audrey Judson beat Erica Mock and Sascha Wells 8-6).

The Pirates' top contributors have been Gracie Smyley (7-8) who's played in the top slot all year in both singles and doubles. Natalie Budge (4-7) has spent most her time in the #2 role, and Jordan Turner-Esposito (7-7) has been productive in a combination of the #3 and #4 role.

The Opponent: Whitman (14-7, 7-0 NWC) has looked dominant all season long, they essentially clinched the top seed on April 7 when they beat George Fox 8-1 in a battle of the only two undefeated NWC schools. The Blues have outscored conference opponents 58-5 in their wins this season, their closest match was at Pacific in a 6-3 win.

Whitman is led by Teleya Blunt who represents the top spot in both doubles and singles. Blunt is a sophomore and was part of the Blues championship season last year. Whitman is coached by John Hein who's led the Blues since 2009 and amassed a 127-65 conference record.

Tournament twist: This time around, the match will only be played to five points due to the tournament rules. The Pirates will look to their top scorers to set the tone.

Schedule: No. 1-seeded Whitman and No. 4-seeded Whitworth will open the tournament at 10 a.m. before No. 2-seeded George Fox and No. 3-seeded Pacific begin at 2 p.m. The championship round will be Sunday at noon.