SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team opens the second half of Northwest Conference play on the road in Oregon this weekend. Looking to bounce back from their first loss to a Northwest Conference opponent since the 2023 season, the Pirates will play at Willamette on Friday night at 7:00 pm before taking on Pacific University on Saturday at 6:00 pm.
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date access to live results and a link to the FloSports broadcasts.
Watch on FlowCollege: All of Whitworth's Northwest Conference athletic events will be steamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $120 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
The Pirates: Whitworth is 13-5 overall and 7-1 in the NWC after splitting at home against the Tacoma area schools over the weekend.
The Pirates played a highly efficient offensive match during Friday night's 25-18, 25-19, 25-14 win over Pacific Lutheran. Whitworth hit .296 and had only nine errors in 115 attacks. Amblessed Okemgbo had 11.5 points on nine kills, two solo blocks and one block assist. Alyssa Baird led the team with ten kills, while Lindsey Short added eight kills. All three hit above .300 in the match. Josephine Thompson (16) and Mya Rodriguez (13) combined for 29 assists to lead the offense. Olivia Paul added three aces and led the defense with 11 digs.
Whitworth could not keep up with red-hot Puget Sound during Saturday's showdown between unbeaten NWC foes. The Loggers won 25-17, 25-18, 11-25, 25-16 by hitting .270 and recording 10.0 team blocks. Lindsey Short led the Pirates with 12 kills and added two blocks for 13.5 points. She was the only Whitworth player in double figures in points or kills. Paige McKenzie added a spark with seven hills and a .583 hitting percentage.
Powerful Company: Whitworth is the only team in the country to have played both the current #1 and #2 teams in the AVCA Division III poll. And the Pirates took a set against both La Verne (#1) and East Texas Baptist (#2). The Pirates have a win over current #10 Trinity and a win over current RV Northwestern (Minn.).
Streak Over: Last weekend Whitworth school-record winning streak against NWC opponents came to an end at 25 in a row. The Pirates went 16-0 to win the 2024 NWC regular season title, then 2-0 to win the conference tournament. The team started 7-0 in 2025 before falling to Puget Sound.
The NWC record for most consecutive wins against conference opponents is 35, set by Pacific Lutheran from 2008 into 2010.
NWC Stat Leaders: Halfway through Northwest Conference play, Whitworth ranks among conference leaders in several key statistical categories. The Pirates lead in blocks per set (1.88) and are second in hitting percentage (.191), kills per set (12.57), assists per set (11.41). The Pirates are the toughest team in the league to serve against, leading the NWC in service aces allowed per set (1.16).
Individually, Amblessed Okemgbo is third in kills per set (3.16) and first in total kills (221). Lauren Kremer is first in blocks per set (1.01) and fourth in hitting percentage (.284). Olivia Paul is third in service aces per set (0.53) and sixth in digs per set (3.78).
NWC Poll: Defending champion Whitworth is listed atop a tightly packed Northwest Conference preseason coaches poll with 58 points, followed by Pacific Lutheran (57) and Puget Sound (55). Whitworth got four first place votes, PLU got three, Puget Sound two.
The Coach: Kati Bodecker has a record of 232-99 in her 13th season guiding the Pirates. Bodecker picked up her 200th win as Whitworth's coach on Sept. 13, 2024 vs. Chapman University. She is a five-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year, including 2021 and 2024 when the Pirates posted perfect 16-0 NWC marks. She is 158-34 in conference regular season matches through her first 12+ years. Bodecker has directed the Pirates to six appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024). 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: Willamette is 6-9 overall and 4-4 in the NWC heading into a match against George Fox on Tuesday night. The Bearcats, under fourth-year head coach Lily Hallock, have won three in a row to get back into contention for an NWC tournament berth. They won 3-0 at Pacific and defeated L&C 3-0 at home last weekend. Willamette is second in the NWC in aces per set (2.08) and third in the conference in team hitting percentage (.161). Senior OH Katey Cramer is fourth in the conference in kills per set (2.98) and fifth in points per set (3.32). Sophomore libero Dream Takemoto leads the league in digs per set (4.70). Whitworth defeated Willamette 3-1 in Spokane on September 20th after dropping the opening set.
Pacific is 4-9 overall and 1-7 in the NWC after losing twice last weekend. The Boxers lost 3-1 at George Fox before falling 3-0 at home to Willamette. Pacific will play at Linfield on Tuesday night and at home against Whitman on Friday before taking on the Pirates. Under first-year head coach Rachel Renville, the Boxers rank third in the NWC in digs per set (16.08). Junior OH Emma Velcheck ranks among conference leaders in points per set (3.58), kills per set (2.92) and service aces per set (0.46). Senior MB Justyce Schilz averages 0.75 blocks per set. Whitworth defeated Pacific 3-0 at home on September 19th thanks to 9.0 team blocks.
Coming Up: Whitworth will play at Whitman on Tuesday (Oct. 21) before hosting Linfield on Saturday, October 25th.
