SPOKANE, Wash. – For the second straight season Whitworth University will host the Northwest Conference volleyball tournament. The 2025 event will feature semifinals on Friday and the championship match on Saturday. The Pirates earned the right to host the tournament by claiming a share of the 2025 NWC regular season title and getting the tiebreaker advantage over co-champion Puget Sound.
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date access to live results and a link to the FloSports broadcasts.
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 $11 for adults and $7 for senior adults and children. Whitworth students get free admission by using an ID number. Students from the other participating schools can gain free admission, but most show valid, current student I.D.
Watch on FlowCollege: The 2025 NWC volleyball tournament will be steamed through FloCollege. Registration is $116 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
NWC Tournament Info: The 2025 Northwest Conference playoffs consist of a four-team tournament hosted by regular season co-champion Whitworth. The semifinals are on Friday, Nov. 14 as top-seeded Whitworth plays 4th-seeded Willamette at 7:30 pm. The first semifinal features #2 Puget Sound vs. 3rd-seeded Pacific Lutheran at 4:30 pm. The winning teams play in the championship at 6:00 pm on Saturday, Nov. 15. While the 2025 Northwest Conference co-championship between Whitworth and Puget Sound was decided by regular season play, the 2025 NWC tournament will determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III post-season.
NWC Tournament History: The 2025 Northwest Conference tournament is the third-ever in the history of the league. Both Whitworth and Pacific Lutheran will have played in all three events. PLU won the first tournament on its home floor in 2023 and Whitworth won the tournament at home in 2024.
NWC Standings Finale: Whitworth and Puget Sound finished the NWC regular season with the same 14-2 record. Each team won on the other's floor by an identical 3-1 margin. Therefore, the tiebreaker came down to how each did against third-place Pacific Lutheran (12-4). Whitworth swept the Lutes while UPS split with PLU. Willamette (10-6) claimed the fourth berth to the NWC tournament by winning its final two matches while Whitman (9-7) lost its last two.
The Pirates: Whitworth finished the 2025 regular season 20-6 overall and 14-2 in the NWC after closing with hard-fought 3-1 victories at Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran last weekend.
The Pirates dropped the opening set at UPS before pulling out a 20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-23 win on Friday night. Whitworth hit .235 in the match while holding the NWC's most efficient offensive team to .138. Amblessed Okemgbo had 17 kills while Alyssa Baird had 16 kills to lead the attack. Lauren Kremer finished with 13 kills (hitting .600) and five blocks (2 solo, 3 assists) for a total of 16.5 points. Lindsey Short had a dozen kills to give the Bucs four players in double figures. Josephine Thompson (28) and Mya Rogriguez (24) combined for 52 assists. Bryanna Dodson added 23 digs.
Less than 24 hours after the physically and emotionally draining win at Puget Sound, the Pirates had to play a Pacific Lutheran team that had won seven matches in a row and still had a chance to share the NWC championship. Whitworth bounced back from a slow start to win 15-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23. The stats were very even, as each team hit .199 and served 10 aces. The Pirates had 57 kills to 51 from the Lutes. The difference came on defense where the Bucs outblocked the Lutes 9.0 to 2.0. Kremer had 16 kills (.382), and four blocks (1 solo, 3 assists) for 18.5 points. Short added 15 kills (.429). while Baird finished with 11. Thompson dished 28 assists and Rodriguez had 19 assists and served three aces. Dodson dominated the back line with 36 digs, the most by any NWC player in any match this season and also served three aces.
Dodson Honored: Bryanna Dodson was selected as the NWC's Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts at UPS and PLU over the weekend. She had 59 total digs for an average of 7.3 digs per set. She dug 36 balls in Saturday's match vs. PLU, the most of any NWC player in any match this season.
All-NWC 2025 for Whitworth; Four Pirates were named to the 2025 All-NWC team. Amblessed Okrembgo and Lauren Kremer made the first team. Alyssa Baird made second team and was voted as the NWC's Rookie of the Year. Lindsey Short claimed third team honors.
Baird is Whitworth's third NWC Rookie of the Year honoree, following Cassidy Franklin (2021) and Emiko Kahler (2016).
Championship Pedigree: The 2025 NWC title is Whitworth's 14th in school history and 13th since 2001. Whitworth has now won or shared eight conference crowns under 13th-year head coach Kati Bodecker.
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 (as of Nov. 11). And the Pirates took a set against East Texas Baptist (#1) and La Verne (#2). The Pirates have a win over current #8 Trinity and a win over current RV Northwestern (Minn.).
NWC Stat Leaders: 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 (.206), kills per set (12.82), and assists per set (11.52). The Pirates are the toughest team in the league to serve against, leading the NWC in service aces allowed per set (1.32).
Individually, Lauren Kremer is first in blocks per set (0.94) and second in hitting percentage (.326). Amblessed Okemgbo is fifth in kills per set (3.05) and second in total kills (308). Olivia Paul is sixth in service aces per set (0.46) and sixth in digs per set (3.48).
The Coach: Kati Bodecker has a record of 239-99 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 169-35 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 comes into the tournament 12-11 overall and finished 10-6 (4th place) in the NWC. The Bearcats closed the regular season with a 3-0 win at Lewis & Clark and a 3-1 home victory over Pacific (Ore.). Lily Hallock is in her fourth season at Willamette and she has guided her team to the NWC tournament for the second time following an initial appearance in 2023. The Bearcats rank third in the NWC in kills per set (11.58) and assists per set (10.56). Sophomore libero Dream Takamoto earned the nod as the NWC's Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in digs per set (4.77) this season. Senior OH Katey Cramer (3.25 kills per set) and sophomore RS Lexie Scott (3.35 kills per set) form a formidable offensive combo. Cramer earned second team All-NWC recognition. Whitworth and Willamette split a pair of matches this season. The Pirates won 3-1 in Spokane on Sept. 20th and the Bearcats won 3-2 in Salem on Oct. 17th after the Bucs led 2-1. Scott had 24 kills in Willamette's win.
The Other Half: The other half of the NWC tournament bracket features Tacoma-area rivals Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran. The teams split against each other this season, each winning on its own home floor. UPS defeated PLU 3-0 on September 23rd with the Lutes returning the favor 3-2 on October 21st. The Loggers are in the tournament for the second straight year, while the Lutes join the Pirates with three consecutive appearances.
Puget Sound finished 18-7 overall and 14-2 in the NWC to share the NWC title and claim the #2 seed. The Loggers won 3-1 vs. Whitman in their season finale last Saturday. Under 30th-year head coach Mark Massey, who is the 2025 NWC Coach of the Year, UPS is the best offensive team in the league. The Loggers lead the NWC in hitting percentage (.235), kills per set (13.34) and assists per set (11.97). They are also very good defensively, ranking second in digs and third in blocks. Sophomore MB Maddie Badger is the 2025 NWC Player of the Year. She leads the conference in hitting percentage (.400), kills per set (3.70) and points per set (4.30) and ranks third in blocks per set (0.91). Senior OH Erin Fagan is a first team honoree who averages 2.81 kills per set and 0.48 aces per set. Fellow first team selection junior setter Randi Rush tops the NWC in assists per set (10.49).
Pacific Lutheran is 14-9 overall and finished 12-4 in the NWC. The Lutes defeated Whitman 3-1 on Friday before falling to Whitworth on Saturday. Kevin Aoki is in his 30th season coaching the Lutes. PLU is first in the NWC in digs per set (16.75), second in aces per set (2.06) and third in opponents' hitting percentage (.156). The Lutes had two second team All-NWC selections and two third team members. Sophomore setter Ayre Takamoto (8.66 assists per set) was joined on the second team by sophomore libero Macy Matsushima, who was second in the NWC in digs per set (4.61) and fifth in aces (0.47). Junior OH Shaela Allen-Greggs is seventh in the league in kills per set (2.83) to claim third team, while senior MH Alexis Eggert is sixth in blocks per set (0.71).
Coming Up: The winner of the 2025 NWC tournament will claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The national field will be announced at 10:00 am (PST) on Monday morning.
