SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's basketball team enters the 2025-26 season with a roster that might seem unfamiliar to Pirate fans. Of the 15 players on the team, 12 are either first-years or sophomores. Eight are new to the program.
Yet, fourth-year head coach Kenny Love sees a squad that is ready to take a step forward, not start over.
"The togetherness and collective commitment of this group dating back to last spring and throughout the offseason has been evident since the start of this school year," Love said. "Even though, age-wise, we are a young group, the experience that our sophomores and juniors bring allowed to us pick things up very quickly this fall. The continuity of our core has provided an environment of intensity and competition. While from the outside it may seem as though we are starting from scratch, we have a tremendous foundation we are working from."
A lot of that foundation is grounded on sophomore point guard Ashlyn Peterson, the 2025 Northwest Conference Rookie of the Year when she averaged 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Point guard might be the only starting role set as the team heads into an exhibition game on Saturday against NAIA-member Montana Tech.
Sophomore Alex Goetz could join Peterson as the backcourt's second starting guard. She made 20 starts in 2024-25, averaging 9.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. A pair of first-year Pirates from the Palouse may also push for time: Brenna Gilchrist from Pullman and Brianna Rasmussen from Colfax.
A pair of transfers are in competition for the starting small forward spot. CC Size is a junior who spent two seasons at Western Washington, appearing in 16 games for the Vikings last winter after sitting out her first season. Taylor Reed is a senior transfer from Bushnell University with two years of eligibility remaining. She played in all 29 games for the Beacons in 2024-25.
Sophomore Bri Talley, who started 14 games and averaged 2.0 points and 3.1 rebounds a season ago, could play at any of the three perimeter positions.
Junior Ashlyn Neilsen and first-year Ava Depew will compete for a starting role at strong forward. Neilsen has played 46 games during her Whitworth career and averaged 3.7 points during that time. DePew was a record-setting player at Stanwood HS.
Sophomore Addyson Gallatin, who averaged more than 16 minutes and five points in 25 games last season, has the inside track to start in the post. First year Pirates Mikiah Dunham and Grace Mattson will push for time on the court.
Ayanna Tobeck (women's soccer), Ali Bush and Peton Size (both volleyball) will rejoin the team once their fall sports seasons are complete. Any of the three could be a factor in the playing rotation by the time the schedule rolls around to Northwest Conference play.
Love is impressed by the leadership of his sophomore class which was baptized as first-year contributors to last season's 8-17 campaign.
"All of our sophomores have taken a huge step in their athletic development and embracing their roles as experienced players in the program and helping the newcomers to adjust and learn our culture," Love said.
Love has seen Gallatin and CC Size step into the role of vocal leader, when needed.
Following Saturday's game with Montana Tech, Whitworth's season officially gets underway on November 14-15 at Whitman's Kim Evanger-Raney Classic against Wis.-Platteville and St. Thomas (Texas). The Pirates follow with a trip to California for games with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Nov. 20) and Pomona-Pitzer (Nov. 22). The Bucs play at NAIA Northwest University on November 25th before playing their first official home games against Benedictine on December 14th and UC Santa Cruz on December 17th. Whitworth's final non-conference games are in Hawaii against St. Norbert and Albion on December 21-22.
The Pirates are picked tied for sixth in the 2025-26 NWC preseason coaches poll. Whitworth will get home-and-home games against the entire conference, including contenders Whitman, Linfield, Puget Sound, George Fox and Willamette. The league schedule gets underway Jan. 2-3 at home against Willamette and Pacific (Ore.).
Love believes his team is ready to face such a daunting schedule.
"This team has a really high collective IQ and they are very collaborative in their willingness and desire to solve problems," he said. "They all possess a team first attitude and want to win for each other."
