SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth Pirates open the second half of the Northwest Conference volleyball schedule on the road in Oregon this weekend, riding a seven-game winning streak. Whitworth plays at Lewis & Clark on Friday night at 7:00 pm and then goes to Linfield 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 broadcasts.
Watch on FlowCollege: All of Whitworth's Northwest Conference athletic events will be steamed through FloCollege in 2026-27. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $116 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
The Pirates: Whitworth (13-2 overall, 7-1 NWC) finished the first half of the conference schedule in emphatic fashion last weekend with victories at Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound that reset the top of the Northwest Conference standings.
The Pirates won 3-0 at Pacific Lutheran on Friday night, defeating the Lutes 25-15, 25-19, 25-23. PLU came into the game 6-0 in the NWC and had only lost one set all season against NWC opponents. Lauren Kremer had 16.0 points, with 10 kills and no errors (.455), three service aces and five blocks (one solo, four assists). Lindsey Short added nine kills (.364) and two block assists. Breanna Dodson also had three aces, helping the team finish with nine. Olivia Paul was all over the floor defensively, with 25 digs.
Whitworth followed up the win at PLU with a 3-1 victory at Puget Sound on Saturday. The Pirates bounced back from a first set loss to defeat the Loggers 23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-17. Alyssa Baird was unstoppable at the net as she tied her season-high with 20 kills (.347). Kremer had another big match in the middle with nine kills (.529), two aces and five blocks (two solo, three assists). Dodson added 10 kills and two aces and led the team with 19 digs. Whitworth served 10 aces against the Loggers.
NWC Standings Update: At the halfway point of the NWC schedule, league standings show the four member schools from the state of Washington crowded at the top. Whitworth and Pacific Lutheran share the lead at 7-1, with Puget Sound in third at 6-2. Whitman (5-3) is now in fourth place after dropping both contests in Tacoma last weekend. Willamette (5-4) is a half a game behind Whitman, and Linfield (4-4) is one game back. The top four teams in the final standings qualify for the 2026 NWC Tournament.
NWC Stat Leaders: Halfway through Northwest Conference play, Whitworth leads the Northwest Conference in several key statistical categories. The Pirates lead the league in team hitting percentage (.221 50th in NCAA DIII) and opponent hitting percentage (.096 9th in DIII). They also lead in kills per set (12.80) and assists per set (11.61). Whitworth is the toughest team to serve an ace against (1.39 per set allowed), but is second in the NWC in service aces (2.44). The Bucs are third in the conference in both blocks per set (1.72) and in digs per set (16.04).
Individually, Lauren Kremer has moved to the top of the NWC stats in hitting percentage (.343) and she is eighth in blocks per set (0.69). Alyssa Baird is second in the NWC in kills per set (3.33) and sixth in points per set (3.54). Madison Pridon is second in the NWC in assists per set (7.74) and seventh in service aces per set (0.46). Lindsey Short is seventh in kills per set (2.89) and seventh in points per set (3.51). Olivia Paul is fourth in the NWC in digs per set (4.56). Kaylee Winterroth is sixth in blocks per set (0.76) and seventh in hitting percentage (.288).
The Coach: Kati Bodecker has a record of 240-88 entering her 14th 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 matches through her first 13 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: Lewis & Clark is 4-12 overall and 1-8 in the NWC heading into Friday's match. The River Otters are looking to end an eight-match skid that includes Tuesday night's 3-0 loss at Pacific (Ore.) L&C is a dangerous serving team, ranking third in the NWC in aces per set (2.23). Senior OH Kaitlyn Jennings leads the team in kills (2.38 per set) and has 17 aces. Senior MB HB Schuett is fourth in the conference in blocks per set (0.80). Whitworth defeated the River Otters 3-0 in Spokane on September 19th.
Linfield is 7-8 overall and 4-4 in the NWC heading into a contest on Friday night against Whitman. The Wildcats split last week, losing 3-1 at home to Willamette on Friday before sweeping Pacific 3-0 on the road on Saturday. Linfield ranks second in the NWC in team blocks per set (1.84). Senior OH Nora Myre is fifth in the league in kills per set (2.94) and points per set (3.54). She has served 21 aces. Sophomore libero Naia Alefaio-Foifua is third in the NWC in digs per set (4.75) and eighth in aces per set (0.46). The Wildcats handed the Pirates their only conference loss of the season, 3-1 in Spokane on September 18th in the NWC-opener for both schools.
Coming Up: Whitworth will host Whitman on Tuesday, October 20th before hosting Pacific (Ore.) on Friday, Oct. 23rd next week.
