SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth Pirates return home for the first time in nearly three weeks to host a pair of Northwest Conference volleyball contests. Whitworth plays Whitman on Tuesday night (6:00 pm) and then hosts Pacific (Ore.) on Friday (7:00 pm).
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date access to live results and a link to the 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 $8 for senior adults, non-Whitworth students and children. Whitworth students, as well as faculty and staff, get free admission by using an ID number.
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 (15-2 overall, 9-1 NWC) opened the second round of NWC matches with road victories at Lewis & Clark and Linfield last weekend. The Pirates have won nine straight matches and remain tied atop the league standings with Pacific Lutheran, one game ahead of Puget Sound.
The Pirates won 3-0 at Lewis & Clark on Friday night, defeating the River Otters 25-15, 25-14, 25-22. Whitworth never trailed at any point in either the first or second sets, on the way to hitting .315 as a team against L&C. It was the highest team hitting percentage of the season in a Northwest Conference match. Lauren Kremer led the Bucs with 13.5 points on 10 kills (.467), two aces and three block assists. Alyssa Baird added 12.0 points with 11 kills and an ace. She also led the team with 11 digs on defense. Whitworth swept the season series against the Otts.
The Pirates gained a measure of revenge against Linfield with the 3-1 win on Saturday night. It looked like the Wildcats had a chance to surprise the Pirates for the second time this season with the match tied 1-1 and Linfield leading 16-8 in the third. But Whitworth stormed back for the 25-17, 24-26, 25-21, 25-21 victory, despite only hitting .098 as a team. Kremer again finished with a team-high 13.5 points, getting 10 kills and seven block assists. Bryanna Dodson added 12.5 points with nine kills, three aces and one block assist. Olivia Paul was all over the floor defensively with 22 digs while adding an ace.
NWC Standings Update: One weekend past 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 9-1, with Puget Sound in third at 8-2. Whitman (7-3) is in fourth place, ahead of Willamette (5-4).
NWC Stat Leaders: More than halfway through Northwest Conference play, Whitworth leads the Northwest Conference in several key statistical categories. The Pirates lead the league in team hitting percentage (.216) and opponent hitting percentage (.095, 9th in DIII). They also lead in kills per set (12.72) and assists per set (11.44). Whitworth is the toughest team to serve an ace against (1.44 per set allowed), but is second in the NWC in service aces (2.43). The Bucs are third in the conference in both blocks per set (1.79) and in digs per set (15.89).
Individually, Lauren Kremer is fourth in the NWC stats in hitting percentage (.338), fifth in blocks per set (0.77) and eighth in points per set (3.25). Alyssa Baird is second in the NWC in kills per set (3.23) and sixth in points per set (3.52). Madison Pridon is second in the NWC in assists per set (7.39) and seventh in service aces per set (0.44). Lindsey Short is seventh in kills per set (2.77) and seventh in points per set (3.39). Olivia Paul is fourth in the NWC in digs per set (4.51). Kaylee Winterroth is seventh in blocks per set (0.75) and seventh in hitting percentage (.294).
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: Whitman College has put itself in strong position to qualify for the NWC tournament for the first time. The Blues are coming off a pair of 3-1 road victories at Linfield and Lewis & Clark. Whitman has a strong 1-2 punch on offense with sophomore OH Addie Best and junior OH Arina Gushchina. Best is fourth in the NWC in both kills per set (2.92) and points per set (3.58) and she is ninth in service aces per set (0.44). Gushchina adds 2.74 kills per set and 3.14 points per set. First year MH Rowyn Lee is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.339) and ninth in blocks per set (0.68). Whitworth pulled out a 3-2 win over the Blues in Walla Walla on September 22nd behind 17 kills and two aces from Lindsey Short.
Pacific University comes into the weekend 2-16 overall and 1-10 in the NWC. The Boxers fell at home by 3-0 scores to both Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound last weekend. Pacific makes its opponents work for points, averaging 15.06 digs per set. Senior OH Emma Velcheck leads the team with 2.45 kills per set and was a third team All-NWC selection in 2025. First year OH Isabelle Darnell adds 2.21 kills per set and has 13 aces. Whitworth defeated Pacific 3-0 in Forrest Grove on Sept. 26 behind 11 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. The Pirates have won seven in a row and 19 of the last 20 against the Boxers.
Coming Up: Whitworth will hit the road for games at George Fox and Willamette on Oct. 30-31.
