SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team hits the road this weekend for the final away games on the 2026 regular season schedule. Whitworth plays at George Fox on Friday night (7:00 pm) and then goes to Willamette on Saturday (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 FloCollege: 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 (17-2 overall, 11-1 NWC) moved into sole possession of first place in the league standings with home victories over Whitman and Pacific (Ore.) last week. The Pirates have won 11 straight matches.
The Pirates won 3-0 at home against NWC tournament contender Whitman last Tuesday night. Whitworth held the Blues to a .000 hitting percentage in the 25-19, 25-13, 25-14 victory. Lauren Kremer and Alyssa Baird led the Bucs with 11.5 points apiece. Kremer had nine kills while hitting .389. She added one ace and three block assists. Baird had six kills, a career-high five service aces and one block assist. Baird also led the defense with 16 digs. Whitworth served 11 aces in the match to sweep the regular season series against Whitman.
The Pirates ran away for a 25-11, 25-9, 25-14 victory over Pacific (Ore.) on Friday night in the Fieldhouse. Whitworth hit .247 and held the Boxers to a team hitting percentage of -.029, thanks to 12.0 team blocks. Kremer was in on nine of those with nine block assists. She also had six kills and four service aces for 14.5 points. Olivia Paul had 14 digs, while Madison Pridon and Sofie Fox dished a dozen assists apiece. The Pirates served 11 aces for the second game in a row, including four by Pridon.
Kremer Honored: Lauren Kremer is this week's NWC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for her performances last week against Whitman and Pacific when she had a huge week blocking at the net. She had 12 block assists to average 2.0 blocks per set. In conference-only stats, Lauren now leads the NWC in blocks with 1.12 per set. She also had 11 digs while staying in the match to serve as a middle.
NWC Standings Update: With only two weekends left in the regular season NWC schedule, league standings show the four member schools from the state of Washington crowded at the top. Whitworth is alone in first place at 11-1, followed by Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound tied for second at 10-2. Whitman (8-4) is in fourth place, ahead of Willamette (6-6).
The NWC regular season champion earns the right to host the conference tournament on November 13-14. The top four teams in the final standings make the NWC tournament.
NWC Stat Leaders: Most of the way 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 (.085, 3rd in DIII). They also lead in kills per set (12.58) and assists per set (11.33). Whitworth now leads the league in service aces per set (2.54) and is the toughest team to serve an ace against (1.39 per set allowed). The Bucs are also now first in the conference in both blocks per set (1.90) and they rank third in digs per set (16.00).
Individually, Lauren Kremer is second the conference in aces per set (0.51), is second in hitting percentage (.338), third in blocks per set (0.88) and eighth in points per set (3.36). Alyssa Baird is second in the NWC in kills per set (3.15) and fourth in points per set (3.58). Madison Pridon is second in the NWC in assists per set (7.21) and fifth in service aces per set (0.46). Lindsey Short is eighth in kills per set (2.78), seventh in points per set (3.37) and 10th in blocks per set (0.67). Olivia Paul is fourth in the NWC in digs per set (4.51). Kaylee Winterroth is sixth in blocks per set (0.78) and sixth in hitting percentage (.286).
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: George Fox has shown improvement over the course of the season riding a young roster. The Bruins (5-14 overall, 3-9 NWC) are coming off a 3-0 sweep at Linfield on October 24th. First-year OH Eden Cha leads the team in kills per set (2.33) and points per set (2.89) and she ranks seventh in the NWC in digs per set (2.90). First year MB Audrey Schmitt is seventh in the league in blocks per set (0.71). Whitworth defeated George Fox 3-0 in Spokane on October 3rd behind 10 kills from Alyssa Baird.
Willamette University is 9-10 overall and 6-6 in the NWC heading into a crucial game against Whitman on Friday night. If the Bearcats defeat the Blues, they are still alive for the final spot in the NWC tournament, but if Whitman wins, Willamette will be eliminated from contention. The Bearcats lead the conference in digs per set by a wide margin (17.74 – 26th in DIII). Junior OH Lexie Scott continues to lead the league in kills per set (3.70) and points per set (3.90). Senior libero Dream Takemoto is second in the NWC in digs per set (4.96). Whitworth defeated Willamette 3-1 in Spokane on Oct. 2nd, but the Bearcats won the last contest between the schools in Salem, Oregon last season.
Coming Up: Whitworth will host Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran on November 6th and 7th in the final games of the regular season.
