By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's tennis heads to California this weekend for a trio of non-conference matches against SCIAC opponents. The Pirates visit Chapman on Sunday at 2:00 pm, Redlands on Monday at noon, and Whittier on Tuesday at 4:00 pm.
Check the Whitworth women's tennis schedule page for live links to this weekend's matches.
Watch on FloCollege: All of Whitworth's home and Northwest Conference athletic events will be streamed through FloCollege in 2025-26. Fans can sign up to watch Pirate sports on the FloCollege portal. Registration is $108 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
The Pirates: Whitworth (7-4 overall, 6-2 NWC) went 1-2 in a three-match stretch last weekend.
Whitworth fell 4-3 in a rematch with Whitman on Saturday. The Pirates showed improvement from the team's first matchup, securing the doubles point and earning a pair of singles victories. Audrey Judson claimed a three-set win in the No. 4 position and Josie Kellogg cruised to a win in the No. 6 spot.
On Saturday evening, the Bucs bounced back with a 4-3 win over NAIA opponent College of Idaho. After dropping the doubles point, Whitworth used four singles wins to secure the match victory. Jordan Turner-Esposito batted to an early win and Faith Kert tied the match with a three-set comeback win. Judson and Kellogg each extended their winning streaks to nine with Kellogg clinching the match on the No. 5 court.
The Whitworth women fell 5-2 in a rematch against Lewis-Clark State College on Sunday. After being swept 7-0 in the first matchup to open the season, the Bucs clinched the doubles point and grabbed a singles win. Judson capped her weekend with her eighth straight doubles win alongside Olivia Corbett and her 10th straight singles win of the season.
The Opponents: Chapman is 4-3 overall heading into this weekend. The Panthers will host Colorado College on Saturday before Whitworth visits on Sunday. Chloe McBride holds the top singles position and has a 2-5 record in that spot. Lucy Wallin competes on the No. 2 singles court and pairs with McBride as the top doubles duo. Whitworth last played Chapman in 2018 and was swept 9-0.
First-time opponent Redlands is 5-5 heading into next week's match against the Pirates. The Bulldogs will host 14th-ranked Amherst College on Friday prior to hosting Whitworth. Junior Maegan Deng is the No. 1 singles player for Redlands with a 7-1 record in the top spot. Lindsey Whelan holds the No. 2 singles position and pairs with Deng on the top doubles court.
Whittier (0-5) has yet to find the win column thus far. One of the Poets' losses was a 7-0 sweep against Lewis & Clark in mid-February. They will host Mt. San Antonio College on Friday with the hopes of gaining some momentum prior to next week. Rhea Gagnepain holds the No. 1 singles position and Paige Valenzuela plays in the No. 2 singles spot. Jordan Netzsch joins Valenzuela on the No. 1 doubles court. Whitworth last played Whittier in 2022 and came away with a 7-2 win.
The NWC Race: Whitman (9-0) maintains its position on top with Whitworth (6-2) and Pacific (6-3) battling for second. Lewis & Clark holds the final NWC Tournament spot at 5-3 with George Fox (4-4) a match behind. Puget Sound (3-6) will hope to make a push into the top four.
The top four teams in the NWC standings will earn a spot in the NWC Tournament. The tournament will be hosted by the regular season champion.
The Coach: Rachel Aldridge is in her 12th year as Whitworth's head women's tennis coach after serving as an assistant from 2012-2014. The Pirates have a dual record of 89-89 during her tenure, including a 56-41 mark in Northwest Conference matches. Aldridge was a four-year standout player at Whitworth and earned first-team All-NWC honors each of her four years. She was selected by conference coaches as the NWC Sportswomen of the Year in 2011 and named NWC Player of the Year in 2011.
Looking ahead: The Whitworth women return to Northwest Conference action with road matches at Pacific on Saturday, March 28 and Linfield on Sunday, March 29.
