By: Cody Wright
SPOKANE, Wash. – Whitworth women's tennis returns to Spokane this weekend looking to carry the momentum of a four-match winning streak. The Pirates host Puget Sound on Saturday at 11:00 am and Willamette on Sunday at 10:00 am.
Check the Whitworth men'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 (4-2 overall, 4-1 NWC) defeated Lewis & Clark 6-1 on Saturday. The Pirates swept doubles and won five of six singles matches. Jordan Turner-Esposito dominated No. 2 doubles alongside Paige Oliver and earned a two-set singles win in the No. 3 position. Faith Kert and Audrey Judson each earned competitive three-set wins on the No. 2 and No. 4 courts, respectively.
The Bucs completed the road weekend sweep and earned their fourth straight win after taking down George Fox 5-2 on Sunday. It was Whitworth's first win over the Bruins since 2022. Two dominant doubles wins secured the first point for the Bucs. Audrey Judson and Josie Kellogg each won their fifth straight singles match and each remained unbeaten against conference opponents.
Faith Kert completed a 4-0 weekend from the No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles position, earning NWC women's tennis Student-Athlete of the Week recognition on March 2.
The Opponent: Puget Sound heads into this weekend with a 2-6 overall record and 2-3 mark against NWC opponents. The Loggers beat Willamette 5-2 in their lone match last weekend. They will play College of Idaho, hosted by Whitman, on Friday. Kaylee Yamada leads PS at the No. 1 singles position and pairs with Pearl Buck at the top doubles spot. Frances English holds the No. 2 singles position for the Loggers. The Whitworth women have won nine consecutive matches over Puget Sound dating back to 2019.
Willamette (1-5, 1-4 NWC) heads to Spokane on a three-match losing streak. The Bearcats will play Whitman on Saturday before the match at Whitworth on Sunday. Alexa de Crinis leads WU from the top doubles and singles positions. Reese Beyrouty pairs with de Crinis in doubles and competes in the No. 2 singles spot. The Pirates have won the last 18 matches against the Bearcats.
The NWC Race: Whitman (6-0) holds the top spot in the conference standings after three weekends of conference play. Whitworth (4-1) is in second with Lewis & Clark (3-2) and Pacific (3-2) a match behind. George Fox and Puget Sound are both 2-3 with Willamette (1-4) and Linfield (0-6) looking to make a jump.
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 86-87 during her tenure, including a 54-40 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 host Whitman and College of Idaho of March 14 before hosting NAIA opponent Lewis-Clark State on March 15.
