Entering her 13th year as head volleyball coach, Kati Bodecker continues to rack up Northwest Conference championships for Whitworth University. After a third place finish in her first season, the Pirates have won or shared seven NWC titles and three runner-up finishes under Bodecker. Whitworth earned back-to-back-to-back NWC championships from 2014-2016 and won again in 2019 and 2021. In 2022 the team shared the conference crown. The Pirates finished second in the NWC in 2017 and 2018 and again in 2023. Whitworth also posted the best record in the NWC (10-2) during the COVID schedule of 2020-21. Bodecker has posted an overall record of 219-82 (.727) in her 12 years guiding the Bucs, 158-32 (.816) in conference play. She has the more wins than any volleyball coach in Pirate history.
| Kati Bodecker Year by Year |
| Year |
Overall |
NWC |
| 2013 |
15-13 |
9-7 |
| 2014 |
21-6 |
14-2* |
| 2015 |
19-8 |
13-3* |
| 2016 |
21-6 |
15-1* |
| 2017 |
15-10 |
12-4 |
| 2018 |
19-8 |
13-3 |
| 2019 |
20-7 |
14-2* |
| 2020 |
10-2 |
10-2 |
| 2021 |
21-3 |
16-0* |
| 2022 |
17-7 |
11-5* |
| 2023 |
15-10 |
12-4 |
| 2024 |
26-3 |
16-0* |
| Total |
219-83 |
158-32 |
| * Indicates NWC championship |
Bodecker has guided 28 Whitworth players to All-Northwest Conference recognition, including NWC Players of the Year Maddye Dinsmore (2014), Jessica Schmautz (2018), Emiko Kahler (2019), Maddie Lee (2021) and Ella Jimenez (2024). She has been selected as the NWC Coach of the Year five times, the latest coming in 2024 when she led the Bucs to a perfect conference mark (16-0) for the second time in her career.
Bodecker came to Whitworth after six successful seasons as the head volleyball coach of the Priest River Lamanna high school program. During her time at the helm, the Spartans posted five winning seasons and five state tournament appearances. Her teams finished second in the Intermountain League and in the district four of five years, and in 2012 the Spartans not only tied for first in the league, but they also finished as the Idaho 3A runner-up at the state tournament. She was named league Coach of the Year in 2007 and Idaho Co-Coach of the Year in 2012.
Bodecker also served as an assistant under former Whitworth head coach Steve Rupe in 2007 while she worked toward her Master's Degree in teaching, with an endorsement in secondary English.
A graduate of Lakeside High School in Nine Mile Falls, Bodecker received an athletic scholarship to the University of Idaho, where she was a four year starter. On the all-time Vandals leaders list, Bodecker is eighth in kills per set and tied for ninth in single season kills. She led the team in three categories in 2004—kills, kill attempts and kills per set. Under the direction of head coach Debbie Buchanan, Bodecker earned a spot on the All-Big West Conference First Team and led the Vandals to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances as a sophomore and junior. Idaho broke an eight year drought in 2003, as the volleyball program earned its first NCAA postseason bid since 1995.
At Whitworth Bodecker also serves as Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance and Eligibility.
Kati, her husband Ryan, and their sons, Kale and Kase, reside in Spokane.
