SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team closes out the 2025 home schedule with contests against George Fox and Lewis & Clark this weekend. GFU visits the Fieldhouse on Friday night (7:00 pm), while L&C comes in on Saturday at 6:00 pm.
Check the Whitworth volleyball schedule (link above-right) for up-to-date access to live results and a link to the FloSports 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 $10 for adults and $7 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 2025-26. 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.
Senior Night Honorees: Prior to the first serve on Saturday night, Whitworth will celebrate its senior class. Josephine Thompson is a three-year starter and letterwinner after transferring from Columbia Basin College. Rachel Cram, Amblessed Okemgbo and Mya Rodriguez are four-year Pirates.
The Pirates: Whitworth is 16-6 overall and 10-2 in the NWC after winning twice last week.
The Pirates won in four sets at Whitman on Tuesday night. Amblessed Okemgbo and Alyssa Baird had 13 kills each to lead Whitworth to a 21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-18 win over the Blues. Baird added a pair of blocks for a team-high 15.0 points and led the team with 17 digs. Mya Rodriguez dished 20 assists, while Josephine Thompson had 17 and served a career-high five aces. Whitworth swept the regular season series with the Blues.
The Pirates defeated Linfield 25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 25-17 on Saturday night. Whitworth hit .235 and got 8.0 team blocks. Lindsey Short hit career highs for kills (13) and points (15.5) after adding one solo block and three block assists. Lauren Kremer finished with 10 kills and two block assists, while Rylie Harnden had nine kills and was in on four blocks. Thompson (18) and Rodriguez (16) combined for 34 assists. The Pirates took both matches from the Wildcats this fall.
Powerful Company: Whitworth is the only team in the country to have played both the current #1 and #2 teams in the AVCA Division III poll (as of Oct. 28). And the Pirates took a set against both La Verne (#1) and East Texas Baptist (#2). The Pirates have a win over current #10 Trinity and a win over current RV Northwestern (Minn.).
NWC Standings Update: Whitworth is one game behind Puget Sound (11-1) and in second place in the conference standings. Pacific Lutheran is third (9-3) with Whitman (7-5) currently fourth and Willamette (7-6) right behind. The top four teams qualify for the 2025 NWC tournament in November.
NWC Stat Leaders: Whitworth ranks among conference leaders in several key statistical categories. The Pirates lead in blocks per set (1.88) and are second in hitting percentage (.196), kills per set (12.60), and assists per set (11.38). The Pirates are the toughest team in the league to serve against, leading the NWC in service aces allowed per set (1.26).
Individually, Lauren Kremer is second in blocks per set (0.93) and third in hitting percentage (.290). Amblessed Okemgbo is fifth in kills per set (3.03) and first in total kills (261). Olivia Paul is fifth in service aces per set (0.49) and sixth in digs per set (3.66).
NWC Poll: Defending champion Whitworth is listed atop a tightly packed Northwest Conference preseason coaches poll with 58 points, followed by Pacific Lutheran (57) and Puget Sound (55). Whitworth got four first place votes, PLU got three, Puget Sound two.
The Coach: Kati Bodecker has a record of 235-99 in her 13th 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 165-35 in conference regular season matches through her first 12+ 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 is 6-12 overall and 3-9 in the NWC heading into Friday's match. The Bruins defeated Lewis & Clark 3-0 in their only contest last week. Emily Davis continues her 10th season as head coach. Junior RS Gracie Beardon leads the conference in service aces per set (0.61) to go along with 2.15 kills per set. Senior MB Allair Gilder is third in the NWC in blocks per set (0.91). Whitworth defeated the Bruins 3-1 in Newberg, Oregon on October 4th behind 15 kills and 4 block assists (17.0 points) by Amblessed Okemgbo.
Lewis & Clark is 0-19 overall and 0-12 in the conference heading into Friday night's match at Whitman. The Pioneers, coached by Erin Labason in her fourth season, lost to George Fox (3-0) and Pacific (3-2) last weekend. They rank second in the NWC in team aces per set (2.09). Junior OH Kaitlyn Jensen averages 2.46 kills per set and has served 23 aces. Whitworth swept L&C 3-0 in Portland on October 3rd, thanks in part to Lauren Kremer (9 kills, five blocks, 13.5 points). The Pirates have won nine straight in the series.
Coming Up: Whitworth will close out the regular season next week at Puget Sound (Friday) and Pacific Lutheran (Saturday).
