SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth volleyball team looks to continue its strong start to the Northwest Conference schedule when the Pirates host Whitman College on Tuesday night (6:00 pm) before traveling to Linfield University on Friday (7:00 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 $120 for an annual subscription or $20 per month. Those who register with a .edu email address get a significant discount.
The Pirates: Whitworth is 8-4 overall and 2-0 in the NWC. The Bucs are listed among "others receiving votes" in the most recent (Sept. 16) AVCA Division III coaches poll. The Pirates opened their conference schedule with home victories over Pacific (Ore.) and Willamette last weekend.
Whitworth defeated Pacific 25-16, 25-21, 25-14 on Friday night thanks to a dominating defensive effort at the net. The Pirates had 9.0 team blocks in only three sets against the Boxers, led by Lauren Kremer's five (two solo, three assists). That dominance led to a .000 hitting percentage by Pacific. Kremer led the Bucs with 12.5 points, adding seven kills (.438) and two aces to her block total. Alyssa Baird also had seven kills. Josephine Thompson (11) and Mya Rodriguez (13) combined for 24 assists. Thompson added a pair of service aces.
Whitworth dropped the opening set against Willamette on Saturday, but won the next three in a 26-28, 25-17, 25-17, 25-19 win over the Bearcats. The Pirates posted 50 kills in the contest, including 13 by Baird, 10 from Amblessed Okemgbo and nine by Lindsey Short. Whitworth was very efficient at the service line, netting seven aces but only five errors in 100 total attempts (95%). Thompson (19) and Rodriguez (14) combined for 34 assists and 24 digs. Olivia Paul had 24 digs (6.0 per set) in the match.
Streaking: Whitworth extended its winning streak against NWC opponents to 20, the longest in school history. The Pirates went 16-0 to win the 2024 NWC regular season title, then 2-0 to win the conference tournament. The team has opened 2-0 in 2025.
The NWC record for most consecutive wins against conference opponents is 35, set by Pacific Lutheran from 2008 into 2010.
NWC Stat Leaders: One week into Northwest Conference play, Whitworth ranks among conference leaders in several key statistical categories. The Pirates lead the NWC in blocks per set (1.84). They are second in hitting percentage (.177), kills per set (12.48), and assists per set (11.50).
Individually, Amblessed Okemgbo is second in kills per set (3.31) and first in total kills (159). Defensively, Lauren Kremer is first in kills per set (1.08). Olivia Paul is fourth in service aces per set (0.54) and sixth in digs per set (4.00).
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 227-98 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 157-33 in conference 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: Whitman College (3-6 overall, 2-0 NWC) had a challenging non-conference schedule, but the Blues opened NWC play in style with victories at home over Willamette (3-2) and Pacific (3-1) last weekend. Matt Helm is in his 14th season as Whitman's head coach. Sophomore OH Arina Gushchina leads the team, and ranks fourth in the NWC, in kills per set (2.97) Senior libero Jamie Bartock is fourth in the conference in digs per set (4.16). Whitworth swept the Blues in 2024, winning 3-1 at home and 3-0 in Walla Walla.
Linfield University is 3-3 overall and 1-0 in the NWC after defeating Pacific 3-0 on September 16th. By the time the Wildcats host the Pirates on Friday, they will have gone 10 days without playing a match. Linfield, under first year head coach Jenna Strett, leads the NWC in digs per set (16.95). First-year libero Naia Alefaio-Foifua leads the conference individually in digs (4.27), while junior OG Nora Myre is first in both kills per set (3.41) and points per set (3.86). Whitworth defeated the Wildcats 3-0 twice last fall.
Coming Up: Whitworth will return to Oregon for road matches at Lewis & Clark and George Fox on October 3rd and 4th.
