Steve Rupe, entering his 11th season as Whitworth's head volleyball coach in the Fall of 2009, has served longer in this capacity than any coach in program history. Rupe has been named the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year twice (2001, 2002), AVCA Regional Coach of the Year once (2005) and has become the second-winningest coach in school history with a record of 156-106 (.595) over his first ten seasons. Under his direction, the Pirates have won three NWC titles and have advanced to the NCAA Division III regional finals twice (2002, 2005).

Rupe accomplished all of this after taking over a program that had suffered through seven consecutive losing seasons under four head coaches, including a 3-20 season just prior to Rupe's arrival. Needless to say, Whitworth's volleyball program was in disarray.

But in his first season (1999), Rupe led a young Pirate team to an 11-14 overall record and an 8-8 record in the NWC, good for a fifth-place finish. Both records were the team's best since 1992. In his second season the Pirates finished 17-8 overall and second in the Northwest Conference with a 12-4 mark. In 2001 Whitworth was 21-6 and earned a share of the NWC title. In 2002 the Pirates broke through with a 24-3 record, winning the NWC title and defeating the defending Division III champion in the NCAA tournament. In 2005 Whitworth went 22-4 and rolled to the NWC title with a 15-1 record. Despite working through rebuilding seasons in 2006 and 2007, Rupe has put together his deepest, and perhaps most talented, recruiting classes in 2008 and 2009.

Whitworth has hosted the NCAA Division III West Regional twice, in 2002 and 2005. Each time the Pirates have advanced to the regional title game. In addition, Whitworth volleyball has led NCAA Division III schools in attendance both of those years as well.

Rupe has coached two different players to AVCA First Team All-American honors: Julie Weatherred in 2001 and Natalie Danielson in 2005. Whitworth had only had one other First Team volleyball All-American prior to his arrival.

Rupe, a 1989 graduate of Whitworth, previously coached in the powerful Mead High School program. During his time there as an assistant coach (1996-98) the Panthers won a pair of Greater Spokane League titles and finished third in the State Tournament in 1996. Rupe teaches full time at Mead Middle School in addition to his coaching duties at Whitworth.

Asst. Coach - Darcy McMurray

Darcy McMurray enters her ninth season as an assistant coach at Whitworth in 2009. She played for the Pirates in 1993 and 1994 after transferring from Western Washington University. She was team captain as a senior. McMurray is a teacher and instructional coach, currently working full time as a mom to four kids.

Asst. Coach - Stacey Ward

After providing valuable behind-the-scenes help to the Whitworth program the last couple of years, Stacey Ward becomes an official part of the Pirate coaching staff in 2009. Ward coached high school volleyball for 25 years in Spokane, including 18 years at Ferris High School where she led the Saxons to six GSL titles and a state championship in 1997. In all, Ward won 425 matches – the fourth highest total in GSL history – and coached Ferris to six state tournament appearances (four top-three finishes). Ward is a Whitworth graduate and part of the school's Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame as a member of the nationally-ranked volleyball teams of 1978-81.