| Pirates Host
Alumni, Whitworth Invitational |
August 31, 2004
|
Whitworth College opens the 2004 volleyball season looking to get back on track after a heavy turnover in the starting lineup led to a 10-18 record in 2003. Coming off of back-to-back Northwest Conference titles in 2001 and 2002, the Pirates had to replace all six starters plus the libero last fall. Whitworth dropped to 4-12 and 7th in the NWC. But the team now returns virtually every player from 2003 and has also added some outstanding new talent.
The Bucs' first test will come Wednesday night against the Whitworth Alumni. Several players from the conference championship teams are expected to play.
The Whitworth Invitational will follow on Friday and Saturday. The Pirates will host Great Falls and Montana-Western of the NAIA Frontier Conference, in addition to George Fox and Pacific of the NWC. The Community College of Spokane will round out the tournament as the sixth participant.
| Last Week's Results | (W/L) Score | 2004 Record |
| None yet | ||
| This Week's Schedule | Time | Location |
| 9/1 - vs. Alumni | 6 pm | Whitworth |
| 9/3-4 Whitworth Invitational | (CT) | Whitworth |
| 9/3 vs. Mont.-Western | 9 am | |
| 9/3 vs. Great Falls | 3 pm | |
| 9/4 vs. George Fox | 1 pm | |
| 9/4 vs. CC of Spokane | 5 pm | |
| Next Week's Schedule | Time | Location |
| 9/10-11 Whittier\Oxy Invite | Whittier\Oxy | |
| 9/10 vs. Claremont-M-S | 12:30 | Occidental |
| 9/10 vs. Redlands | 3:30 pm | Occidental |
| 9/11 vs. Pomona-Pitzer | 10 am | Whittier |
| 9/11 vs. La Verne | 5 pm | Whittier |
| * Indicates Northwest Conference match | ||
The Pirates: Whitworth returns all six starters from last year, including Katy Schrader (Sr., MB, Spokane, Wash.), the Pirates' only senior and an Honorable Mention All-NWC selection last year. Rebekah Hornor (Jr., S, Spokane, Wash.) will again direct the attack and could establish herself as a premier setter in the NWC. Angie Florence (So., OH, Yucaipa, Calif.) was last season's kill leader (3.13 per game), but she has had to battle to retain her starting position. Holly Coleman (Jr., Spokane, Wash.) was Whitworth's primary libero last season and led the team with 3.4 digs per game.
Several key newcomers will be pushing for immediate playing time. Natalie Danielson (Jr., MB, Kennewick, Wash.) was the NWAACC MVP last fall after leading the Community Colleges of Spokane to the NWAACC tournament title. Julie Marsh (Jr., OH, Cheney, Wash.) returns to Whitworth after spending her sophomore at Western Washington, where she played in six matches for the Vikings. Cassie Moore (Fr., Spokane, Wash. - Mead HS) has played well as both an outside hitter and a libero during summer practice, while Chris Nolen (Fr., RS, Spokane, Wash. - St. George's) has also been solid.
NWC Poll: Whitworth finished tied for fifth with Whitman in the 2004 preseason coaches poll. Pacific Lutheran and Willamette are picked first and second in the poll. Click here for the 2004 NWC Coaches Poll.
The Opponents: The Pirates will take on both teams from Montana, as well as George Fox and CCS at the Whitworth Invitational.
Montana-Western is off to a 1-2 start after competing in the Montana State-Northern tournament over the weekend. The Bulldogs will also take on Montana Tech on Wednesday before coming to Spokane. UM-W finished 16-16 overall and 10-4 in the Frontier Conference last year. The Bulldogs are led by MB Katherine Sunwall, a 2003 First Team All-Frontier selection. Whitworth defeated in five games in the teams' previous meeting at the 2002 Whitworth Invitational.
Great Falls is 3-1 after the same MSU-Northern Tournament last weekend. The Argos are coming off of a 4-21 season that included a 1-13 mark in the Frontier Conference. Despite the fact that they do not have any starters back from last fall, the team is much improved. Whitworth has never played Great Falls in volleyball.
George Fox will open the season at the Whitworth Invitational. The Bruins finished 12-14 overall and 7-9 in the NWC (5th place) last fall. GFU has two starters back from last year's team. The Bruins swept Whitworth in both matches played in 2003.
CC of Spokane finished 34-15 overall and 9-3 in the Eastern Division of the NWAACC last year on the way to winning the NWAACC tournament championship. As a two-year school, Spokane's matches will not count toward the record or statistics of any of the other schools in the tournament.
The Coach: Steve Rupe is in his sixth season as the head volleyball coach of the Pirates. A 1989 graduate of Whitworth, Rupe has been named the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year twice (2001, 2002) and has become the second-winningest coach in school history with a record of 83-49 (.629) over his first five seasons. Under his direction, the Pirates have won a pair of NWC titles and have advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament twice (2001, 2002).
2004 Volleyball Statistics
2004 NWC Volleyball Info