| Whitworth Finishes
the Season With Wins Four Pirates Earn NWC Honors |
November 9, 2004
|
The Whitworth Pirates concluded a remarkable turnaround volleyball season in 2004 with a pair of road Northwest Conference victories. Whitworth finished the season with an overall record of 19-5 and a conference mark of 12-4. Those numbers represent significant improvement over 2003 when Whitworth was 10-18 overall and 4-12 in the NWC.
The Pirates also learned today that four members of the 2004 team have earned All-Northwest Conference honors. Julie Marsh (Jr., OH, Cheney, Wash.) was named First Team All-NWC, while Natalie Danielson (Jr., MB, Kennewick, Wash.) and Bekah Hornor (Jr., S, Spokane, Wash.) were selected to the second team. Katy Schrader (Sr., MB, Spokane, Wash.) received honorable mention consideration.
| Last Week's Results | (W/L) Score | 2004 Record |
| 11/3 at Whitman * | W, 3-0 | 18-5, 11-4 NWC |
| 11/6 at George Fox * | W, 3-0 | 19-5, 12-4 NWC |
| End of regular season | ||
| * Indicates Northwest Conference match | ||
The Pirates: Whitworth went to Walla Walla last Wednesday and defeated Whitman 30-26, 33-31, 30-21. The Pirates hit .298 as a team, one of the squad's best offensive performances of the season. Julie Marsh, Natalie Danielson and Brittney Bower (Jr., OH, Onalaska, Wash.) had 11 kills apiece to lead the Bucs. Bekah Hornor added 45 assists for Whitworth. The Pirates swept the season series with Whitman in 2004.
A pair of records were set in Whitworth's season-ending 30-26, 30-25, 33-31 win at George Fox on Saturday night. Julie Marsh broke the Pirates' record for digs in a three-game match with 25. She also added 13 kills. The Pirates put themselves in position to win by producing 175 total attacks, a team record for a three-game match. Natalie Danielson led the Pirates with 15 kills and four blocks. Katy Schrader concluded her career with a good match, finishing with 13 kills and 14 digs. Bekah Hornor tallied 46 assists and 14 digs. Whitworth won all three meetings of the season against George Fox and all three were by 3-0 scores. But all three were difficult matches to put away.
| NWC Standings | NWC | Overall |
|
Pacific Lutheran
|
15-1
|
16-6
|
|
Willamette
|
13-3
|
19-6
|
| Whitworth |
12-3
|
19-5
|
|
George Fox
|
8-8
|
13-12
|
|
Puget Sound
|
7-9
|
8-16
|
|
Linfield
|
6-10
|
8-14
|
|
Whitman
|
5-11
|
7-17
|
|
Pacific (Ore.)
|
4-12
|
5-19
|
|
Lewis & Clark
|
2-14
|
3-19
|
|
Final Regular Season Standings
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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.
NWC Stats Leaders: Whitworth College dominated the final NWC team stats this season. The Pirates finished first in kills per game (15.65), assists per game (13.60) and blocks per game (2.08). Whitworth had the second highest team hitting percentage (.215) and the best opponent hitting percentage (.128).
Individually the Bucs' performance was nearly
as impressive. Natalie Danielson led the conference in hitting percentage
(.284) and was fourth in blocks per game (0.88). Bekah Hornor was second
in assists per game (11.58) and Katy Schrader was 2nd in blocks per game
(0.98). Julie Marsh finished 6th in kills per game (3.58) and 8th in digs
per game (4.31). All of the NWC statistics can be found at the following
web site:
http://www.nwcsports.com/sports/volleyball/HTML/confstat.HTM.
He's Got 100: Head volleyball coach Steve Rupe was able to reach his 100th career victory at Whitworth over the weekend. Rupe now has a career coaching mark of 102-54 after six seasons leading the Pirates. Only Joanne Atwell-Scrivner, who posted a 177-73 record from 1979-84, has coached the Pirates to more wins on the volleyball court.
The Coach: Steve Rupe concluded 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 102-54 (.654) entering 2004. Under his direction, the Pirates have won a pair of NWC titles and have advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament twice (2001, 2002).