| Whitworth Travels
to Willamette and L&C |
Oct. 18, 2004
|
The 2004 season is really getting interesting for the Whitworth College volleyball team. The final three weeks will find the Pirates in a battle for the Northwest Conference title with Pacific Lutheran and Willamette. Whitworth still will play each one of the other two contenders once more, beginning this week with a match at Willamette on Friday night. The Bucs follow that with a contest at Lewis & Clark on Saturday afternoon.
The Pirates are coming off of a pair of NWC victories last week over Pacific and Linfield at home.
| Last Week's Results | (W/L) Score | 2004 Record |
| 10/15 vs. Pacific * | W, 3-1 | 14-3, 7-2 NWC |
| 10/16 vs. Linfield * | W, 3-0 | 15-3, 8-2 NWC |
| This Week's Schedule | Time | Location |
| 10/22 at Willamette * | 7 pm | Salem, Ore. |
| 10/23 at Lewis & Clark * | 2 pm | Portland, Ore. |
| Next Week's Schedule | Time | Location |
| 10/29 vs. Puget Sound * | 7 pm | Whitworth |
| 10/30 vs. Pacific Lutheran * | 7 pm | Whitworth |
| * Indicates Northwest Conference match | ||
The Pirates: Whitworth survived its worst hitting performance of the season to defeat Pacific 30-23, 25-30, 30-21, 30-18 last Friday night. The Pirates finished with a season-low .111 hitting percentage. Julie Marsh (Jr., OH, Cheney, Wash.) led the Bucs with 16 kills and hit .406. No other Pirate hit above .200. Katy Schrader (Sr., MB, Spokane, Wash.) had 10 kills and four blocks. Bekah Hornor (Jr., S, Spokane, Wash.) finished with 36 assists and a team-high 12 digs. With the win the Pirates swept the season series from the Boxers.
Whitworth was much sharper in a 30-17, 30-23, 31-29 win over Linfield on Saturday night. The Pirates hit .252 and finished with nine team blocks. Julie Marsh again led Whitworth with 14 kills and she added 14 digs. Katy Schrader had 13 kills and added a season-high seven blocks. Natalie Danielson (Jr., MB, Kennewick, Wash.) added 11 kills. Whitney Murphy (Jr., RS, Spokane, Wash.) led the Bucs with 16 digs. Bekah Hornor totaled 44 assists and 12 digs. The Pirates avenged a five-game loss at Linfield earlier in the season to split the season series with the Wildcats.
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 Standings | NWC | Overall |
|
Pacific Lutheran
|
9-1
|
10-6
|
|
Whitworth
|
8-2
|
15-3
|
| Willamette |
8-2
|
14-5
|
|
Linfield
|
5-5
|
7-9
|
|
George Fox
|
4-6
|
8-10
|
|
Whitman
|
4-6
|
6-12
|
|
Puget Sound
|
4-6
|
5-13
|
|
Lewis & Clark
|
2-8
|
3-13
|
|
Pacific (Ore.)
|
1-9
|
2-16
|
|
Through 10/16
|
||
The Opponents: The Willamette Bearcats come into the week with a 14-5 record overall and an 8-2 mark in the NWC. They defeated Lewis & Clark in three games last Wednesday before falling in three games at Pacific Lutheran on Saturday in a match that determined sole possession of first place in the NWC. The Bearcats continue to be led by their fearsome one-two punch of Kristen Halleck and Angie Sammons. Halleck hits .279 and averages 4.2 kills and 4.3 digs per game. Sammons hits .278 and averages 4.2 kills and 0.6 aces per game. Whitworth defeated Willamette in five games on September 24th in Spokane, coming back from a 2 games to none deficit.
Lewis & Clark ended a seven match losing streak with a 3-0 win at Puget Sound on Friday night, improving to 3-13 overall and 2-8 in the NWC. The Pioneers swept the season series from UPS. Sara Kettler leads L&C with 130 kills (2.3 per game) and a .217 hitting percentage this season. Whitworth defeated the Pioneers 3-0 in Spokane on September 25th and has won 12 straight meetings in the series.
Two From 100: Head volleyball coach Steve Rupe needs only two more victories to reach 100 for his career at Whitworth. Rupe enters the week with a mark of 98-52 in his 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 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) 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).