| Whitworth Hosts
Final Home Contests |
Oct. 25, 2004
|
The Whitworth Pirates, already enjoying a very successful season in 2004, will hope to close the home portion of the schedule in resounding fashion this week when the Bucs host Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran in the final home contests of the year. Whitworth will play UPS on Friday night and first place PLU on Saturday. Both matches will begin at 7:00 p.m.
The Pirates (16-4 overall, 9-3 NWC) are coming off of a road split in Oregon. Whitworth dropped a five-game heartbreaker at Willamette and won in four games at L&C.
| Last Week's Results | (W/L) Score | 2004 Record |
| 10/22 at Willamette * | L, 3-2 | 15-4, 8-3 NWC |
| 10/23 at Lewis & Clark * | W, 3-1 | 16-4, 9-3 NWC |
| This Week's Schedule | Time | Location |
| 10/29 vs. Puget Sound * | 7 pm | Whitworth |
| 10/30 vs. Pac. Lutheran * | 7 pm | Whitworth |
| Next Week's Schedule | Time | Location |
| 11/3 at Whitman * | 6 pm | Walla Walla |
| 11/6 at George Fox * | 7 pm | Newberg, Ore. |
| * Indicates Northwest Conference match | ||
The Pirates: Whitworth fell in five games at Willamette by the score of 25-30, 32-30, 30-21, 22-30, 17-15. The final tally is made even more painful by the fact that the Pirates led the fifth game 14-9 before the Bearcats rallied to win. Julie Marsh (Jr., OH, Cheney, Wash.) posted a career high 20 kills and added 17 digs. Brittney Bower (Jr., OH, Onalaska, Wash.) came off of the bench to tie her career high with 18 kills while hitting .472. Natalie Danielson (Jr., MB, Kennewick, Wash.) had 13 kills and hit .306. Holly Coleman (Jr., Lib., Spokane, Wash.) tallied a career high 30 digs. The Pirates and Bearcats split the 2004 season series, each one winning in five games on its own home court.
Whitworth came back sluggish in the first game against L&C on Saturday, but rebounded to win 23-30, 30-24, 30-17, 30-20. Bekah Hornor nearly posted her third triple double of the season. She finished with 46 assists, 10 kills and eight digs. Natalie Danielson had her best attacking match with 19 kills while hitting .424. She added four blocks. Julie Marsh posted 11 kills and 14 digs. The Pirates swept the season series against the Pioneers and have 13 straight meetings in the series.
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
|
11-1
|
12-6
|
|
Willamette
|
10-2
|
16-5
|
| Whitworth |
9-3
|
16-4
|
|
George Fox
|
6-6
|
11-10
|
|
Linfield
|
5-7
|
7-11
|
|
Whitman
|
5-7
|
7-13
|
|
Puget Sound
|
4-8
|
5-15
|
|
Lewis & Clark
|
2-10
|
3-15
|
|
Pacific (Ore.)
|
2-10
|
3-17
|
|
Through 10/23
|
||
The Opponents: The University of Puget Sound dropped a pair of hard-fought, five-game matches last week. The Loggers are now 5-15 overall and 4-8 in the NWC after losing at home to PLU and on the road at Pacific. Nikki Esposito continues to lead UPS offensively, averaging 3.48 kills per game. Rachel Gross contributes 5.11 digs per game as the team's libero. Whitworth won the first meeting of the year with UPS 3-0 in Tacoma on October 1st.
Pacific Lutheran University has its destiny in its own hands for winning the Northwest Conference title. The Lutes improved to 12-6 overall and 11-1 in the NWC with wins over UPS and Linfield on the road last week. Julie Locke averages 2.4 kills, 2.9 digs and 0.64 blocks per game. Stephanie Turner tops the team with 3.2 kills per game. PLU defeated Whitworth 3-1 in Tacoma on October 2nd in the teams' first meeting of 2004.
One From 100: Head volleyball coach Steve Rupe needs only one more victory to reach 100 for his career at Whitworth. Rupe enters the week with a mark of 99-53 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).