| Pirates Travel
to Whittier / Occidental Invitational |
Sept. 7, 2004
|
Whitworth College takes some serious momentum into this weekend's Whittier/Occidental Invitational in southern California. Half of the matches will be played at Whittier College in Whittier, California, while the other half will be played at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
The Bucs are 3-0 heading into the weekend, which will include matches against four Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference teams: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer and nationally-ranked La Verne.
Whitworth essentially won its own invitational last weekend as the only team to finish undefeated in tournament play. The Pirates went 4-0, but a win over CC of Spokane does not count toward overall records and stats.
| Last Week's Results | (W/L) Score | 2004 Record |
| 9/3 vs. Mont.-Western | W, 3-0 | 1-0, 0-0 |
| 9/3 vs. Great Falls | W, 3-1 | 2-0, 0-0 |
| 9/4 vs. George Fox | W, 3-0 | 3-0, 0-0 |
| 9/4 vs. CC of Spokane | W, 3-1 | Exhibition |
| This 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 |
| Next Week's Schedule | Time | Location |
| 9/17 at Pacific | 7 pm | Forest Grove |
| 9/18 at Linfield | 7 pm | McMinnville |
| * Indicates Northwest Conference match | ||
The Pirates: Whitworth opened 2004 with a rousing 30-18, 30-24, 30-16 win over Montana-Western on Friday morning. The Pirates were playing their first official match, while the Bulldogs already had a tournament under their belt. But Julie Marsh (Jr., OH, Cheney, Wash.) set an aggressive tone for the Pirates with seven service aces. She also led the team with 12 kills, hitting .556. Katy Schrader (Sr., MB, Spokane, Wash.) added 10 kills and four block assists. Holly Coleman (Jr., OH, Spokane, Wash.) and Cassie Moore (Fr., Lib, Spokane, Wash.) each had nine digs.
The Pirates made it two in a row over Montana schools when they defeated Great Falls 30-20, 30-26, 18-30, 30-17. Katy Schrader had a big match with 14 kills and seven blocks. Natalie Danielson (Jr., MB, Kennewick, Wash.) and Julie Marsh each added 10 kills. Whitworth finsihed with 12 aces in the match, led by Danielson and Whitney Murphy (Jr., RS, Spokane, Wash.) with three each.
On Saturday afternoon Whitworth defeated George Fox 30-25, 30-25, 30-20 in what was essentially the championship of the tournament, since each team came in undefeated. Bekah Hornor (Jr., S, Spokane, Wash.) had a great match, finishing with 31 assists, seven kills (.429) and eight digs. Danielson led the Bucs with 12 kills and hit .417, while Marsh added 11 kills and 17 digs.
The Pirates had a chance to play a lot of different players in Saturday's 30-11, 30-20, 18-30, 30-22 win over CC of Spokane to conclude the tournament, since the match would not count toward overall record. Danielson led Whitworth with 16 kills and three blocks, while Schrader added 12 kills. Brittney Bower (Jr., OH, Onalaska, Wash.) and Cassie Moore each had 13 digs. Honor finished with 45 assists and 11 digs.
For their efforts, Marsh and Hornor were both named to the All-Tournament team.
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 four teams from California in the Whittier/Occidental Invitational.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is off to a 2-2 start this year after splitting four matches at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Oregon last weekend. The Athenas lost to CSU Hayward and the host Bearcats, but defeated NWC opponents Whitman and UPS. The team was 10-16 a year ago. C-M-S is led by junior OH Emily Bennett, who was a second team All-SCIAC selection in 2003. Whitworth came from way back to defeat the Athenas 30-32, 21-30, 30-22, 30-28, 15-12 at this same tournament last year.
Redlands will open its season this weekend. The Bulldogs finished 15-12 overall and 9-5 in the SCIAC last season to tie for second place. Redlands is led by sophomore MB Shelly Langford, who was a first team All-SCIAC selection a year ago. The Pirates and Bulldogs last met in 2002 when Whitworth won 30-17, 30-7, 30-16 at the Whitworth Invitational.
Pomona-Pitzer will also begin its season at this weekend's tournament. The Sagehens finished 16-12 overall and 9-5 in the SCIAC last season behind setter Laura Laakso, who was named the 2003 SCIAC Freshman of the Year. Whitworth defeated P-P by a score of 27-30, 30-16, 30-24, 30-17 at last year's Whittier tournament.
The University of La Verne enters the tournament with a 1-0 record after defeating Azusa Pacific 3-1 in their season-opener. The Leopards are ranked 4th in the AVCA preseason poll, coming off of a 3rd place finish in the NCAA Division III tournament last year, when they finished 30-3 and won the SCIAC with a 14-0 record. They were national champions in 2001. All-American Amy Kratochvil is a senior OH. Whitworth won its last meeting with La Verne, 25-30, 30-19, 30-24, 30-22 in the NCAA West Region semifinals in 2002.
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).