SPOKANE, Wash. -- The accolades continued to roll in for the Whitworth College volleyball team today as Steve Rupe was named as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) West Region Coach of the Year, while Natalie Danielson and Bekah Hornor were selected to the AVCA All-West Region Team.
The trio led the Pirates to a 20-3 overall record this season and a 15-1 mark in the NWC. Whitworth won the conference title by three games over Puget Sound and Linfield. As a reward, Whitworth is hosting the West Regional of the 2005 NCAA Division III Volleyball championships on November 10-12. Rupe was selected for leading the Pirates back to the post season for the third time in the last five years. After winning back to back titles in 2001 and 2002, Whitworth graduated every starter from those squads and the team dropped to eighth in the NWC standings. But Rupe has rebuilt the team to Northwest Conference champions only two years later. It is the first time he has won an AVCA Region Coach of the Year award. He was the NWC Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2002. He has a record of 122-57 in seven years as the Pirates' head coach. Danielson, named NWC Player of the Year on Monday, led the conference in hitting percentage (.337) this season. She is ranked second in the conference in kills per game (4.09) and is tied for fifth in blocks (1.00). Danielson was named Northwest Conference Player of the Week three times this year. Hornor, also named First Team All-NWC on Monday, dished an average of 11.12 assists per game, ranking second in the NWC. However, she leads all conference setters in kills per game (1.62) and was second in blocks per game (0.53). Whitworth's season continues on Thursday night when the Pirates host Colorado College in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional at 8:30 pm. |
