SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth University will be home for the first time in almost two weeks when the Pirates host Willamette University on Friday and Linfield College on Saturday in a pair of Northwest Conference volleyball matches. Whitworth will try to break out of a three match losing skid, suffered last week in a tour of the Portland area. The Pirates lost 3-0 at Concordia on Thursday, 3-1 at Pacific on Friday and 3-1 at George Fox on Saturday.

Cassie Moore leads the NWC in aces and digs

Leading the League : Whitworth's Cassie Moore (Sr., Lib., Spokane, Wash.) continues to lead the NWC in two statistical categories. Moore is averaging 0.70 aces per game and 6.69 digs per game, both of which top the conference lists.

Sarah Rusch (Jr., MB, Walla Walla, Wash.) is 4th in the conference in kills per game (4.49). Holly Ridings (Sr., S, Spokane, Wash.) is 5th in the NWC in assists per game (10.41).

As a team Whitworth ranks first in the NWC in digs per game (21.77) and second in the conference in aces per game (2.41).

Coming up: Willamette University (3-16 overall, 0-10 NWC) comes into the week still searching for its first Northwest Conference victory. The Bearcats may have more confidence than usual coming into the Fieldhouse on Friday, because Willamette picked up its first two wins of the season here in early September at the Whitworth Invitational, including a 3-1 win over the Pirates on the 8th. On September 21st Whitworth went to Salem and defeated Willamette 3-1 in the first conference match between the two. Last week the Bearcats defeated Northwest Christian College 3-2 on Tuesday, lost a heart-breaking 3-2 decision at home to Linfield on Wednesday and then fell 3-0 to league-leading PLU at home on Friday.

Linfield College (12-7, 7-3) is trying to stay alive in the NWC title chase. The Wildcats followed their five game win at Willamette last Wednesday with a 3-0 loss at home to Puget Sound on Saturday in a battle for sole possession of second place in the NWC standings. Earlier this season Linfield defeated Whitworth 3-1 at home (Sept. 22nd), extending the Wildcats' winning streak over the Pirates to three matches.

The Coach: Steve Rupe is in his ninth season as Whitworth's head volleyball coach and has served longer in this capacity than any coach in program history. Rupe has been named the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year twice (2001, 2002) AVCA Regional Coach of the Year once (2005) and has become the second-winningest coach in school history with a record of 140-88 (.614). Under his direction, the Pirates have won three NWC titles and have advanced to the NCAA Division III regional finals twice (2002, 2005).