SPOKANE, Wash. - A season full of ups-and-downs took another downward turn last week, so the Whitworth volleyball team hopes a return home to the Fieldhouse will help spark another upswing. The Pirates will host George Fox on Friday at 7:00 p.m., then host Pacific (Ore.) on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Whitworth rallied twice, but eventually lost 3-2 at Willamette last Friday. The Pirates then were swept at Lewis & Clark on Saturday. The pair of losses dropped Whitworth's record to 11-11 overall and 4-6 in the NWC. The Pirates are currently tied with Pacific (and Willamette and Linfield) for fifth in the NWC, while George Fox stands alone in fourth one game ahead. View NWC standings.
Rocha's Big Start: Kaimi Rocha (Fr., OH, Pukalani, Hawaii) has already made a big impact on the Whitworth volleyball team. The dynamic freshman was named the MVP of the NYU Labor Day Invitational and was also named to the Whitworth Invitational All-Tournament team. She is leading the team in kills (3.11 per set), is second in hitting percentage (.214) and has also been solid defensively, averaging 2.6 digs per set, which is third on the team among regular players. Ka'ipo Rocha (Fr., MB, Pukalani, Hawaii) has also been strong in the middle. After missing the first weekend of play due to injury, Ka'ipo now averages 2.18 kills with a team-leading .229 hitting percentage and 0.59 blocks per set. Ka'ipo was also named to the Whitworth Invitational All-Tournament team. Setter-Setter: Whitworth has been running a 6-2 offense since the beginning of the season, utilizing the skills of both Bree Riddle (Fr., S, Spokane, Wash.) and Jordon Hoffnagle (Fr., S, Spokane, Wash.). Both have played in all 81 sets this season (the only two Pirates to do so) with Riddle averaging 4.80 assists per set and Hoffnagle averaging 4.43 assists per set. NWC Statistics : Several Pirates are listed among the NWC statistics leaders. Kaimi Rocha is sixth in kills per set (3.11) and ninth in hitting percentage (.213). Ka'ipo Rocha is sixth in hitting percentage (.229). Bree Riddle is 8th (4.80) and Jordon Hoffnagle is 10th (4.43) in assists per set. Holly Tomlin (Sr., MB, Kirkland, Wash.) is ninth in blocks per set (0.74) and 10th in hitting percentage (.213), while Bethany Castilleja (Sr., DS, Kennewick, Wash.) is sixth in digs per set (4.09). Live Stats: Live stats of all home contests will be available beginning this weekend at the following link: http://www.whitworth.edu/Athletics/Teams/Volleyball/statistics/livestats/xlive.htm. The Coach: Steve Rupe, currently in his tenth season as Pirate head coach, 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 142-92 (.607) over his first nine seasons. Under his direction, the Pirates have won three NWC titles and have advanced to the NCAA Division III regional finals twice (2002, 2005). Coming up: George Fox (11-9 overall, 5-5 NWC) split a pair of matches last week. On Wednesday the Bruins pulled out a 3-2 win at Pacific (Ore.). But on Saturday George Fox fell 3-0 at home to defending champion Pacific Lutheran, a team the Bruins had upset on the road early in the season. The first meeting between Whitworth and George Fox was an epic five set contest, the Bruins rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win 16-14 in the fifth. Kaimi Rocha led the Pirates with 19 kills and 19 digs. Pacific (Ore.) is looking to break a five match losing streak this week. Three weeks ago the Boxers (5-13 overall, 4-6 NWC) were in the middle of the NWC title hunt with a 4-1 record. In addition to the five-set loss to George Fox last week, Pacific fell 3-1 at home to nationally-ranked Puget Sound on Friday. On September 27th the Boxers hammered Whitworth 3-0, holding the Pirates to their first negative hitting percentage (-.017) in more than a decade. Holly Tomlin had five kills and two blocks for the Bucs. 2008 Volleyball Schedule/Results |
