SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University will look to continue its best start since 2004 when the Pirates host the 2008 Whitworth Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Results of the five-team round-robin event will be posted on the tournament's schedule page.

http://www.whitworth.edu/Athletics/Teams/Volleyball/WhitInv.htm

The five schools scheduled to compete in the 2008 Whitworth Invitational are Lewis-Clark St. (Idaho), Menlo (Calif.), Montana-Western, and Whitman (Wash.).

Whitworth (4-0) is off to the team's best start since beginning the 2004 season 6-0. The Pirates won the NYU Labor Invitational last weekend, defeating the host Violets 3-1 in what amounted to the championship match. Kaimi Rocha (Fr., OH, Pukalani, Hawaii) was named the MVP of the tournament, while Holly Tomlin (Sr., MB, Kirkland, Wash.) was also selected to the all-tournament team.

The 2008 Whitworth Invitational will be a round-robin event as each team plays once against the other for a total of four matches. Each team will play two matches per day.

Lewis-Clark State comes into the invitational 8-0 already having won a pair of tournaments. The Warriors, coming off of a Frontier Conference title in 2007, were ranked 16th in the NAIA's preseason poll. The first poll of the regular season has not been released. LCSC defeated Whitworth 3-1 at last season's Whitworth Invitational.

Menlo, which competes in the NAIA California Pacific Conference in volleyball, is 2-2 this season after finishing third at the Bruin-Wildcat Classic last weekend, hosted by George Fox University. The Oaks were 13-11 in 2007. Whitworth and Menlo have never played in volleyball.

Montana-Western has already demonstrated improvement in 2008 after going 0-25 during the 2007 season. The Bulldogs are 1-3 and broke a 32 match losing streak at last weekend's tournament. Western hosts Montana Tech on Wednesday night before coming to Spokane. Whitworth defeated Montana-Western twice at last season's Whitworth Invitational.

Whitman College is 0-1 this season after dropping a five-set decision to Walla Walla College last weekend. The Missionaries finished 13-11 last season and are picked to finish 7th in the NWC in 2008, according to the preseason coaches poll. Whitworth and Whitman split a pair of conference matches last year, and the Missionaries defeated the Pirates in the season-opening tournament at Las Vegas.