Pirates Take on Nationally-Ranked Foes on the Road
SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Whitworth University volleyball team heads west for the final road trip of the season this weekend when the Pirates take on nationally-ranked Puget Sound (Friday, 7:00 p.m.) and Pacific Lutheran (Saturday, 5:00 p.m.) in a pair of Northwest Conference contests. Whitworth is now 9-13 overall and 5-7 in the NWC after splitting a pair of matches in the Fieldhouse last weekend. On Friday the Pirates knocked George Fox out of sole possession of second place in the NWC standings with a 25-20, 26-24, 25-17 win. Ka'ipo Rocha (So., MB, Pukalani, Hawaii) had a big night with 11 kills, while Randi Stephens (Jr., MB, Bozeman, Mont.) had five blocks (two solo, three assists). Saturday Whitworth struggled offensively against the big blockers of Lewis & Clark in a 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 25-7 loss to the Pioneers. The Pirates hit only .031 as a team, but Tracy Schwada (Sr., RS, Whitefish, Mont.) had 12 kills and hit .323. Ariana Obert (So., Lib, Deer Park, Wash.) had 18 digs. Big Blocker: Randi Stephens has been Whitworth's most effective defensive player this season. She is averaging 1.11 blocks per set, which currently ranks third in the individual NWC statistics leaderboard. The Opponents: Puget Sound is 14-6 overall and 8-4 in the NWC after losing 3-2 at PLU and beating Willamette 3-0 at home last week. The Loggers are currently ranked 21st in the AVCA top-25 poll. Kalli Kamphaus continues to lead a balanced attack at the net with averages of 2.3 kills and 1.2 blocks per set. On October 3rd Whitworth picked up its first NWC win of the season with a 25-18, 25-17, 25-19 upset of the Loggers. Kaimi Rocha (So., OH, Pukalani, Hawaii) had 12 kills. PLU, ranked 15th, is 16-6 overall and 12-0 in the NWC. The Lutes clinched at least a tie for the NWC title with last Saturday's 3-0 win over Linfield, then fell 3-1 at home to NCAA DII St. Martin's on Tuesday. Two-time NWC Player of the Year Beth Hanna averaged 3.45 kills per set, while Sarah Beaver leads the NWC in assists (10.4 per set). On October 2nd the Lutes rolled past Whitworth 25-13, 25-9, 25-23 in Spokane despite seven kills by Tracy Schwada. Coming Up: Next week Whitworth will conclude the season by hosting Whitman College (Wednesday) and Pacific University (Friday). |
