SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth University begins its Northwest Conference volleyball schedule this weekend when the Pirates host Willamette University (Friday at 7:00 p.m.) and Lewis & Clark College (Saturday at 5:00 p.m.). Whitworth 7-5 overall after non-conference play, coming off of a 1-3 weekend at the Cal-Lu-Fornia Classic in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Kaimi Rocha

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 (3.15) and hitting percentage (.258) among starting players and has also been solid defensively, averaging 2.5 digs per set, which is third on the team among regular players. Ka'ipo Rocha (Fr., MB, Pukalani, Hawaii) has also been solid in the middle. After missing the first weekend of play due to injury, Ka'ipo now averages 1.96 kills and 0.74 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 42 sets with Riddle averaging 4.43 assists per set and Hoffnagle averaging 4.52 assists per set.

NWC Statistics : Several Pirates are listed among the NWC statistics leaders. Kaimi Rocha is fourth in kills per set (3.15) and seventh in hitting percentage (.258).

Holly Tomlin (Sr., MB, Kirkland, Wash.) is fifth in blocks per set (0.76), while Nikki Bardwell (Sr., OH, Colville, Wash.) is 10th in aces per set (0.36).

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: Willamette University comes into the weekend with an overall record of 2-8. The Bearcats attended the same tournament in California as the Pirates last weekend and finished 0-4 during the trip. The only common opponent on the weekend was host Cal Lutheran and both teams lost in three sets. Last season the Pirates swept Willamette in the both conference match ups by identical 3-1 scores. But the Bearcats won a non-conference meeting with Whitworth in the Pirates' own tournament 3-1.

Lewis & Clark College comes into the week with a 5-6 record. The Pioneers pulled off an impressive 3-1 win over Concordia last week, then fell 3-0 at Corban College. During the 2007 season Whitworth defeated L&C 3-1 in Portland, then closed the season with a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Pioneers in Spokane.