THE RECORDS
Linfield enters the week trying to get back to the .500 mark. The Wildcats are 6-7 with a 2-4 Northwest Conference record. Whitman is tied with Linfield in seventh place with a 2-4 record in NWC play (4-10 overall). Whitworth sits alone atop the standings at 11-3 overall and 5-1 in NWC play.
 
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats rank second in the NWC with 1.98 blocks and 1.85 service aces per set. Raelynn Hammock leads the attack with 163 kills, 3.43 per set, to go with 24 aces. Her kills per set are good for second in the conference. Marina Erosa is averaging 2.24 kills and 1.73 digs per set. Ellie Mead returned last week, playing in her first match since the team's loss to Division II Saint Martin's on Sept. 20. Mead is No. 2 in the NWC with 1.16 blocks per set. Paige Richards owns a team-leading 176 digs while Aylea Dixon has 388 assists.
 
WHITMAN AT A GLANCE
The Blues split in Oregon last week, losing 3-1 at George Fox before sweeping Lewis & Clark in Portland. Kenzie Martinez (3.3) and Nicole Kelly (3.0) are both averaging three kills per set or more. Martinez ranks fourth in the NWC while Kelly occupies the No. 6 spot. Sophia Dominitz ranks No. 3 with a .317 hitting percentage. Teia Magaoay is averaging 8.51 assists per set, good for second in the conference.
 
WHITWORTH AT A GLANCE
The Pirates opened NWC play with a split in Tacoma. They have since won four straight matches, the first three coming in sweeps over Whitman, Willamette and Lewis & Clark. The Pirates lead the NWC in kills per set (12.15), assists per set (11.13), blocks per set (2.27) and hitting percentage (.206). Maddie Lee is third in the NWC behind Hammock with 3.37 kills per set while Ella Jimenez is second with a .338 hitting percentage. Jimenez also leads the conference with 62 blocks, 1.22 per set. Eva Millan leads the team with 4.53 digs per set. 
 
HISTORY
Linfield is 35-19 in the all-time series with Whitman. The 'Cats are 12-14 in Walla Walla. The 'Cats and Blues split the last 10 meetings, but the Blues are riding a three-match win streak. The Blues won the two meetings in 2021 by scores of 3-1 in McMinnville and 3-0 in Walla Walla.
 
Linfield and Whitworth have met 54 times. The Pirates won 32 of those matches. The longest win streak for the 'Cats in the series was eight matches between the 1995 and 1998 seasons. The last time the 'Cats beat the Pirates came in a four-set win during the 2017 season in McMinnville. The Pirates won both matches in 2021 in four sets.