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The University of Alaska Fairbanks    

Nanooks to face loaded lineups this weekend

By BOB ELEY Sports Editor

There will be some formidable competition on the court tonight and Saturday when the 2004 University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball team goes on display for the first time in exhibition matches against the Fairbanks Flyers and the UAF Alumni.

The Nanooks will take on the Flyers, a coed team composed of local volleyball standouts, such as UAF assistant coach Bev Krupa and her brother Brad, at 7 tonight. One of the most talented Alumni squads ever assembled will be on hand for the 7 p.m. Saturday match.

"Mentally, I thing we have a lot tougher team this year," Krupa said of the current group of Nanooks. "We're excited to see how this weekend will go."

In addition to the Krupas, other players lining up for the Flyers tonight include former UAF hockey player Efren Larranaga, former UAF assistant coaches Kevin Raap and Dave Dershin, Greg Kreta, Sabrina Binkley, former Nanook Jamie Schanback, former Minnesota Golden Gopher Sharon Roos and Beth Bellinger.

The Flyers will be coached by Bev Krupa's boyfriend--Haakon Dulian.

In addition, Larranaga's girlfriend is senior standout Mallory Bergstrom, so there will be a battle of bragging rights going on tonight.

"We needed someone to call timeouts and throw the clipboard at us once in a while," Bev Krupa said.

The Alumni squad is chock-full of familiar names and should provide the Nanooks with a solid test on Saturday night.

"This is the strongest Alumni team that has been put together since I've been here," said Krupa, who joined coach Phil Shoemaker's staff in 2000 after an outstanding collegiate career at Purdue University.

The Alumni squad is composed of Jen Medl (1999-2002), who was recently named head coach at North Pole High School, Tarra (Hemphill) Hollenbeck (1998-2001), Candice Smith (2000-03), who will coach the North Pole junior varsity this season, Schanback (2000-02), Ruth (Peterson) Pomeroy (1992-95), Kristen Sullivan (1998-99), Victoria Kilgore (2001), Jen (Katzenberger) Ostnes (1992) and Sovanny (Kon) Ebbesen (1991-94).

Last year, the Nanooks dropped both exhibition matches and went on to post a 13-10 overall record, finishing fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 10-8 record. The previous season, UAF won both matches and went on to post a 16-7 overall record and placed
second in the GNAC at 13-5.

The 2004 UAF roster is led by veteran seniors Bergstrom and Carlin Smith, juniors April Blandford, Crystal Wheelock and Kayleen Stenehjem, and sophomores Danielle Hitzeman and Dasa Capova.

Newcomers to the roster include sophomores Erica Starr and Chelsea Ward (once her transfer paperwork is approved) and freshmen Danielle Ryder, Jessica King, Jenna Jones and Mallory McCormick.

Sports Editor Bob Eley can be reached at beley@newsminer.com , sports@newsminer.com or 459-7581.