Grand Forks, N.D. – University of North Dakota head coach Ashley Hardee and his reigning Great West volleyball champions will take to the court for the first time this spring on Friday and Saturday for a pair of exhibition matches.
The Fighting Sioux will take on Minnesota, Crookston at 11 a.m. on Friday and Minnesota State on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. UND is coming off a championship run in its first season in the Great West Conference.
The Sioux posted an 11-1 record in league play and were a perfect 8-0 at home during the 2009 regular season.
Hardee does have to replace a quartet of seniors, who all played pivotal roles in what turned out to be a 22-win season for the first-year head coach, and seeing which returnees step up into those roles will be one of his primary focuses this weekend.
"Our spring matches are a great opportunity to get playing time for our younger players and try some new things out,” Hardee said. “We are going to have quite a few players in new positions and seeing how they handle the pressure of a match will be important as we progress towards next season."
The lone newcomer that will be on hand for the spring matches is transfer Courtney Bitter, who comes to UND from Bemidji State where she was a two-year starter at setter for the Beavers.
Admission to the matches on Friday and Saturday is free.
