UND Volleyball Has Added A New Assistant Coach

     On Wednesday morning, the University of North Dakota and head volleyball coach Jesse Tupac announced the hiring of their newest assistant coach, Kristen (Hahn) Tupac.

     Kristen Tupac adds another element to the coaching staff as she’s a former three-time All-American libero at Iowa State. Tupac was also the Cyclones' first full-time member on the USA Women’s National Team. In 2014 she made her first appearance for Team USA at the NORCECA World Championship Qualifier. At the tournament Tupac helped lead Team USA to a Gold Medal along with winning the Best Libero and Best Receiver awards. She also played professional volleyball for four seasons in Switzerland, Germany, and even in the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Pro League in the USA.

     "First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Head Coach Jesse Tupac, Associate Athletic Director Kara Helmig and the rest of the athletic department for the opportunity to join the UND volleyball program," said Kristen Tupac. "I am excited to work with Jesse because of his ability to analyze and teach the game as well as build a culture of fierce learners and competitors. It is clear this team is full of strong women who are hungry to get better on the court. It is an exciting time to be a Fighting Hawk and I cannot wait to help bring this program to new heights."

     Tupek is one of the most decorated liberos at the collegiate level of all-time. She racked up three Big 12 Libero of the Year awards and 17 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week Awards (A Big 12 record). In four years at Iowa State with the Cyclones, she appeared in four NCAA tournaments that included two sweet 16 appearances (2010 and 2012), including a school record finish with an Elite Eight appearance in 2011.

Accomplishments:

• Helped lead Denver to the 2016 NCAA Tournament
• Assistant coach for Denver's 2016 Summit League Championship Tournament Team
• AVCA All-America Second Team (2012, 2013)
• AVCA All-Region Team (2012, 2013)
• AVCA All-America honorable mention (2011)
• AVCA All-Region honorable mention (2011)
• All-Big 12 First Team (2012 – unanimous, 2013 – unanimous)
• Big 12 Libero of the Year (2011, 2012, 2013)
• 17-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
• Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team (2013)
• UND Classic All-Tournament Team (2013)
• Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2011, 2012, 2013)
• Senior CLASS Award Watch List (2013)
• Capital One Academic All-District (2012)
• NCAA Minnesota All-Region Tournament Team (2011)
• Northern Illinois Invitational All-Tournament Team (2011)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring 2014)
• Five-time Player of the Match – Switzerland (2015)
• MVP of the Swiss Cup Finals (2015)
• Voted Best Receiver and Best Libero – NORCECA World Championship Qualifier (2014)
• Three-time Silver Medalist – Swiss NLA (2018-2019)
• Ranked 10th on the leaderboard for Athletes Unlimited in season one with 2,825 points