Volleyball Reunion in Alaska

From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: Beach volleyball in Alaska? “It’s like an oxymoron,” said recently graduated Keene State volleyball standout Brittany O’Bryant, visiting Alaska on a two-week vacation. The last thing the former Owl thought she’d do in the Last Frontier was put on shorts and dive around in some sand. But earlier this month, O’Bryant put on her sunglasses, joined up with her college teammate Jordan Pokryfki, from Wasilla, Alaska, and finished second at the Fufudabo beach doubles tournament at Springer Park in Anchorage.

Playing outdoors in sand is a little different than the hard court of Keene State’s Spaulding Gym. The loose surface challenges even the best of players, including a pair of accomplished indoor stars like O’Bryant and Pokryfki. O’Bryant holds multiple KSC records for kills, while Pokryfki broke the Owl career-assists mark last season. The pair helped lead the Owls to the program’s first Little East Conference championship and NCAA tournament berth last fall.

After showing the sites to O’Bryant, Pokryfki, a biology major, returned to the pipeline on the North Slope, where she is completing an internship at a medical facility. Although the Owls lost several key contributors to last year’s LEC championship, Pokryfki is looking forward to returning to Keene and helping KSC defend its title.

O’Bryant isn’t quite sure of her plans for the fall. Still looking for a teaching job, she will serve as a JV coach at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua.