Marie Yempuku isn't quite ready to call herself a southern belle, but the Honolulu native and 2007 Kamehameha graduate admits she has warmed up to the South — in particular, Birmingham, Ala.

Yempuku, a junior defender on the University of Alabama-Birmingham women's soccer team, has adjusted to life "down South" and feels at home going into her third season with the Blazers — her second as a team captain.

"For the most part, I'm used to it," said Yempuku, who admitted she had to overcome some preconceived notions about Alabama upon arrival. "I was really hesitant. I knew the South was big on football, but I wasn't looking to play soccer anywhere down South. I kind of thought that things were still backwards as far as racism and things like that, but after I came on my visit, I really liked it."

Blazers coach Paul Harbin said he was fortunate to get Yempuku to commit to his program, a process that began in January of 2007 in Indianapolis.

"At a coaches convention, I had talked with (Honolulu Bulls' Director of Coaching) Phil Neddo — we coached in Georgia around the same time — and I told him I was looking for a center-back," Harbin said. "He brought up Marie and where he thought she was as far as development. And I've known Phil long enough that I trusted his assessment."

Neddo's endorsement was enough for Harbin to offer Yempuku a recruiting visit without having seen her on video.

"We don't do that a whole lot," Harbin said. "This was a situation where the need and the time of the year and the quality of the evaluations were enough for me to go ahead and bring her out for a visit. We just crossed our fingers and hoped that our resources were correct, so we kind of took a chance with her, but she took that same leap of faith with us and she's just been a tremendous asset for us."

Yempuku has started all 39 games the past two seasons and last year became just the second sophomore in program history to be named a captain.

"She possesses a lot of good leadership qualities," Harbin said. "Marie's demanding, but incredibly supportive. She's constantly asking people to do things, but she's doing it herself also, which makes it easier to demand it of others and she's doing it in a way that is generally making them feel positive about themselves."

Yempuku deflected the praise from her coach, instead acknowledging the hard work of her teammates this summer.

"I'm comfortable on the field as far as being a voice, but I don't think that I'm the biggest leader off the field," Yempuku said. "We have a bunch of very, very good leaders and everybody's been working really hard so hopefully it'll translate to some wins."

Harbin said Yempuku has an "intensely calm presence" on the field that has been integral to the Blazers' defense.

"That's huge ... it's about the ability to have both of those elements," Harbin said. "It's got to be somebody who can direct and when you get to be under pressure, you've got to have that somebody who can hold it together."

Yempuku, who has played both midfield and fullback at UAB, said she expects the team to improve upon its 7-11-2 record last season.

"Last year we were fairly young, but I think this year is going to be a lot different, because we have that one year experience," Yempuku said. "We have a really tough non-conference schedule for the second straight year, but you can't ask for anything less playing a Division I sport and hopefully having those big games under our belt will help us through the season."

The Blazers' non-conference schedule includes the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Soccer Classic, Sept. 4-6 at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

"In September it'll be nine months since I've been home, so I'm really looking forward to it," Yempuku said.

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