The 10 ball fell. then the 15, and the 11 – stripe after stripe her balls eased into the pockets.

She lined up the last shot, banking the eight ball for the win.

Her opponent slammed his twenty down on top of the table, enraged and in disbelief.

He lost to a girl.

Sulking away from the table, he may have thought twice about accepting Kristin Lupo’s challenge if he knew she would place second at the Association of College Unions International billiards tournament for Illinois and Indiana.

Many guys underestimate female players’ abilities, Lupo said. She qualified for the national tournament to be held July 5-9 after placing second at regionals, which were held at the Illini Union Rec Room on Feb. 24-25.

“It was the best feeling ever to show him that women can play pool and they’re good at it,” Lupo, junior in LAS, said of hustling that guy.

Lupo will be the only player representing the University at nationals in Tuscon, Ariz., this year. The men didn’t place high enough at regionals to obtain a national slot.

The men’s leagues faces stiffer competition, as there are more players, said Andrew Han, a member of the University’s Inter-collegiate team, and senior in LAS.

This doesn’t keep Lupo from strutting her stuff on the table. An offensive player, she’s willing to take risks.

“My strategy is to not be afraid to take shots people normally wouldn’t,” Lupo said.

Her brother, Greg Lupo, a freshman at Eastern Illinois University, recalled what she refers to as her “go getter attitude.”

One day while playing pool in their basement in Naperville, Ill., Kristin needed to make the eight ball in to win. But her brother’s ball was blocking her shot.

She would have to jump the ball in order to make it in, and those shots are not her forte. Nevertheless, she lined up the shot.

“I knew there was no way in hell she’d make it,” Greg said.

Knowing that he would doubt her, Kristin gave her brother a long gaze. The cue ball popped over his, nicking the eight ball in for the win.

Her offensive tactics travel with her into the many other activities she holds leadership positions.

Lupo is chairperson of Volunteer Illini Projects, co-chair of the advocacy committee in Colleges Against Cancer, she coaches a junior volleyball team for Champaign park district, and is looking into Teach for America.

She asserts herself by “stepping up into leadership positions and not being afraid to take my own spin on things.”

Illini Projects is first on her priority list.

“These things take preference,” she said.

Having responsibilities in so many different organizations doesn’t leave much time for pool.

“Pool is something I do in my free time,” Lupo said. She practices on the University’s billiards leagues, but spends most of her time practicing when she visits her home.

Her family first bought their Brunswick table her sophomore year in high school, and she practiced alone for hours.

Lupo said whenever she was stressed she would go down to the basement and blare hardcore music like Unearth. If she felt down she’d listen to some pop on the radio.

By her senior year she was really busy, she said, so she didn’t play as much.

“It’s died down since (then),” Lupo said of playing pool.

Since she doesn’t play religiously, her abilities surprise people, she said. Unlike most players, after long periods of not practicing, Lupo can perform as well as she always has.

She attributes her consistency to a natural talent that runs in her family.

When they first got the pool table, Lupo said, “I just picked up a cue and was like, ‘I get it.'”

Success at nationals won’t come as easy. Lupo said she will put in a lot of time fine-tuning her skills to reach her goal.

“I want to place in the top three,” she said, admitting it was a little far-fetched in a tournament of about 30 women.

Still, she stands as good of a chance as any other player, said Donna Wargo, Rec Room manager.

“Anybody’s game can be on, on any particular day,” she said.

Han, an Inter-collegiate league player admitted Lupo would encounter tough competition.

Based on what he saw at last year’s tournament, he said Lupo will have a tough time. Many of the women are semi-pro players, Han said, which is “a level a lot higher than Kristin’s at right now.”

It’s not just about winning for Lupo. She wants to enjoy herself. “If she is first or last she’ll have good time,” Han said.

Even if it’s not in a tournament, Lupo said she will play the rest of her life.

“Wherever there is a pool table . I’m going to be the one challenging guys or whoever’s there, and playing,” she said.