Elina Salomaki

Position:
Outside Hitter
Height:
6-0
Class:
Freshman

Junior Season (2004): Second season with the Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball squad…Played in every match and every game Louisiana-Lafayette participated in (30 matches, 108 games)…Led the Cajuns averaging 3.05 kills per game overall and 3.33 kills per game in Sun Belt matches…Set a career-high and posted 300-plus kills for the first time in her career, ending the season with 329 kills…Led all Cajuns players with 384 points…Her efforts moved her past 500 kills in a Cajuns uniform (will enter 2005 season with 560)…In Sun Belt play, she tallied 180 kills in 54 games…Posted double-digit kills 16 times including nine times over the 15-match Sun Belt schedule…Hit 20-plus kills three times in the final six matches including a career-best 25 kills at South Alabama (Oct. 29)…Tallied eight double-doubles…Had three consecutive matches with a double-double – Oct. 6-9 during the Cajuns homestand with UNO, Lamar and South Alabama…Turned in back-to-back impressive outings on the South Alabama-UNO road trip by reaching 20-plus kills in both matches – had a career-best 25 at USA and followed it up with 20 kills against UNO…Began the season with a career-high 19 digs against Southeastern Louisiana…Was the only player on the team to reach 20-plus kills in a match…Posted six of the team’s 10 top individual kills totals.

Sophomore Season (2003): First season with the Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball squad after transferring from Mississippi University for Women following the 2002 season...Started out the season at middle blocker before switching to the outsides following the injury of outside hitter Lesley Tough...Ranked first on the team averaging 2.60 kills per game overall while averaging 3.00 kills per outing during Sun Belt play...Was a close second with 231 kills – a tally which allowed her to move past the half-century mark for her career...Saw action in 27 matches and 89 games in her first season of NCAA Division I volleyball...Started the season as a reserve before taking over a starter’s spot permanently when Sun Belt Conference play began...Ended the season with 10 double-digit kills matches including registering double-digit kills in seven of the last nine matches after taking over for Lesley Tough on the outside...Beginning with a road match at FIU Oct. 19, she reeled off six straight matches of double-digit kills...Put down a career-high 19 kills against UNO, helping lead the Cajuns to the victory which snapped an 11-match losing streak...Followed up the UNO match with a 16-kill outing against South Alabama, getting the production off 34 attacks...Was named the Sun Belt’s Player of the Week Nov. 3 after the UNO-USA weekend in which she posted a pair of double-doubles...Had 19 kills and 18 digs in the squad’s 3-1 win over UNO and added 16 kills and 11 digs in a 3-0 sweep of South Alabama...Had a career-best six aces against Alcorn State and ended the season with 27 aces...Was tied for the team lead with 13 service aces in Sun Belt action...Her 11 block solos ranked second on the team...Had two solo stuffs in the first two matches of the season...Against Denver Oct. 3, picked up 10 kills off 18 attacks.

Pre-Louisiana (2002): Played one season at Mississippi University for Women, where she recorded 273 kills, 278 digs, 39 aces and 70 blocks.

Club Volleyball: Represented West Finland in Finnish Nationals in 1998...Named Junior Player of the Year for West Finland in 1999...Led team to a third place finish in the Finnish Championships for juniors in 2000...Represented New South Wales in the Australian Nationals in 2001 for under-21s, leading the team to a third-place finish as a captain and also made the all-star team...Selected to the national team to represent Finland in the European Championships in July 2003.

Personal: Born on October 19, 1981...Daughter of Raija and Jukka Salomaki...Has three sisters - Petra, Hanna and Veera - and one brother - Jaakko...Attended Kauhajoki High School in Finland...Is a sociology major.

Season	GP-MP	K	K/G	E	TA	Pct	A	A/G	SA	SA/G
#2002	119-34	273	2.29	160	729	.155	5	0.04	39	0.33
2003	89-27	231	2.60	106	650	.192	12	0.13	27	0.30
2004	108-30	329	3.05	181	1050	.141	15	0.14	25	0.23
TOTAL	316-91	833	2.64	447	2429	.159	32	0.10	91	0.29
Season	SE	RE	DIG	D/G	BS	BA	TB	B/G	BE	BHE
#2002	65	40	277	2.33	23	62	85	0.71	16	11
2003	34	28	129	1.45	11	32	43	0.48	10	1
2004	36	47	236	2.19	5	50	55	0.51	1	1
TOTAL	135	115	642	2.03	39	144	183	0.58	27	13