Coach Madden's Lady Cajuns Volleyball Recruiting Class of 2003 Inks Five

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Becky Madden's first singing class highlighted by local product Jessica Pattison

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana Lady Cajuns head volleyball coach Becky Madden recently announced five new additions to her program for the upcoming 2003 season.

The signing class, her first since taking over the Ragin' Cajuns volleyball program last July, was highlighted by the addition of Lafayette High School product and Maurice native Jessica Pattison.

It also includes junior college transfer Tami Harvey (Deer Park, Texas; Lee Junior College), junior college transfer Abrah Pond (Vernonia, Ore.; Clackamas Community College), Kim Rodgers (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada) and transfer Elina Salomaki (Helsinki, Finland; Mississippi University for Women).

"I am very excited about this class," Madden said. "We have the five student-athletes that we wanted. I think this is a great group coming in
and will add tremendous depth and experience to our talented Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team."

The Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team will begin the 2003 season Friday-Saturday, August 29-30 when UL Lafayette hosts the 2003 Ragin' Cajuns Classic at Earl K. Long Gym.

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Maurice native and Lafayette High School graduate Jessica Pattison joins the squad after a two-year stint with the Lady Lions volleyball program.

She was named to the All-District Volleyball team in 2001 and 2002, while being named to the All-Acadiana Volleyball second team both years as well.

In 2002, she was named Academic All-State Honorable Mention and was named Best Offensive Player at Lafayette High. She also received the Most Improved Player Award in 2001.

"We are very excited about Jessica joining the Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team," Madden said. "We are very excited about bringing in someone from Louisiana, especially from Lafayette.

"She is a very versatile athlete and will have the opportunity to fight for a right side or outside hitting position," Madden noted. "She brings height and athletic ability to our team. I am looking forward to see her progression throughout her collegiate career."

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Harvey, a Deer Park, Texas, native, is a junior college transfer from Lee Junior College in Texas.

During her freshman campaign, she was ranked as the number two setter in the nation and the number one setter in Texas. She also broke the season record for assists at Lee JC. She made First Team All-Conference and All-Region teams. She broke every assist at Lee JC.

In high school, she was the starting varsity setter for three years. She was named Newcomer of the Year her sophomore season. Her senior year, she was named U.S. Army Athlete and Scholar of the Year.

"Tami (Harvey) will challenge senior Beth Henson for the setting position," Madden noted. "Tami has experience running a very fast offense based off of a middle attack which is the Ragin' Cajuns philosophy.

"She took Lee Community College to two national championships while she was the number one setter over the last two years," Madden added. "She fits into our philosophy and will provide experience and leadership right away."

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Pond, a native of Vernonia, Oregon, comes to Louisiana-Lafayette from Clackamas Community College. While there, she was used primarily as a defensive specialist.

She was an all-league performer at Vernonia High School. She was named second team All-League her sophomore and junior years and was named to the first team her senior season. Pond was also named Most Valuable Player on her Volleyball team her junior and senior seasons.

"Abrah (Pond) is one of the best defensive specialist in the country," Madden commented. "She will provide the ball control and stability to the teams' defensive strategy. This teams' success is based on our ball control and defense and Abrah will have an immediate impact on our success."

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Rodgers, a native of Kelowna, British Columbia, is another middle hitter that will join the Ragin' Cajun volleyball team in 2003. She is an incoming freshman who is a 6'2" middle hitter which provides height and high level of experience for the Cajuns.

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Helsinki, Finland, native, Elina Salomaki comes to Cajun Country from Mississippi University for Women.

During her freshman year at MUW, Salomaki had 273 kills, 278 digs, 39 aces and 70 blocks.

In 1998, she represented West Finland in the Finnish Nationals and was named West Finland Player of the Year in 1999. She led her team to a third place finish in the 2000 Finnish Championships for juniors.

"With two seniors graduating in this position, we were looking to fill two middle positions next season," Madden said. "I believe Elina has the athletic ability and experience to step into one of the middle positions."