BATON ROUGE – Former LSU libero Elena Martinez will continue her volleyball career professionally in Puerto Rico as a member of Llaneras de Toa Baja. She left Saturday to report to training camp.
Llaneras de Toa Baja is the defending champion of the eight-team Puerto Rican Volleyball League and is located in the northern part of the country. The 21-match regular season begins on February 12 and wraps up on April 21.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity because playing professionally has always been a dream of mine,” Martinez said. “The fact that I get to play for a championship team like Llaneras has me anxious and excited to get down there. The coaches at LSU did an excellent job of challenging me and helping me develop into the player that I am today. I’m confident that my time at LSU has fully prepared me for this experience and I can’t wait to show Puerto Rico what Tigers are made of.”
Martinez was a first round draft pick of Llaneras de Toa Baja in December. She will have a pair of American teammates in Cassie Busse and Jennifer Joines-Tamas. Both Busse and Joines-Tamas have played for the USA National Team.
“Elena is a consummate hard worker and we’re very proud that she will continue her volleyball career in Puerto Rico,” head coach Fran Flory said. “She possesses all of the necessary tools to be successful at the professional level.”
Martinez notched 2007 and 2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year along with AVCA All-American Honorable Mention status in both seasons during her LSU career. She reeled in 1,414 career digs, which ranks second in program history and was a part of four NCAA Tournament squads as the Tigers won a quartet of SEC Western Division championships from 2005-08. The New Orleans native also earned her elementary education degree in December 2009.
Martinez will check in on LSUsports.net at different points and write about her professional experience during the season.