SEATTLE - Martina Samadan, the 2015 NCAA leader in hitting percentage and the 2016 Eddie O’Brien Female Student-Athlete of the Year, will take her volleyball game into the professional ranks, signing with Alba Blaj, a club in Romania.
The Split, Croatia, native becomes the first Redhawk under fourth-year Head Coach James Finley to sign a professional contract.
"I am very excited to see what the future has in store for me,” Samadan said. “Seattle U had a huge impact on my decision to continue this career on a professional level. The coaches and athletic trainers at Seattle U helped me become the player and the person I am today, and I will be forever thankful for that."
Samadan played three years for SU, earning All-WAC and All-WAC Tournament team honors each season. She elevated her game during her senior season, leading SU with 3.36 kps while hitting at a .454 clip. That hitting percentage mark ranked No. 1 in the nation at the conclusion of the season.
She takes her game to Alba Blaj, which competes in the European Championship League and was the champions of Romania last year under Head Coach Darko Zakoc.
“Martina changed our program by elevating the expectation,” said Finley. “She did so with leadership and with high-level performance, and her signing a professional contract lets people see what can be accomplished here at Seattle U.”