Madonna University Volleyball - Official Athletic Site

Natalja Tinina #1
Position: Outside Hitter
Height: 6-0
Class: Sr.
Hometown: Riga, Latvia (Riga Purvciems)

2005: Outlook
Expectations are high for the first ever foreign born player in school history as Natalja Tinina (pronounced tuh-NEEN-yuh) will be looked upon to shoulder the offensive load for the team in 2005.
Tinina is one of three returning All-America players on the 2005 roster, but she might be the most highly touted headed into her final year. The first ever back-to-back WHAC preseason Player-of-the-Year, Tinina looks to lead the team to their fourth straight trip to the NAIA National Championships.

2004: Junior Season
Continued to be one of the nations top competitors as an outside hitter … saw action in 135 games being the team's top attacker with 677 kills (5.01 per game) … recorded 9 block solos and 56 block assists … was also the teams top server with 50 service aces on the season … named WHAC player of the week November 1, 2004 by recording 29 kills, six blocks and seven digs in two victories for the Crusaders ... earned first team All-Conference and second team All-American accolades ... finished fifth in the nation in kills, ninth in kills per game and 13th in hitting percentage.

2003: Sophomore Season
Put together a break-out season for the Crusaders earning first team All-Conference and All-Region honors and honorable mention All-American accolades...tallied 784 kills leading both the team and WHAC and finished third in the nation in that category...connected on 40 percent of attacks good for first on the team and sixth in the country...also led team in total attacks with 1,637 and service aces with 71...added defense to her already impressive offensive game, finishing the season with 472 digs and 86 blocks...posted career high 33 kills vs. Doane (8/23/03) in a 3-1 Crusaders victory...best overall game at Madonna came October 10th in a loss to Lubbock Christian where she posted 32 kills and a career high 20 digs in first game after a concussion...named WHAC Player of the Week for October 20th after posting 46 kills in three matches including 18 kills and 13 digs over rival Cornerstone (10/18/03).

2002: Freshman
Earned WHAC Outstanding Freshman of the Year honor following stellar inaugural campaign ... saw first collegiate action August 23rd 2002 versus Notre Dame ... posted three digs in two games played in her debut .... the first foreign born Crusader, Tininia reached double digit kills in just her fourth game, posting 11 vs. Urbana on August 24th ... had 27 double digit kill games as the teams fourth option ... had season high 18 kills vs. Olivet Nazarene August 31st .... had 10 or more digs six times ... her 496 kills ranked fourth on the team ... was fifth in WHAC in total kills ... also an excellent server, she collected 72 aces, good for second among WHAC players ... named WHAC Player-of-the-Week October 28th.

High School:
Earned several individual and team awards in her three years of competition in volleyball, basketball, track and softball ... as a standout volleyball athlete Natalja was recognized as an All-Region and All-Conference performer ... as her team’s best all-around player, Natalja was selected as team captain ... as a senior led her team to a first place championship finish in the Riga Volleyball Cup Competition, a second place finish in the Vidzemes District 55 student volleyball competition and a third place finish in the Riga City Class A championships ... participated in numerous extra curricular activities such as school theatre, florist club and gardening (botanic) club ... considered as an outstanding leader of her senior class, Natalja graduated in the top five of her class with a 3.70 cumulative GPA ... competed for nine years of club volleyball in the Latvian Republic, most recently with Coach Nadezhda Grishulonka ... as a member and captain of the Latvian National Junior Team, Natalja led her squad to a fourth place finish in the European Championship in Moscow and second place finish at the Latvian Junior Volleyball Championship games, in the Spring of 2002 ... was voted most valuable player after she led her junior national team to a first place finish at the Baltic Cup ... also competed in the Junior Olympic Games in Spain along with competition in several beach volleyball championship tournaments.

Quoting Coach Abraham:
" Natalja will be asked to provide much of the offensive output from the outside hitter position, as one of our four senior athletes. She’s one of our most experienced all around volleyball athletes. With her most productive off-season behind her, she has elevated her game to a totally new level and will be looked upon once again as a dominant, go to player and terminating attacker. With three years of experience behind her, we'll depend on Natalja to give us a high-level performance night in and night out. She has the ability to dominant the net as both a big time blocker and a powerful terminating hitter. As one of nations best players, Natalja will play a gigantic role in our team's efforts to make another WHAC, Region and NAIA National Championship run. I cannot express how excited I am to see this seasoned veteran perform throughout her senior season. She has been an impact team player from day one of her freshman year and is now anxious to have her best season ever. She is jumping higher, much stronger physically, more confident and playing with an intense, determined style of play. All things lead to a banner final season for this outstanding scholar athlete."

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