Sept. 19, 2008

BALTIMORE - Loyola women's basketball Class of 2008 graduate Vika Sholokhova (St. Petersburg, Russia) has signed a contract to play professional basketball in the Spanish Division I League.

Sholokhova, who averaged 9.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game over the two seasons she played at Loyola, will play for Extrugasa, a top team in the Spanish League.

"We are thrilled for the opportunity that Vika will have to play professionally," Head Coach Joe Logan said. "There is a lot of great competition in Spain, and I think Vika will do well in that league with her size and skill."

Extrugasa, which is located in Villagarcia de Arousa, finished sixth in the 14-team league last season. The team won the league title as recently as 2006 and finished third in its group at the 2007-2008 EuroCup.

Last season, the 6-foot-3 post player averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for Loyola. In her first season at the College, 2006-2007 after transferring from Pittsburgh, Sholokhova was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Sixth-Player of the Year after scoring 11.3 points and grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game.

She is the second Logan-coached player from Loyola to play professionally in Europe. Jill Glessner, who graduated in 2007, was an All-Star performer for the Nottingham Wildcats in the English Basketball League.