Elaina Kakatolis comes to Bemidji State as assistant coach to the Beavers’ volleyball staff under third-year head coach Wayne Chadwick after serving as a graduate assistant coach at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La. for two years. She is the program's first-ever full-time assistant coach.

As a member of the Demons’ staff, Kakatolis was responsible for coaching during both practice and games, game day preparations, opponent scouting, game file and video exchange. She was also the team’s academic, compliance, and community service organizer.

During her time with the at Northwestern State, the team’s cumulative grade point average improved from 2.4 to 3.3, the Demons qualified for the SLC Championship Tournament in 2011, and she coached the league’s freshman of the year.

Prior to her tenure as a graduate assistant coach, Kakatolis was a team captain at Division I Ball State, where she played from 2005-10. The native of Arcanum, Ohio completed her collegiate career 14th in the program history with 2,203 attempts. She also finished as the 16th-ranked Cardinal in block assists (227) and 18th in career total blocks (249). Her 127 sets played in 2008 tie as the 17th-best single-season total in the team’s history.