NORMAL, Ill. – Georgia State transfers Veronika Golanova and Marcia Tere-Apisah will continue their education and women's tennis careers at Illinois State, head coach Maja Kovacek announced Tuesday.
Golanova and Tere-Apisah are both eligible to compete immediately for ISU during the upcoming 2015-16 season under the NCAA one-time transfer exception. Golanova will begin her Illinois State career as a sophomore, while Tere-Apisah will be a junior.
"Marcia and Veronika are great additions to the team," Kovacek said. "They bring a lot of experience, both collegiately and international. They are both aggressive all-around players, and they will have an immediate impact in singles and doubles. We are really excited they joined the Redbird family."
Veronika Golanova
As a freshman at Georgia State in 2014-15, Golanova earned a 6-3 record in No. 6 singles during the spring, finishing her season on a five-match win streak. She faced five singles opponents from ranked schools, beating No. 61 Alzbeta Veverkova of VCU in straight sets on Feb. 28. Golanova also won both of her singles matches in the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Championships. Golanova won five matches at No. 3 doubles.
During the Panthers' fall season, Golanova posted a 6-5 singles record and went 7-5 in doubles play. After a 1-3 start in singles play, Golanova finished the fall season with a 5-2 mark and strung together a six-match win streak in doubles play.
A native of Roznov Pod Radhostem, Czech Republic, Golanova won the national championship for 14-16 year-olds in 2008 and placed third in the same Czech Republic Championship for 16-18 year-olds in 2011. Golanova was ranked as high as fifth in the Czech Republic amongst her age group in 2013-14 and helped TK Precolor Prerov finish third at the national championships.
Born in Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic, Golanova is the daughter of Milan and Jitka Golanova, and she has one sibling, Ivana.
Marcia Tere-Apisah
As a sophomore at Georgia State in 2014-15, Tere-Apisah won three singles matches at No. 6 and earned four doubles victories at the No. 3 position during the spring season. She defeated Joan van Lochem of No. 67 Furman in straight sets to help GSU earn the upset. During the fall season, Tere-Apisah recorded five singles wins and three doubles triumphs, including two doubles victories versus nationally ranked teams.
In the spring of 2014, Tere-Apisah went 9-11 in singles play, primarily appearing at the No. 3 position. She posted a 13-7 doubles record at the No. 2 spot with Tarani Kamoe, facing five pairs ranked by the ITA. Tere-Apisah and Kamoe won doubles matches over five opponents from ranked schools, including a victory over No. 34 Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As a freshman during the fall of 2013, Tere-Apisah went 5-6 in singles play while pairing with Kamoe at No. 2 doubles to advance to the ITA Regional semifinals. They also upset the No. 2 pair in the nation from Georgia and defeated a pair from Michigan after starting the season with a six-match win streak.
A native of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Tere-Apisah's highest career ranking in ITF Juniors came on Dec. 9, 2011, achieving a No. 346 mark. Marcia Andrea Sowi Tere-Apisah (pronounced Mar-SEE-uh TARE-ee AH-pee-sah) was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and is the daughter of Kwalam Apisah and Vera Tere. She has two older brothers, Patrick and Lawrence, and one older sister, Abigail.
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