NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State women's tennis head coach Maja Kovacek has added a pair of standouts from Serbia to the team's roster for next year, with the signings of Belgrade natives Nevena Kolarevic and Iva Poleksic.
"We are very excited to sign Iva and Nevena," Kovacek said. "They have both talent and athleticism and will have the advantage of already being good friends and training partners to help them adjust to collegiate tennis. They are the type players who can make an immediate impact and be difference makers for our program."
Nevena Kolarevic – Belgrade, Serbia
• Ranked as high as No. 4 in senior rankings in Serbia
• Best ITF juniors ranking is 727 and Europe under 14 ranking is 73
• Was a part of the under 14 Serbian National Team
• A participant in Youth Olympics in Gyor in 2017 and reached quarterfinals
"I'm really excited to begin my new journey in ISU next year," Kolarevic said. "Illinois State has everything I was looking for. It is such a beautiful campus, a quality academic program and an amazing team led by Coach Maja. I'm looking forward to meeting my new teammates this fall."
Iva Poleksic – Belgrade, Serbia
• Ranked as high as No. 2 in Serbia and No. 1 in Belgrade in the under 14 rankings
• Was ranked No. 40 in the under 16 national rankings
• Has won multiple national tournaments, among which is a first category tournament OC of Serbia
"I chose to come to Illinois State because of its excellent academic background and an amazing tennis team," Poleksic said. "It will be a place where I will for sure upgrade my skills. I'm very excited to join the Redbird team and work with Coach Maja."
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