VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota head tennis coach
Brett Barnett is pleased to introduce four athletes to the Coyote program who will be eligible to compete this fall. The class includes
Habiba Aly (Cairo, Egypt),
Jana Lazarevic (Belgrade, Serbia), Daria Chemodanova (Moscow, Russia) and
Luana Stanciu (Focsani, Romania). The quartet joins a program that last season finished one win away from qualifying for its first NCAA Tournament.
"This group will have a huge impact on this program moving forward," said Barnett. "First and foremost, each is driven academically and strong in the classroom. On the court, they are talented, dedicated and ready to work hard. I have enjoyed getting to know them this spring and summer, and cannot wait for everyone to get back to campus next month so we can get to work towards a Summit League Championship."
Aly and Lazarevic are incoming freshmen from Cairo Manara Language School and Sveti Sava School, respectively. Chemodanova was the top singles and doubles player at Alcorn State as a freshman this past season. Stanciu has competed the last two seasons at Louisiana-Monroe.
Aly has extensive ITF Junior Tournament experience with nearly 60 singles and 40 doubles matches. She has made numerous quarterfinals appearances in those events, and competed in the finals of the Arab Bank ITF Junior Tournament in Beirut, Lebanon, this past October. Aly has wins against top 250-ranked players, and has been consistently near the top of Egypt's rankings. She plans to study media and communication at USD.
"Habiba is going to be a terrific all-court player for us," said Barnett. "She is solid with all parts of her game and moves incredibly well. I have enjoyed getting to know her and am excited to see how far we can grow her game."
Lazarevic has been ranked No. 1 in Serbia for girls 18s and has been top-five in the nation's women's rankings. She made the semifinals of the $10,000 ITF Tournament in Nis, Serbia, in the middle of 2016, and was the top-ranked Serbian player in girls 16s in 2014. She plans to study kinesiology and sport management at USD.
"Jana is a great ball striker," said Barnett. "She is aggressive and likes to play inside the court. It is an added bonus that she is left-handed. With her first-strike tennis, she is going to be a great player for us and will be terrific indoors on quicker courts."
Chemodanova went 8-10 in singles play and 7-12 in doubles play while competing primarily in the top singles and doubles slots of the Lady Braves' lineup this past season. Before arriving at Alcorn State, she gained significant tournament experience throughout Europe, Russia and the ITF. She plans on studying psychology at USD.
"Daria is athletic, a great mover, and loves to dictate play from the baseline," said Barnett. "She gained a ton of Division I experience as the top player at Alcorn State last year. She knows what to expect in matches, and her experience will help us tremendously. She loves the game and wants to improve."
Stanciu competed at No. 3 doubles for Louisiana-Monroe, which finished 16-2 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In postseason play, she teamed with Tiffany Mylonas to win a doubles match against a duo from Texas A&M in the first round of NCAA play. Stanciu and Mylonas were 22-7 as a doubles tandem during the last two seasons. Stanciu was also 14-2 in singles play for the Warhawks, playing mainly in the No. 5 and No. 6 singles slots. She plans to study kinesiology and sport science at USD.
"Luana is coming off two successful seasons at ULM," said Barnett. "She has been on a championship team and knows what it takes to be successful. She is extremely talented in both singles and doubles. She has a big backhand, and is aggressive on the doubles court."
The Coyotes return three of their top five singles players from a year ago and four letterwinners overall.
