ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women’s tennis team will add two newcomers to their roster for the 2019-2020 season. Junior transfer Evgeniya Levashova and freshman Nadja Bay will make immediate impacts as they debut for the Black and Gold.
Evgeniya Levashova transfers to UCF from Pepperdine where she had a phenomenal first two collegiate seasons. Levashova complied a 42-8 record in singles and a 26-14 mark in doubles, propelling her high into the Oracle/ITA rankings. She climbed as high as No. 11 in the singles rankings and was part of the No. 1 doubles tandem in the nation to begin the 2019 spring season. The Russian native was once the top tennis player in Russia at her level before coming to the United States to play collegiate tennis. In her freshman campaign, Levashova earned the WCC Freshman of the Year Award and a nod for the All-WCC Singles First Team. Levashova will be joining UCF on the court in the spring.
“We can’t wait for Evgeniya to step on campus and wear the black and gold,” said head coach Bryan Koniecko, “Already reaching a ranking of top 10 in singles and doubles at Pepperdine, Evgeniya will bring tremendous experience to this team. She has played in some big time matches already and I know she can help our team grow in many ways. She is a hard worker and is exactly what we are looking for at UCF.”
Nadja Bay joins the Knights from Castelldefels, Spain where she was ranked as high as No. 29 in the nation. Bay was crowned the Babolat Cup Champion and was the runner-up in many other big tournaments at the U18 level. She checks in at No. 995 in the ITF World Tennis singles rankings and cracks the top 1300 in doubles.
“We’re so excited to add Nadja to our roster,” said Koniecko, “We have had the fortune to get to know her family very well and all their core values and beliefs line up with what is important to us here at UCF. Nadja is not only a tremendous tennis player, but we also know she will be a great teammate and help guide the Knights to new heights. We can’t wait to start working with her and adding a few things in her game that will hopefully propel her to the highest level of college tennis and beyond.”
With their best season in program history now in the rear-view mirror, the Knights will look to build off their incredible run as they return eight of ten members from last season’s team. The two additions to the roster this season will pair nicely with the returners who earned a wealth of experience through their Sweet 16 run in the spring of 2019.
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