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Women's Tennis Corey Miggins, Sports Information Director

Women’s Tennis Signs Five Student-Athletes for 2017-18 Season

CHICAGO – Chicago State women's tennis head coach Jack Barton has announced today the signing of five players who will compete in the 2017-18 season. Signing National Letters of Intent at CSU are Anastasiia Goncharova, Alana Andrews, Iesha Shepherd, Katarina Drazic and Andjela Dejanovic.
 
"We are very excited to welcome these young ladies to the Chicago State family," Barton said. "I had the opportunity to meet these young ladies in person along with their families. We are getting five outstanding students in the classroom and very talented ladies on the court that will immediately impact our program in our quest to win a Western Athletic Conference Championship, and have sustained and consistent success. The athletic department and the entire university played a very active role in helping them choose CSU during their visits. We feel honored that they chose Chicago State, our coaching staff and our program to help guide them through the next stages of their academic and tennis careers."
 
Anastasiia Goncharova
Smolensk, Russia
Broward College (Fla.)
 
Anastasiia has spent the last two seasons Broward College, a junior college in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She garnered National Junior College Athletic Association All-Academic honors with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She started the 2015-16 season ranked 34th in singles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association/NJCAA national preseason rankings and finished 16th in the final rankings. She posted an 8-6 record at No. 1 singles. In doubles, she was ranked seventh by the ITA/NJCAA with a 6-4 record at No. 1 Doubles. To end her junior college career, she helped lead her team to winning the NJCAA Florida State Championship. Anastasiia is the daughter of Tatiana and Yuriy Goncharova.
 
Barton on Goncharova – "While I was in Florida recruiting, my grad assistant Rashley Yeremia called and let me know about Nastya. He sent me her video and put me in touch with her. The moment I saw Nastya compete, I knew we had to get her to CSU. Broward is one of the top junior colleges in the nation in women's tennis. With her experience coming from a top ranked program, she will be a tremendous addition to our program. No doubt she will come in and have an immediate impact.  Plus her academic resume is excellent. We can't wait to get her in to wear the Green and White."
 
 
Alana Andrews
Murrieta, California
Murrieta Valley High School
 
A three-star recruit ranked 255 in the nation, Andrews is currently ranked 42nd in the state of California and was fifth nationally on the Prince HOT 100 List in 2016. Alana led Murrieta Valley High School to Southwestern League Titles from 2013-16.  In 2015, she finished fifth in the state in the individual state doubles competition from 2013 to 2015 and she won individual California Interscholastic Federation titles in each of those years.  She was twice named Athlete of the Week by Valley News Sports in 2015 and 2016, and earned HS GameTime All-Inland first team accolades in 2016. Alana ended her high school career by being named MVHS Female Athlete of the Year. She is the daughter of Mark and Monica Andrew.
 
Barton on Andrews – "California is a very competitive state for tennis and Alana's tennis resume is very impressive. Her results from high school prove that she's a winner. Once we got her on campus, I had a chance to speak with her about being a team player and was impressed with her answers. Right then I knew that she would be right for our team. I think she fell in love with the campus and the city of Chicago during her visit. I think she was ready to put on a uniform on the visit. We could not be more excited that she has chosen CSU."
 
 
Iesha Shepherd
Nassau, Bahamas
Laurel Springs School
 
Shepherd has participated in the Eddie Herr Tournament, finishing in the round of 16 in 2011. She has also represented the Bahamas at the World Juniors, where her team finished in fifth place in 2012, and in the Junior Fed Cup, where she represented the Bahamas as the Number two seed in 2014. These key moments led to her individual success where she is currently holding the No. 1 ranking in for Girls 16's and 18's in the Bahamas, and is currently 1,743 on the International Tennis Federation's World Junior Circuit. She is the Daughter of Derick Shepherd and Vernita Ellis.
 
Barton on Shepherd - "I met Iesha and her dad during her junior year at a recruiting event.  When I first saw her, I knew that she was a winner. Her work ethic shows in her game and she has played many ITF tournaments around the world so her experience in that arena is a plus. Having represented the Bahamas Junior Fed Cup team is huge because she will already understand what it takes to play on a team. Her fitness and mental toughness is just what we need for our team. I think she is the poster child for positivity and she is one of those athletes who will come early and stay late to reach her maximum potential. It also shows in her academics. I cannot wait for the CSU family to see her in action. We are fortunate to have her here."
 
 
Katarina Drazic
Sarasota, Florida
Elevation Preparatory Academy
 
She is currently ranked by the 705 in the ITF World Junior Circuit.  Her highest ranking was 491st starting in January 2017.  In 2016, Katarina achieved success in several ITF Grade Five tournaments by reaching the singles semifinals at the Curaco Open and the THA/Bmobile Tobago Junior Tournament. She has also played in three ITF Grade Five doubles tournament finals, where she and her partner won the THA/Bmoble Tobago Junior Tournament. Her ITF grade four singles tournaments consisted of winning three qualifying rounds and making it to the round of 16 at the El Salvador Junior Tournament and making it to the finals in doubles at the TTO Bmobile Junior Tournament. She is the Daughter of Gradimir and Radinka Drazic.
 
Barton on Drazic - "Katarina coming to Chicago State is really going to help us build toward the future. Not only is she an excellent singles player, but she knows how to play doubles and she has the results to prove it. I don't think it will take her long to get used to college tennis and I cannot wait to see her once she gets comfortable. She and her dad enjoyed the school and the city. Her new teammates for the fall clicked the moment they met. She's going to be an awesome teammate for the girls and an awesome player for Chicago State Tennis."
 

Andjela Dejanovic
Belgrade, Serbia
VI Belgrade High School
 
She placed in third at the Open Championship of Belgrade and the Open Championships of Serbia in 2014, which led her to become a top-20 player in Serbia.  She also won the Serbian ten national championship two years in a row. She is the daughter of Dubravko and Aleksandra Dejanovic.
 
Barton on Dejanovic - "She is a very strong player with a very strong academic background. I do believe that she will find her place on the team and help contribute to the team's success on and off the court. She is excited and very hungry to help us to succeed, and having a person like that on the team will mean a lot. I am really looking forward to her being here."
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