Virginia women’s tennis Coach Sara O’Leary announced Dec. 17 that two highly-touted recruits, Karolina Kozakova and Isabelle Lacy, will arrive in Charlottesville to join the team in January with spring competition beginning Jan. 15. Kozakova will enter as a sophomore and Lacy as a freshman.
“We are thrilled to announce the signing of Karolina and Isabelle,” O’Leary said in the program’s release. “Both are exceptional student-athletes who have experienced great success in the classroom and on the court. They are excited to be on Grounds this spring and compete for the orange and blue.”
The recruitment of the two players was likely motivated by sophomore Zara Larke’s decision to transfer to Alabama after the fall season. The team consisted of just nine players prior to Larke’s transfer, a relatively small number, so the two recruits will also serve to bolster the roster size. Virginia’s men’s tennis roster, for example, consists of 13 players. The women’s roster will grow to 10 with the pair of additions.
Coming from Uzwil, Switzerland, Kozakova brings an impressive resume to Charlottesville. After taking the year before college to compete in professional and amateur tournaments, the sophomore has already made her mark on the ITF World Tennis Tour. She has won two singles titles this year at events in Haren, Netherlands and Monastir, Tunisia. Her career-high WTA singles ranking is No. 736, and she has reached three doubles finals in ITF events.
In her junior career, Kozakova climbed to No. 77 in the ITF Junior rankings, securing one singles and five doubles titles. She also reached a career-high doubles ranking of No. 524 in March 2024. Her ability to excel both as a singles and doubles player will make her a versatile asset to the Cavaliers.
Lacy, a freshman from London, England, also boasts an impressive tennis career. With a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 590, Lacy made headlines in 2023 by advancing to the quarterfinals of the W100-level ITF Surbiton Trophy, including a notable victory against No. 95 Madison Brengle.
Lacy has consistently competed at the highest levels of junior tennis, including at Junior Wimbledon for the past four years and at the 2024 Junior Australian Open, where she advanced to the second round. She was also the Junior Wimbledon doubles runner-up in 2023 and has claimed three singles and two doubles ITF Junior titles, further highlighting her tournament success as well as doubles ability.
O’Leary and company will hope the new additions can help build off last year’s exceptional spring season. Virginia achieved only its second regular-season conference title ever in becoming ACC co-champion with North Carolina. The Cavaliers posted an overall record of 25-5 and a conference record of 12-1, with their only ACC loss coming against the Tar Heels.
In the NCAA Team Tournament at the end of the spring, Virginia reached the quarterfinals for the fourth time in program history to achieve the program’s first ever 25-win season.
This fall also proved successful. A total of five players competed in the NCAA Individual Tournament, both in singles and doubles, highlighting Virginia’s depth. It was impressive alone that the majority of the team qualified, but the major highlight was seniors Elaine Chervinsky and Melodie Collard claiming the doubles title.
If the past year is any indication, the Cavaliers have a great spring season ahead of them — they are currently No. 8 in preseason rankings for the 2025 spring season. ACC teams like North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest will provide challenging matches, ones that will likely come down to a single point. Additionally, the loss of 2024 graduates Hibah Shaikh and Natasha Subhash, strong singles players and a star doubles pair, leave a somewhat ambiguous future.
Nevertheless, with their exceptional backgrounds and proven success on the international stage, Kozakova and Lacy are poised to make an immediate impact for Virginia this spring. Their ability to contribute in both singles and doubles will add versatility to the lineup. As the team gears up for the spring season, the Cavaliers are confident after claiming an individual doubles championship this fall, and the addition of Kozakova and Lacy provides an opportunity to build on that momentum.
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