Murray State women’s tennis announced the signing of Varvara Alexeyeva on Tuesday morning as the Kazakhstan native signed her National Letter of Intent. Alexeyeva is the lone signing for the Racers tennis team for the 2023 class.
A native of Almaty, Kazakhstan, Alexeyeva has emerged as one of the best young players in the country winning the International Tennis Federation J5 Cholpon Tournament in May. At 16 years of age competing in the 18U circuit, Alexeyeva also played in two more semifinals in ITF J5 events this year.
“There are many reasons why I chose Murray State University. One of the reasons is the town, as it is considered one of the safest and friendliest. I also really liked Coach Caetano, and how he is really thoughtful towards his team, he really cares about the physical and emotional condition of each girl on the tennis team,” said Alexeyeva. “In addition, I loved that there is a cozy and supportive atmosphere in the team between the girls and it made me feel like I found a home away from home.”
Alexeyeva holds a career-high 1407 ranking from the ITF while also holding a 9.12 Universal Tennis Rating.
“What’s striking with Varvara is how motivated she is to grow and how well-supported she is by her family. She is focused, hard-working, and was looking for a place where she can focus on academics and on developing her game,” Head Coach Jorge Caetano said. “Even though she is young, she has seen great success on the international level and her experience competing in the ITF Junior and Pro Tour will help her with some of the challenges that college tennis presents. I can’t wait to start working with her and help her grow here at MSU.”
Blue & Gold Fridays
Of course, any day is a good day to wear Murray State colors, but Blue & Gold Fridays are a great way to show our unity in Racer Nation, especially as Murray State enters the Missouri Valley Conference in the 2022-23 school year. Wear your Murray State colors and share photos to the social media channels of the Racers. Need some Murray State gear to wear? Just visit the online store. All of Racer Nation agrees, the Murray State unique combination of blue and gold is probably the best-looking color combo you can find!
Racer Club
The Racer Club promotes and supports athletics through private gifts/resources to provide a first-class student-athlete experience. The Racer Club has seen unprecedented growth over the last three years, bringing in over $1,000,000 annually. These funds provided through numerous Racer Club initiatives fuel all 15 Murray State Athletics programs. In addition, Racer Club support facilitates capital facility projects and many enhancements critical to our collective success.
Racers Rally Program
Murray State Athletics launched the Racers Rally program, a great way for businesses to become partners with the Racers to be part of Racer Nation. Membership for the Racer Rally program is free and businesses can sign up online. Benefits of joining the Racer Rally Program include: yard signs, team schedule posters and window stickers. Murray State Athletics will deliver promotional items to each business that participates in the Racer Rally program. Sign Up
About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men’s teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women’s teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. The Racers became members of the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. The Racers will become a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023. The MSU rifle program competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
About Murray State University
Since 1922, Murray State University has provided a collaborative, opportunity-rich living and learning community that fosters personal growth and professional success through a high-quality college experience. Students receive support from inspiring faculty and staff and will join a distinctive campus community — the Racer Family. With nearly 10,000 students, Murray State prepares the next generation of leaders to join more than 80,000 successful alumni who make a difference in their community, across the country and around the world. We are Racers. The University’s main campus is located in Murray, Kentucky, and includes five regional campuses in Ft. Campbell, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Madisonville and Paducah.
About the Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference — the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I conference celebrates its 116th season in 2022-23. For the first time, the MVC will have 12 members as Belmont, UIC, and Murray State officially joined the Conference on July 1, 2022. It marks the first time the Conference has admitted three schools for the same season. Notably, MVC membership will stand at a league-high 12 members for the first time. League members include Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, UIC, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Murray State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso. Little Rock is an affiliate member in women’s swimming and diving; and SIU Edwardsville is an affiliate member in men’s soccer. The seeds for the creation of the Conference were planted by eight administrators representing five institutions, who met at the Midland Hotel in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 12, 1907. The five schools which formed the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association were Washington University of St. Louis, and the state universities of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Two months after the initial meeting, two more schools — Drake University and Iowa State College — were admitted. While The Valley no longer sponsors football (it did from 1907-85), seven league members compete in the sport at the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level as Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, UNI and Southern Illinois play in the 11-member Missouri Valley Football Conference (with North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Western Illinois and Youngstown State). That league competed as the Gateway Conference from 1985-2007.
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Clay Wagoner
Athletic Communications Assistant