GREENVILLE, S.C. - Furman women’s tennis standout Katarina Kozarov has been honored as a 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I All-American for singles, as announced by the organization today. Thirty singles players and 16 doubles teams earned the distinction. In singles, the title is given to student-athletes who earn a top 16 seed in the NCAA singles championship, advance to the round of 16 at the NCAA championship, or finish in the top 20 of the final ITA singles rankings.
The three-time reigning SoCon Player of the Year, Kozarov, a native of Novi Sad, Serbia, garnered just the third All-American citation in the history of the Furman women’s tennis program and becomes the first Paladin to earn the distinction twice in her career. Laura Gioia was honored as an All-American in 2009.
“We are thrilled for Katarina to become the first two-time All American in school history,” said Furman head coach Adam Herendeen. “When she committed to coming back for her fifth year, this is exactly the kind of season that we had planned. Her impact on our program is immeasurable, and we could not be more proud of everything that she has helped our program achieve. We are excited to see all she will achieve in the future.”
Kozarov, who rose as high as seventh in this year’s national singles rankings, was the only seeded player not from a Power 5 school at last month’s NCAA singles championship. A first team all-conference selection for both singles and doubles, she made her second individual singles championship appearance after earning the league’s automatic bid. She notched a 23-1 record at flight one singles in the spring of 2021 with eight victories over ranked opponents and was a perfect 7-0 in league play.
Kozarov helped the Paladins rewrite the record books during the spring of 2021, as Furman put together a 21-7 overall record and 7-0 SoCon mark with victories over Alabama, No. 16 Wake Forest, No. 18 South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Clemson. The Paladins rose as high as 23rd in the ITA national rankings, marking the highest ranking in program history. Furman, which won the SoCon regular season championship, claimed its fourth-consecutive and 20th overall tournament championship and made its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Championships.