NEW ORLEANS – The LSU New Orleans Privateers women's tennis team has added five student-athletes ahead of the 2026-27 season which will begin with a three-tournament fall campaign in October.
 
Zoe Thiele, who hails from Paris, has had strong performances at the Paris Championships. Last year, she was a semifinalist and in 2024, Thiele was a champion in team matches. Her UTR is 7.85 and has a French classification rating of 2/6.
 
Antonina Butrova is from Moscow, Russia and played her freshman season at Lindsey Wilson before transferring to the Privateers. Butrova has a best ranking of #70 on the junior circuit in Russia and was 3-0 in singles matches all against NAIA nationally ranked opponents.

Damla Arslan is a transfer from Morgan State where she was part of a team that won the MEAC championship last year and advanced to their first NCAA Regional since 2018. The native of Türkiye earned her first professional ITF singles main draw victory in Istanbul. She has also reached semifinals in multiple ITF doubles tournaments.
 
Yui Hashimoto, who comes from Japan, was the vice-captain of her high school tennis team. Hashimoto reached the round of 16 in singles at the National High School Tennis Selection Tournament in her freshman year. She also qualified for the Inter-High School Championships in doubles.

Miotisoa Rasendra Andrianantenaina comes from Madagascar where she has achieved a UTR of 8.50 and a highest ITF ranking of 197. Andrianantenaina has won seven titles on the ITF junior circuit and she was a finalist in the U18 African Junior Championship in 2023. She is a five-time national champion and represented Madagascar at the Billie Jean King Championships twice.

 
FROM COACH KANGA
"The players we have signed this year, there is no doubt in my mind they will strengthen us tremendously. Yui brings a lot to the table and she packs a big punch in her groundstrokes. She can volley and will be a big factor in singles and doubles. Antonina has impressive results and already brings collegiate experience. She is quick, smart and covers the court well. Zoe has been playing a lot of tournaments in France over the year and she's been competing well. She has a unique but effective game style. Damla played at flight three and four in Morgan State and was part of their conference championship last year. Miotisoa is the highest ranked junior we've recruited in the last couple of years. She's played a lot on the ITF circuit and will add a lot to our team."
 
The Privateers begin their fall campaign on Oct. 2 with the Big Easy Fall Classic.
 
ABOUT LSU NEW ORLEANS
In July of 2026 the University of New Orleans rejoined the LSU system and rebranded to "LSU New Orleans" bringing together two powerful brands - the purple and gold of LSU with the unbreakable spirit of New Orleans. The transition marks a return to the LSU family for the University - a place it called home from 1958-2011. Athletic teams will remain the Privateers and continue to compete in the Southland Conference.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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