By: Joseph Hovey
GILBERT, Ariz. — For the 15
th consecutive season, Kennesaw State women's tennis was recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as an All-Academic Team, the organization announced on July 13.
The ITA also recognized individual Owls
Ema Baraniakova,
Terezia Baraniakova,
Sofia Madrid,
Laura Nadaska,
Izabelle Persson and
Che Nel as Scholar-Athletes.
Collegiate tennis programs receive an ITA All-Academic Team award for achieving a minimum team GPA of 3.2 in the academic year. With a 2025-26 GPA of 3.73, KSU women's tennis continued an unbroken streak of team academic honors dating back to 2012.
Student-athletes qualify for an ITA Scholar-Athlete honor with a minimum academic year GPA of 3.5. Madrid and Nadaska led the Owls' recipients with a 4.0 mark in the classroom, while All-CUSA performer
Ema Baraniakova recorded a 3.92.
KSU now has 39 all-time recipients of 85 ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Madrid led the Owls with a 10-3 record, including 9-2 on court two, and entered the Conference USA Championship with a league-leading 10-match win streak. The senior from Neuquen, Argentina, adds her third career ITA Scholar-Athlete honor to a season in which she also garnered All-CUSA Second Team Doubles and College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District.
Ema Baraniakova's 9-6 court-one singles record and 11-6 doubles record landed her all-conference second-team spots in both categories of play. A two-time 2026 CUSA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week, Baraniakova and Madrid also paired up for Women's Doubles Team of the Week on April 1.
Nadaska, Persson and
Terezia Baraniakova combined to help KSU achieve an eight-match win streak in 2026, including a 4-3 defeat of Virginia Tech, the program's first-ever win over a power conference opponent.
The Champions Fund
The Champions Fund is a newly created, 100% tax deductible, philanthropic opportunity to contribute strategic revenue to Kennesaw State Athletics, with the goal of strengthening our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this new era of collegiate athletics. Contributions to the Champions Fund will help aid in funding student-athlete recruitment and retention, as well as helping the Owls provide competitive excellence through investments in coaching, travel and facilities. The fund will also give an elevated student-athlete experience, including enhanced academic, nutrition, wellness and leadership programs. Donate to the Champions Fund here and help us support our Kennesaw State Owls.
