Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Blue Raiders sign transfers Victoria Matasova and Zhanel Rustemova
5/19/2026 11:15:00 AM | Women's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee announced Tuesday that it has added two transfers Victoria Matasova from Old Dominion and Zhanel Rustemova from Kansas State.
Rustemova, from Astana, Kazakhstan, showed her versatility at the 2025-26 Jayhawk Invitational. She went 2-0 in singles and split her doubles matches with Sasha Kyselova. Together, they edged out Iowa State's Kellner and Camblor in a close tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4). Rustemova's singles win over Kellner, 6-4, 7-5, showed her steady play, and her 6-1, 6-0 victory over Alicia Dale at No. 5 singles highlighted her aggressive approach. She and Kyselova also won 6-3 against Camblor and Shulzhenko in No. 2 doubles.
Matasova, from Malye Kabany, Russia, made her mark in 2025-26 after redshirting in 2023-24. She earned the Women's Tennis Elite Award and was named to the Doubles First Team All-Conference. Matasova is known for her strategic play. She finished with a 13-19 singles record on court two and a 14-13 doubles record with Kira Matushkina on court one. In the spring, she went 5-14 in singles and 8-9 in doubles, ending the season ranked in the ITA top 115.
Head coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall on the transfers:
"I am excited about the addition of Zhanel and Victoria to our Blue Raider family this fall. They will bring the depth and experience we need to bring our program back to one of the top teams in the conference. I am looking forward to working with them both."
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Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Tennis on social media on Facebook (BlueRaiderWomensTennis), X (MT_WomensTennis) and Instagram (mt_womenstennis).
Rustemova, from Astana, Kazakhstan, showed her versatility at the 2025-26 Jayhawk Invitational. She went 2-0 in singles and split her doubles matches with Sasha Kyselova. Together, they edged out Iowa State's Kellner and Camblor in a close tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4). Rustemova's singles win over Kellner, 6-4, 7-5, showed her steady play, and her 6-1, 6-0 victory over Alicia Dale at No. 5 singles highlighted her aggressive approach. She and Kyselova also won 6-3 against Camblor and Shulzhenko in No. 2 doubles.
Matasova, from Malye Kabany, Russia, made her mark in 2025-26 after redshirting in 2023-24. She earned the Women's Tennis Elite Award and was named to the Doubles First Team All-Conference. Matasova is known for her strategic play. She finished with a 13-19 singles record on court two and a 14-13 doubles record with Kira Matushkina on court one. In the spring, she went 5-14 in singles and 8-9 in doubles, ending the season ranked in the ITA top 115.
Head coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall on the transfers:
"I am excited about the addition of Zhanel and Victoria to our Blue Raider family this fall. They will bring the depth and experience we need to bring our program back to one of the top teams in the conference. I am looking forward to working with them both."
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Women's Tennis on social media on Facebook (BlueRaiderWomensTennis), X (MT_WomensTennis) and Instagram (mt_womenstennis).
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