MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University head women's tennis coach Jon Parker announced on Thursday five student-athletes have recently signed letters of intent to continue their academic and tennis careers at SMSU.
 
Joining the SMSU program this fall include Abbey Agra, from Emerald Isle, N.C., Skylar Mendro from Pipestone, Minn., Marisol Palacio from Pflugerville, Texas, Joana Reis Indio from Lisbon, Portugal, and Kristina Vuksanovic from Prokuplje, Servia.
 
Agra is a transfer from the University of Mount Olive (N.C.) where she played two seasons and twice earned ITA All-Academic honors. She is a 2019 graduate of Croatan High School where she was named all-conference and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
 
Mendro is a 2021 graduate of Pipestone Area High School. She played No. 1 doubles as a senior and earned all-conference honorable mention honors. Mendro also played basketball and softball for Pipestone.
 
Palacio is a 2021 graduate of Pflugerville High School where she was a team captain and was named the team's most valuable player. An academic all-state honoree, she was named all-district in both doubles and singles during her senior season and closed her career with more than 100 victories.
 
Reis Indio is a 2021 graduate of Escola Fonseca Benevides High School. She was ranked among the top 20 in the U18 national rankings and was a regional and national D2 senior champion in 2020.
 
Vuksanovic is a transfer from Salem University (W. Va.) where she played four seasons. She played both singles and doubles during the 2021 season. She is a 2017 graduate of Druga Eknomska Skola High School in Belgrade, Serbia.
 
The SMSU tennis program has now signed six student-athletes for the upcoming 2021-22 season. The five recent signings join Roz Oey from Luverne, Minn., who signed last November.
 
SMSU is coming off one of its most successful seasons in nearly 15 years last spring, closing with a 9-8 overall record, including 8-3 in NSIC play. The third-place regular season finish was the program's highest since 2008, while the semifinal appearance in the NSIC Tournament was its first since the 2009 season. SMSU's winning record was just its third since the 1998 season.
 
Southwest Minnesota State University, located in Marshall, is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.