FORT MYERS, Fla.- After anchoring the back line for the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers over the past two seasons, libero Viktoriya Ivanova is headed to the Division I level, signing her National Letter of Intent to play at Gonzaga University next season. 

 

Ivanova has started 42 matches during her FSW career and will leave as the program's all-time leader in digs at season's end.  Heading into the 2021 postseason, Ivanova has 571 career digs, pulling it up off the floor at a clip of just under 4 per set during her two year stay in Fort Myers.  She has reached double digit in digs 17 times this season in 20 matches and 33 times during her career.  Five times she has notched 20 or more digs in a match including a career high 26 earlier this season against #2 Odessa.  Also excellent at the service line, Ivanova is the Bucs' all-time ace leader with 62 and has also notched 125 assists for FSW.  

 

She will join a Zags program who is 4-10 this year in the always tough West Coast Conference that features the likes of Pepperdine, BYU, and San Diego all of which are in the latest AVCA Top 25.  Ivanova should have a chance to compete for playing time right away for the Bulldogs as both of Gonzaga's top two defensive specialists this season are in their senior seasons in Spokane.  

 

Ivanova and the Bucs are 16-4 and ranked 7th nationally heading into the 2021 postseason. The Suncoast Conference Champion Bucs have drawn the #2 seed for the upcoming FCSAA State Tournament which will feature six teams ranked in the NJCAA's Top 20 and three who finished in the top six at the NJCAA National Tournament a season ago.  

 

Ivanova is one of five NCAA Division I signees on the Bucs roster this season joining Julia De Sa (James Madison), Yasso Amin (UTEP), Kianie Cummings (East Carolina), and Amanda Mendes (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), as well as Giovanna Bello who signed at NAIA #2 Park University.  

 

Stay tuned to FSWBucs.com the rest of the week as we continue to highlight the Bucs 2021 sophomore signees.