NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion women's basketball head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones announced the signing of Ivana Nikolova as part of the Monarchs' 2023 recruiting class on Tuesday morning. A 6-foot-2 guard/forward from Samokov, Bulgaria, Nikolova comes to Norfolk from Chipola College.
"She's a versatile guard/forward that has a great feel for the game," said Milton-Jones. "She can play on the inside with great versatility and footwork and finishes strong around the basket, but when on the perimeter, she shoots the ball with great accuracy and makes shots."
Nikolova made eight starts and played in 23 games for the Indians in the 2022-23 season, averaging 8.4 points per game while shooting 36.2 percent from the field. She scored in double figures eight times, to include a season-high 19 points in a 106-43 win over Georgia Highlands College on Nov. 12. She previously attended Cal Poly as a freshman in 2020-21, appearing in 13 games for the Mustangs.
She attended Konstantin Fotinov School in Samokov and played for Bulgaria's U-16, U-18 and U-20 national teams at the FIBA European Championships. After taking second place at the 2018 U-18 Bulgarian Championship, Nikolova helped lead her team to a fourth-place finish in the Bulgarian League in 2019. She averaged 20.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.6 steals while shooting 52.3 percent from inside the arc in 2019-20. Named the Best Young Player of the Country at the Vanya Voynova Tournament in 2018, she also earned a Best Five Award after averaging 25.8 points and 14.4 rebounds at the U-18 Games. She won a gold medal at the FIBA U-20 Women's European Championship in 2019 and was called up to the Bulgarian Senior National Team for the EuroBasket Women's Qualifiers.
Why ODU?
"I chose ODU because of the remarkable coaching staff, the welcoming environment within the team, and the competitive and highly respected women's basketball program that consistently strives for excellence on and off the court," said Nikolova.
Women’s Basketball Adds Nikolova to 2023 Signing Class
