SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga women's tennis head coach Natalie Pluskota-Hamberg announced the addition of graduate transfer Luana Avelar, who arrives in Spokane after a standout career at Colorado State University. A native of Patos de Minas, Brazil, Avelar will pursue a graduate degree in Business Analytics at Gonzaga University.

"We're excited to welcome Luana to the Zag family," Pluskota-Hamberg said. "Her relentless work ethic, positive attitude, and high tennis IQ make her a tremendous addition to our program. Luana brings a contagious energy and competitive mindset that will elevate those around her, and we're confident she'll make an immediate impact both on the court and within our team culture."

"So excited for this new chapter of my life and beyond thankful for the opportunity to be part of the Zag family," Avelar said.

Avelar comes to the Zags with an impressive resume, highlighted by an All-Mountain West Conference doubles season in 2025-26. After missing the previous year due to injury, she returned to post a 16-5 doubles record with partner Sorcha Caves, including a 6-1 mark in league play. She finished the year 17-14 overall in doubles and played every spring dual match at No. 1 singles, going 11-12 and earning a ranked win over Minnesota's Aiva Schmitz.

As a sophomore in 2023-24, Avelar continued her upward trajectory, closing the year at the No. 3 singles position with a 13-15 overall record. She was especially strong late in the season, winning all of her singles matches at the Mountain West Conference tournament, including the clinching victory over Wyoming in the quarterfinals. In doubles, she and partner Logan Voeks ended the season with a three-match win streak at the conference tournament, earning All-Tournament honors. She also collected Academic All-Mountain West recognition.

Avelar made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2022-23, finishing 15-9 in singles and 6-5 in doubles. She began her collegiate career by winning her first three singles matches and showed strong consistency throughout the season.

Prior to college, Avelar trained in Florida and reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of 328. She owns singles victories over one blue-chip recruit and 12 players rated as four- or five-star prospects, and she has captured multiple junior titles in both singles and doubles on the international circuit.Avelar will join the Bulldogs for the 2025-26 season.