Kate Koval: Ukrainian player transfers from LSU to Baylor after Russia controversy

Ukrainian basketball player Kate Koval has joined a new college team after leaving Louisiana State University because they had signed a Russian player.

Koval, 20, was granted a transfer waiver by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the request of LSU.

The waiver allowed Koval to join a new team despite the transfer window closing in April, and she has signed with Baylor University in Texas.

Koval played in all 35 of LSU's matches last season, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

But following the arrival of 17-year-old Anna Minaeva, it was announced that Koval had departed for "personal reasons" after her first season.

Koval then said that Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine was why she stepped away.

"My father serves in the Ukrainian military and takes tremendous pride in defending his country against Russian aggression," she wrote on Instagram.