Fourth-year Northern Illinois head women's tennis coach Ryun Ferrell added two more players to his 2010-2011 roster, with the official signings of Haley Dekkinga and Ilse Pacheco to national letters of intent. Both players will have four years of eligibility at NIU beginning in the 2010 fall semester.
"We're extremely happy about this recruiting class, and the abilities that they bring to the table," said Ferrell. "They are both very smart players that love to keep the ball in play and wear opponents down. That's how we've focused our recruiting in recent years. Both Haley and Ilse will be key additions to our program, and we're glad to make them Huskies."
Dekkinga is in her senior year at Allegan High School in Allegan, Mich., where she plays for head coach Jennifer Aldrich. Currently ranked as the No. 10 player in Michigan and 281st nationally by TennisRecruiting.net, Dekkinga has earned Division 3 First Team All-State honors all three years in high school.
"Haley is fast, competitive, and plays all over the court," Ferrell said. "She reminds me a lot of Brittni Fausett, who is a freshman in our program this season, and had a great fall season. Haley plays with a ton of energy, and that becomes infectious. She is the type of player we want to have lead our program, and the fact that she signed here really shows that things are heading in the right direction."
The 5-foot-7 left-hander is a three-time, No. 1 singles conference champion and holds the school record for 6-0, 6-0 decisions (15) in a season. Voted team captain for the 2009-10 season by her teammates, Dekkinga has helped guide Allegan to three-straight conference championships, a regional championship and two state runner-up finishes. With Dekkinga slotted at the No. 1 singles position, Allegan is undefeated in conference play over the last three seasons.
Dekkinga was voted team MVP for her junior season after posting a 25-5 overall record and helping Allegan finish fourth in state. She also made an impressive run to the MHSAA state semifinals and was named one of the "Top 5 players" to watch for the 2009-10 season in Western Michigan by the Kalamazoo Gazette.
A three-time All-State Academic selection, Dekkinga is a member of the National Honor Society and has made the Honor Roll every semester with a 4.0 grade-point-average. She plans to study Pre-Med at NIU and hopes to be a physician's assistant.
