May 1, 2012 – The Hillsdale College women’s tennis program is entering its second revival season in 2012, and head coach Nikki Dzubay will be adding three players to the program this fall.

Joining the tennis program this fall are: Sydney Delp (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic), Lindsay Peirce (St. Joseph, Mich.) and Rachel Blaauw (South Holland, Ill./Illiana Christian).

"Each of these girls will add strength and depth to our line up for next fall," Dzubay said. "These recruits are not just great athletes but all three are exceptional students and stand out individuals. Our tennis team will be looking to meet big goals for next season and this recruiting class is going to help us get there."

Delp will join her older sister Morgan on the Charger tennis team, and is a second-generation athlete. Her father Cleves played baseball at Hillsdale in the 1980s. Like her older sister, Sydney is coming off an outstanding tennis career, where she racked up many honors as both a singles and doubles player.

She was a two-year captain of the Fighting Irish, and in 2011, was the runner-up in singles competition at the league, sectional and district levels. She was the Toledo City League champion at #2 singles in 2009 and 2010, and earned First-Team All-Toledo City League honors three times. A two-time team captain, Delp qualified for the state tournament in doubles three times and singles once. She also won two sectional doubles championships and two district doubles championships, both in 2009 and 2010. She put together an undefeated singles season in 2009. She was a key part to her team winning its first-ever Toledo City League championships in 2009 and 2010.

Delp also played varsity basketball and softball at Central Catholic, and was the basketball program’s first-ever two-year team captain. As a softball player, Delp led her team to sectional championships in 2009 and 2011 and the 2009 district title. She won the 2010 Golden Glove Award and the 2011 Silver Stick Award. She led the Toledo City League in batting average as a junior (.357).

Delp plans to also play for the Charger women’s basketball team when the tennis season is over.

Away from the athletic fields, Delp was the Sideline Spirit Club President, a member of the National Honor Society, an anchor on the Irish News Network and was involved with student government.

Peirce was a regional champion while competing for St. Joseph High School on the west side of Michigan. She was twice named First-Team All-State and was a state-qualifier three times during her career. She spent three seasons as the team’s No. 1 singles player and was named team MVP three times. Peirce was a two-time conference champion, named First-Team All-Conference twice and was individually named Academic All-State on two occasions.

Her team won a regional championship during her career, and earned academic All-State recognition.

Peirce has a 2-star rating according to TennisRecruiting.net and has been ranked as high as 25th in the state, among the top 200 in the Midwest and the top 500 in the nation. Her St. Joseph-area USTA tennis team finished in 7th place at a 2009 national tournament.

Peirce also played four years of varsity basketball for the Bears. She was a three-year captain and was twice named First-Team All-Conference on the hardwood.

Away from athletics, Peirce earned a high school overall grade point average of 3.95, and was named to the Principal’s Honor Roll and received the Academic Letter four times in four years. She was a class officer, part of the St. Joseph High School Symphony Orchestra, where she once performed at Carnegie Hall, and volunteered at the Lakeland Regional Medical Center, The Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor, the Curious Kids Museum and at Habitat for Humanity. She also worked as a youth tennis instructor at the South Shore Health & Racquet Club.

Peirce’s mother Amy Porritt-Peirce played basketball for four years at Purdue University.

Blaauw follows two older siblings, Cameron and Kaylyn, as a Hillsdale College athlete. They both ran for the Charger track and cross country teams, and graduated in May 2010 and 2012, respectively.

Blaauw earned three varsity tennis letters during her prep career, and twice qualified for the state tournament in doubles. She was her conference’s #2 singles champion in 2010 and 2011 and earned First-Team All-Conference honors in both seasons.

She has three years’ experience playing in the USTA Intermediate Junior Tennis League, and was part of a team that finished second at a national tournament in Arizona. She has worked in her hometown area as a tennis instructor for four years, teaching children as old as 15 the finer points of the game. She also earned varsity letters in soccer and track during her prep career.

In the classroom, Blaauw has been selected to the high honor roll three times, and was also involved in the Praise Crowd Committee, which gathers students to learn about God after various school events. Her mother Karen is a tennis instructor in Chicago’s south suburbs.