Valparaiso men's tennis coach Jim Daugherty announced today that the Crusader program had received National Letters of Intent during the early signing period from Dave Bacalla, Kyle Dunn and Jeffrey Schorsch, all of whom will join the Crusaders as freshmen in the fall of 2013. All three players are ranked among the top-150 in the nation and among the top-20 in the region and are all four-star recruits, according to tennisrecruiting.net.

"I think this is one of the best recruiting classes that we've had in my 27 years of coaching the Valparaiso men's tennis team," said Daugherty. "We picked up three really solid players who I expect to come in and make a big impact right away. They are all tremendously gifted all-court players who will contribute to both singles and doubles. This is a big step forward in our quest to win the Horizon League Championship. This is a great day for our program."

Bacalla comes to Valpo from Niles North H.S. in Skokie, Ill. A three-time All-Conference and All-State selection, Bacalla has finished within the top-16 of the Illinois H.S. state championship on three occasions. He has won three USTA National B18 Regional doubles championships, reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 B16 doubles hard court championship and took third place at the 2011 USTA National Open B16 doubles championship. Bacalla also earned third-place finishes at the 2012 USTA Midwest B18 January designated championship and the 2012 USTA Midwest section Level 1 B18 Fall closed championship, and played at the B18 National hard court and clay court championships. He currently is ranked fourth in his class in the state of Illinois, ninth in the Great Lakes region and 81st nationally.

"Dave has one of the best all-court games I have seen in years," said Daugherty. "He is solid in all areas of his game, but continues to improve week-by-week as he zeros in on the right balance of attack. His doubles game is phenomenal as well."

Dunn comes to Valpo from Fond du Lac H.S. in Fond du Lac, Wis. Dunn has made a pair of appearances in the top-16 of the Wisconsin H.S. state championship and has won a pair of conference championships. He won the 2012 Wisconsin Midwest Qualifier B18 title and competed at the 2012 Wisconsin Davis Cup B18 championship. Dunn also was a member of Team Midwest at the World Team Tennis Junior Championship, helping the squad to a second-place finish. Dunn previously won the doubles championship at the 2011 Midwest Level 3, and took sixth place at the 2009 USTA B14 National Open. He currently is ranked fourth in his class in the state of Wisconsin, 18th in the Great Lakes Region and 144th nationally.

"Kyle is one of the most tenacious competitors I have seen on a tennis court," said Daugherty. "He has a solid defensive game, but is a great all-court player who can hurt you coming into the net as well."

Schorsch comes to Valpo from Perrysburg H.S. in Perrysburg, Ohio. Schorsch was a two-time singles champion at the "Little Mo" North American tournament in 2004 and 2005, and captained a USA squad which played against a European squad in Croatia in 2005. He owns two USTA National Open doubles titles and twice was a USTA National Open finalist. Schorsch also twice won the Ann Arbor Jr Open Division, and also earned the crown at the Midwest Open. He also took the title at the Regional Segment of the USTA National Open in 2012. Schorsch has qualified for the Ohio H.S. state championships each year he has played, and has been a First Team All-State selection. He is currently ranked third in his class in the state of Ohio, 14th in the Great Lakes region and 115th nationally.

"What struck me about Jeffrey is that when he visited our campus and we discussed what was important to him, he said that being in a team environment where he is not only playing for himself, but for the University and his teammates," said Daugherty.  "Jeffrey had an amazing career in the juniors as he was ranked as high as #1 in the nation.  He possesses one of the most versatile and well-rounded games of any prospect in the country."