COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Noelle Malley and
Tiffany Dittmer have signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to play for the Ohio State women's tennis team beginning in 2010-11,
Chuck Merzbacher, Ohio State head coach, announced. The Buckeyes showed their ability to once again find elite talent on a national scale in Malley, who hails from Missouri, and on a global scale in Dittmer, who will come to Ohio State from Germany.
"We are very pleased to announce the signing of Tiffany Dittmer and Noelle Malley," Merzbacher said. "These two individuals bring a strong work ethic and vast tournament experience to our program. This is a very strong recruiting class that will allow us to continue to climb up the national rankings. This class will make an immediate impact on our program."
Malley is a five-star recruit ranked No. 70 in the 2010 recruiting class by tennisrecruiting.net and No. 2 in the state of Missouri. In 2009, she reached the quarterfinals of the USTA National Open Girls 18's in doubles in Cincinnati and was a part of the winning duo in the USTA Missouri Valley Super Girls 18's doubles. Malley, ranked No. 99 in the current Girls 18's, is familiar with her upcoming Big Ten competition, winning against multiple current Big Ten players including Kate Turvy of Northwestern and Taylor Fournier of Michigan.
"Noelle comes to us out of the KC United Tennis Academy, which is one of the top tennis academies in the nation," Merzbacher said. "She is constantly competing in tournaments and working hard on her game. Noelle's game is simply suited for the collegiate game. She has the ability to control every shot and then finish points at the right opportunity."
Dittmer, who attends high school at Gymnasium Hochrad Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany, will come from abroad to contribute to the Buckeyes next season. She has posted an impressive resume, including three-consecutive first place finishes in the Hamburg Girls Championships and a third place finish in 2008 in the Hamburg Women's Championships. She was a member of eight Hamburg Girl's championship squads and is ranked No. 45 in Germany for girls under 18, as well as No. 3 in Hamburg.
"Tiffany has an outstanding record which is evident in the German girl's junior and women's rankings," Merzbacher said. "I was very impressed with her tennis ability, positive attitude and work ethic. She can play the long points as needed but with her talent level, she can hit a winner off both the forehand and backhand sides."
Merzbacher is excited for both Malley and Dittmer to become a part of the Buckeye squad.
"Above all, these two women are very good students and work hard in the classroom as well as on the court," Merzbacher said. "I see them being future leaders as they progress through their years as Buckeyes."
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