HAMMOND, La. – Five student-athletes will continue their academic and athletic endeavors as members of the Southeastern Louisiana University women's tennis program beginning with the 2022-23 season, SLU head coach Jason Hayes announced on Tuesday.
 
The newest groups of Lions include a pair of true freshmen in Bente Bierma (Koudekerke, The Netherlands) and Panatchakorn "Fresh" Suanarsa (Nakhonsawan, Thailand). Hayes also announced the addition of transfers Gabrielle Dekkers (Ammerzoden, The Netherlands/Utah State), Alba Perez (Valencia, Spain/Lamar) and Carla del Barrio (Vigo, Spain/Nevada).
 
"This will be our deepest team we've had with the combination of returners and newcomers we have," Hayes commented. "We're excited about the caliber of players we've added and believe we can compete for a Southland Conference championship."
 
Bierma is the younger sister of 2022-23 SLU senior Flory Bierma. Ranked No. 7 in the Dutch national rankings, Bierma advanced to both the Tennis Europe singles and doubles finals in Amsterdam.
 
"Bente is a very strong player and her addition will really help us," Hayes commented. "We're adding someone who can be a winning performer for us with the added bonus of allowing two sisters to player together for the Lions."
 
Suanarsa is currently ranked 16^th in the Thai national rankings. She finished third in the national games this season and her UTR has been as high as 8.37.
 
"We loved everything we saw from her," Hayes said. "She steadily improved throughout the recruiting process and we're expecting her to have a lot of success here in Hammond."
 
Dekkers will come to SLU after spending four years at Utah State. During her time with the Aggies, she cracked the program's top 10 for fall singles and doubles single-season victories, while twice earning All-Mountain West Conference academic honors.
 
"When Gabrielle entered the transfer portal, (SLU assistant coach) Dalina (Dahlmans) was familiar with her and said we needed to go get her," Hayes commented. "She has one year of eligibility remaining and we expect her to have an immediate positive impact."
 
Perez led the Cardinals with 11 wins, including an 8-2 Southland mark in 2021. She posted a 10-6 record in singles play this past spring.
 
"We're familiar with Alba and her ability to win matches in the Southland Conference," Hayes said. "She's 3-0 against us in singles play over the spring and the fall, so we know that's she's a fighter."
 
Rounding out the additions is del Barrio. She comes to Hammond after spending three seasons with the Wolfpack.
 
"Carla was very highly-ranked player coming out of high school," Hayes stated. "She played No. 1 doubles for Nevada and her experience will be an asset for us."
 
40 LOVE CLUB
All membership fees and donations to both the 40 Love Club and S Club (tennis) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern tennis program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
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