NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head women's tennis coach Maja Kovacek announced the hiring of Thiago Dualiby as the program's graduate assistant coach Monday.
"I'm really excited for Thiago to join the ISU family," Kovacek said. "He will be instrumental in our player development efforts this fall. His extensive coaching experience, positive energy and enthusiasm for the game will be great assets to our program."
Dualiby served as an assistant coach for the Fairleigh Dickinson men's and women's tennis teams during the 2012-13 season where he helped both programs earn Northeast Conference Tournament championships. Dualiby was involved in all areas of the programs, including administrative duties, planning, budgeting, recruiting and coaching.
"I want to thank head coach Maja Kovacek for selecting me to be her graduate assistant," Dualiby said. "I could notice right away how much she cares for the team and the program, so it is a great honor to be part of this staff. I look forward to spending my next years at Illinois State working tirelessly to make the program and the players' experience as rewarding and successful as possible."
Dualiby recently completed three seasons with Sportime, in East Quogue, New York, first as tennis camp director, and then, as senior tennis professional, while also assisting with overall tennis operations. During the summer of 2012, Dualiby worked as an assistant tennis department head at Camp Vega in Fayette, Maine, where he evaluated performance of athletes and provided reports. He also helped train camp staff.
Prior to Camp Vega, Dualiby worked at Mount Olive College as an assistant tennis coach during the 2012 season. Dualiby helped the Trojans win the 2012 conference championship.
Dualiby got his start in coaching as a tennis pro at Camp Vega during the summer of 2009 and held the position for the next two summers, eventually becoming assistant department head.
A Sao Paulo, Brazil, native, Dualiby played collegiately at Martin Methodist College, an NAIA school in Pulaski, Tennessee, before finishing his career at Division II Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, North Carolina.
Dualiby, who is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, graduated from Mount Olive College in May of 2012 with degrees in business management and environmental science. Dualiby is certified as an Elite Professional by the U.S. Professional Tennis Association (USPTA).
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