Dejean twins a package deal for Bradley

The Dejean twins will continue playing volleyball together in college.

Neuqua Valley senior defensive specialists Rachelle and Genevieve Dejean verbally committed to Bradley earlier this week.

The sisters accepted a package deal made by the Braves. One will receive a full scholarship and the other will receive about 50 to 75 percent of one when athletic and academic scholarship money are combined.

That's perfect for the Dejeans, who wanted to stick together.

"We're really close," Rachelle said. "We definitely could have had the option of going separately, but I think that we're used to playing with each other and pushing each other."

"Even before we talked to any college coaches or anything like that I knew I wanted to go to school with Rachelle," Genevieve said. "Even when we were younger I knew that was something I wanted to do because she's always been there for me."

The Dejeans received a lesser offer from Illinois State and also received interest from Butler and Valparaiso. However, they not only liked Bradley's substantial offer, but they also enjoyed their experience of attending the Braves camp last summer in Peoria.

They were impressed by Bradley coach Scott Luster and assistant Sarah Ohnemus.

"We just liked their coaching style a lot and we're excited to play for them," Rachelle said. "The girls are really nice and they're also really good. We scrimmaged with them and things seemed to really click."

Neither is sure about a major, though Rachelle is interested in multimedia arts and Genevieve is considering psychology. Both are Indian Prairie Scholars. Rachelle owns a GPA of 3.9 and Genevieve a 3.7.

The sisters feel good about their decision.

"We're really happy," Genevieve said. "We just think this is the perfect opportunity for us."