Northwestern State volleyball head coach Sean Kiracofe announced the addition of two more players to the 2023 squad on Friday afternoon.
The latest pair to join the NSU volleyball family are incoming freshman libero Lorelei Freling and ULM transfer pin hitter Tessa Gerwig.
A Denton, Texas native, Gerwing spent this past season at ULM where she made 16 starts and appeared in all 32 matches for the Warhawks. She was third on the team with 193 kills, a 1.89 per set average, and third with 35 total blocks during her first collegiate season.
Gerwig established her season-best kill total in her second career match, collecting 16 against Fairleigh Dickinson on opening weekend. She matched the total during conference play against UL-Lafayette in late October. She had seven total double-digit kill matches on the season, four coming against conference foes.
In two matches against the Demons a year ago Gerwig totaled 18 kills and five total blocks as the two teams split a pair of five-set matches.
The 6-foot attacker was a four-time first-team all-district player at Denton High School where she posted 345 kills, 132 digs and 127 blocks during her final prep year. She added first-team selections from the Denton Record-Chronicle, Prep Dig Texas Top 150 honors, AVCA All-American Watchlist selection and multiple all-tournament teams to her award collection as a senior.
Gerwig was named the TAPPS Newcomer of the Year after her freshman season, earned TAPPS 4A second-team all-state honors as a sophomore and helped lead her team to a 5A regional semifinal as a junior.
A quality student and defender, Freling bolsters an already stout NSU back row.
A three-year starter, the Ruston libero earned first-team all-district/division honors in her final two seasons with more than 800 digs in those two years. She was also named the Division I District II MVP following her senior season with 383 digs and 60 aces helping the Bearcats to the regional round of the playoffs.
Freling earned first-team libero honors from the Shreveport Times and Monroe News State as a junior and was named to the LHSCA West All-Star team as a senior and an LVCA All-State selection as well.
She was the highest honor graduate in her class at Ruston finishing with all A’s throughout high school earing her four-year honor roll and principal’s list as well as LHSAA Academic All-State honors. She was also a member of the National Honor Society council, an FCA leader, freshman Bearcat mentor and member of the Keywanettes Girl’s Service Club.
