NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers volleyball team will have another large influx of newcomers ahead of the 2023 season which starts on Friday in Atlanta. 12 student-athletes in total are new to Coach
Ashley Preston's squad this season.
Nine freshmen join three transfers for a squad that finished in the top 15 in the nation in digs per set during the 2022 campaign.
"I'm excited to have a very multi-faceted recruiting class," said Coach Preston who also had double-digit newcomers (10) in 2022. "We have tremendous depth with 12 new players which makes each practice more competitive than the last.
The signing class spanned the globe for this season with five international players.
Karen Cordero Barr is a graduate transfer from Delaware State and a native of Mexico who was part of a MEAC championship team in 2022 and previously an NJCAA All-American at Western Nebraska.
Two student-athletes from Turkey in
Buse Kocakaya and
Defne Eciroglu also joined the squad for this year. Kocakaya played two years at Barton CC and was part of a fourth place squad at the Turkish Championships in high school. Eciroglu was part of a province championship team prior to coming to the Lakefront.
Vera Beltrame hails from Italy and
Ola Filip comes from Poland. Beltrame previously played at Park University where she was second in school history in career assists per set with 11.91. Filip played in League 1 and was part of a bronze medal winning team in 2022.
A host of freshmen also join the fold for the Privateers ahead of their season which opens in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 25.
Jalynn Gunderson reached 400 kills and 100 digs in her senior year at Detroit Lakes in Minnesota.
Jamyra Tyler prepped locally at Warren Easton.
Ryan Williams was the all-time kills leader at William B. Travis and recorded 982 career kills.
Lani Alleman earned LVCA All-State honors twice at Assumption.
Tatiana Mercer earned Defensive MVP honors as a freshman in high school.
Ava Kennon was a four-time all-district selection at Glenda Dawson.
Elani Ratchkovska was First Team All-State and All-Region at Etowah.
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