Among those joining Shawnee’s Grace Freiberger for her signing a national letter of intent Wednesday to play volleyball at the University of Toledo were, from left, brother Toby, mom, Jodi, Grace, and dad, John.
Mike Purdy | The Lima News
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — Shawnee’s Grace Freiberger, Derek Lyons and Matthew Owen signed their college letters of intent Wednesday.
Freiberger will be playing volleyball at the University of Toledo.
“I went there and visited,” Freiberger said. It seemed like a great environment, Their team. their coaches and everything about it seemed like a .. fit for me. Another bonus is my brother (Toby) goes there. It’s nice to keep the family close.”
Freiberger said contact was made with UT during summer camps.
“From her freshman year she just continued to build on her success and then when it got super serious was probably that summer before her junior year,” Shawnee varsity volleyball coach Brooke Hutchins said. “Beyond sets and matches, I think her offseason, summer season, preseason workout just separated her from the rest. She deserves it 100 percent.”
Freiberger also got the opportunity to play with other players with D-II and D-I talent and, according to Hutchins, “she was like ‘I can do this.’”
This past season, Freiberger was a member of Shawnee’s first-ever Western Buckeye League championship volleyball team, going 9-0 in league matches. The Indians also secured a Division II championship and finished 24-2 overall.
Freiberger was named the WBL player of the year and All-District 8 defensive player of the year and first team all-district.
“As this chapter ended, I was very sad,” Freiberger said. “I’m excited to start a new one. Ever since I stepped on the floor in third grade I knew I wanted to do this for as long as I could. Just never stop. It’s always been volleyball, volleyball, volleyball. I just never want to quit.”
“If you have ever watched a set or a match with Grace Frieberger, she is just fearless in the backcourt,” Hutchins said. “She has a high volleyball IQ (with) her ability to read the net, read where the ball is coming from, read the opposing team. She put herself everywhere at the right time.”
Hutchins appreciated “the grit that she displayed. Never backing down. Never afraid to sacrifice her body. Defensively, she just was almost like a human garbage disposal.
Freiberger plans to go into graphic design.
“I’m big into photography.”
Lyons will be attending the University of Northwestern Ohio where he will play baseball. He was second team all-WBL his junior season.
Owen will be playing golf for the Bluffton University. This past season Shawnee went 9-0 in WBL matches and also won the league tournament. the Indians also reached D-I districts. Owen made first team all-WBL.
