Looking to guide his team to its fourth NCAA Tournament berth in the last five years, LMU volleyball head coach Tom Black recently added to the strength of the future program with the signing of Rachel Ritchie to a National Letter of Intent to play for LMU next fall.

Ritchie, a High Performance Southern California Regional team silver medalist, is listed on Prep Volleyball's Senior Aces list. Considered a six-rotation outside hitter, she garnered All-CIF Southern Section and Mater Dei Offensive Player of the Year after guiding her squad to the CIF Division 1AA Championship as a junior last year.

"We have anxiously been awaiting Rachel's commitment to our program, and are thrilled to be one step closer towards getting her on campus next fall," Black said. "Rachel is driven to see how good she can be on and off the court, and everyone in the volleyball community can see how far that has taken her already. She has a very strong all-around game, plays every point like it's her last; and most importantly, wants not only to be a part of LMU, but to be a reason it continues to climb. She's committed to learning and all the challenges and opportunities that entails. Her coaches have done an incredible job with her so far, and Rachel will join a strong promising young group of players already here. We can't wait to get started with her."

Ritchie began her high school career at San Juan Hills where she was listed on the AVCA Phenom List in each of her two seasons before attending Mater Dei. Now back at San Juan Hills as a senior, she is currently playing for the A4 Volleyball club and is not competing at the high school level. A USAV Junior National Open All-Tournament 17s selection, she helped her team to a fifth-place finish in the US Junior National Championships Open Division and a Gold at the Southern California Junior National Qualifier.