LOS ANGELES – The Loyola Marymount University beach volleyball team will add two new athletes to the roster, as Aliisa Vuorinen and Isabelle Reffel have signed their National Letters of Intent, while Iya Lindahl has signed as a transfer to play beach volleyball for the 2021 season, announced by head coach John Mayer this week. 
 
"We are so thrilled to be adding Aliisa, Isabelle and Iya to our team next season," said Mayer. "We feel like we're going to have a roster that can compete for a National Championship."
 
Lindahl comes to LMU from the University of California, where she went 9-1 her senior season from the No. 1 position and had two victories over ranked teams including No. 5 USC and No. 19 Arizona State. 
 
The San Diego Calif., native tallied up 65 wins and compiled a winning percentage of .663, ranking sixth in program history. Standing at 5-8, Lindahl holds Cal's record for winning percentage at the No. 1 spot, making her a member of the two best pairs in program history. 
 
"We feel so fortunate to be adding Iya, said Mayer. "She was having an unbelievable season playing at the 1's at Cal before the season got cut short. Thankfully, we get the opportunity to coach her next season. Iya is a volleyball rat - she eats, breathes, and dreams about the game. Her hunger to excel is contagious and will be such a valuable influence on our team. She's already had success on the AVP tour and we want to help prepare her to continue to rise in the professional ranks." 
 
Vuorinen comes to Los Angeles from Helsinki, Finland, where she won the silver medal in the 2019 Women's Finnish Championships and a bronze medal in the 2018 Women's Finnish Championships. Vuorinen also placed seventh at the Youth European Event in 2017. 
 
"Aliisa is a really dynamic defender that has the ability to score both inside out and in transition," said Mayer. "She's already had valuable experience playing on the FIVB world tour and will come in ready to make an impact right away. Aliisa's biggest strength is her desire to be excellent. She has big goals in the sport and we hope to help her achieve them." 
 
Reffel comes to LMU from Vallentuna, Sweeden, where she scored more than 20 points across four games. Standing at 6-1, Reffel averaged 3.92 points a set and had a .325 attack percentage, while averaging .55 service aces per set. 
 
Along with competing on the Lions 2021 beach volleyball team, Reffel will also join LMU's 2020 indoor volleyball roster.  
 
"Isabelle is a high-flying athlete," said Mayer. "She can create angles as an attacker that are really tough to defend. On top of that, she has great ball control. She receives serve at a high level and also handsets really consistently. Most importantly she is a learner, she wants to grow and improve which is a huge strength and the biggest value in our program."