Dec. 9, 2010

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Loyola Marymount volleyball and Head Coach Tom Black announced the signing of three volleyball standouts as part of a strong recruiting class for the 2011 season. Alphabetically listed, the class consists of Caitlin DeWitt (Pleasanton, Calif./Foothill High School), Litara Keil (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly High School), and Ashley Maxfeldt (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Bonita High School).

"We are very excited for this class," Black said. "This is a class that we had a little bit of time to develop, as it is our first full recruiting class coming in. We think they bring us a ton of depth and add some components to our game that we definitely need in terms of serving and passing, and they provide some firepower at different positions. The players have all displayed a ton of passion and commitment to getting better every day, and that is another thing we really want in our program. Overall we are very excited to see what these players bring to LMU and how much better they make us."

DeWitt, a member of City Beach Volleyball Club, most recently guided Foothill High School to the North Coast Section Division I title, garnering NCS MVP along the way. The East Bay League's MVP, she was named first team All-League for the second straight season. The 5'11 outside hitter helped her team to a 35-5 overall mark in 2010, including a 12-2 record in league to claim first place. DeWitt earned a spot on the High Performance U.S. Women's Junior A2 Program roster in 2009 and 2010, earning Tournament Best Attacker honors in 2010.

According to Black, "we are extremely excited to have Caitlin join our program. She is a real physical and hard-hitting outside that we really need on the left here at LMU. She has had a lot of success in high school and at the club level, and she plays with a lot of passion."

Keil most recently helped Long Beach Poly to a No. 1 ranking in the state of California during the 2010 season, while also ranking as high as No. 11 nationally according to Maxpreps.com. A three-time first team All-Moore League selection, Keil and Long Beach Poly finished as the runner-up at the CIF Division I Championship this year. Claiming All-CIF Southern Section honors in each of her last three seasons, Keil was also tabbed All-Tournament at the prestigious Durango Tournament as a senior.

"Litara is another highly successful high school and club player at the middle blocker spot," said Black. "She gives us a real strong slide attack, which is a component that we need going forward. As are the others in this class, Litara is a competitive kid who is driven to be really good."


Maxfeldt, the Division III CIF Player of the Year in 2009, earned Miramonte League Most Valuable Player honors as a junior at Bonita High School. A first team All-League selection in all four of her varsity seasons at Bonita, she was listed (#92) on the Senior Aces Top-100 volleyball players list in 2010. The 5'10 setter is a member of the Club West Volleyball Club and garnered a spot on the 2010 Under Armour High School All-America watch list in 2010. She guided her team to a 22-5 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in the conference this year.

"Ashley was our first recruit here at LMU," Black said. "She is an excellent setter from Club West who will give us a lot of competition and depth at that spot. She is a very good learner and is constantly getting better. One of her strengths is her excellent ability to isolate hitters, and she plays with a lot of fire."


The talented recruiting class will join the Lions in 2011, looking to continue to climb the ranks in the West Coast Conference.

- GO LIONS -

Ashley Maxfeldt

Litara Keil

Caitlin DeWitt