Valparaiso volleyball head coach Carin Avery announced today that Morgan Beil and Tricia Prince have both signed National Letters of Intent and will join the Crusader program for the 2011 season.

“We are so excited about our 2011 class,” said Avery.  “They have already been to our camps and met the girls on the team, and I feel like they already have been a part of our family for a while now.  I expect both Morgan and Tricia to fight for immediate playing time, and they both have great potential here.”

Beil, a 6’2” OH/MB/RS out of Marquette [Mo.] H.S., helped lead the Mustangs to a state quarterfinal berth this season.  A member of the AVCA All-America preseason Watch List, Beil was an All-Conference, All-District and All-Regional selection as a junior after earning Second Team All-Conference honors as a sophomore.  Beil plays her club volleyball for Rockwood Thunder VBC, where she helped her team to a 10th-place finish at Nationals in the Open Division at the U17 level.

“Morgan has a wicked arm swing, puts up a fantastic block and is also left-handed,” said Avery.  “She will be a handful for our opponents to try to contain.  Morgan also has played a variety of positions for her club team, which is a nice bonus for us.  She reminds me a lot of Lauren Moulton, who was also left-handed from the right side and who ended up being conference Player of the Year and leading us to three NCAA tournaments.”

Prince, a 5’9” OH/DS out of Davison [Mich.] H.S., led the Cardinals with 18 kills as Davison captured its first district championship in 15 years earlier this month.  A two-time First Team All-Conference honoree, Prince registered 524 kills this season en route to All-Region honors and is an All-State honoree.   Prince plays her club volleyball for Legacy VBC and has twice helped her teams earn trips to the USA Junior Olympics.

“Tricia is an excellent all-around player with a fantastic energy about her,” said Avery.  “Though a bit undersized at outside hitter, she has a very good arm and a nice jump, while her ability to hit a variety of shots makes her a threat.  Add to that a great jump serve and great ball-control skills, and you have the ultimate outside hitter in my book.”