Vindicator Fall Athletes: Lynnie Ritter

South Range senior Lynnie Ritter’s first volleyball experience was in seventh grade. Even though her first JO volleyball experience didn’t happen until a year later, she took the sport by storm.

“I didn’t know you could play JO in the fourth grade until my 10th-grade year,” said Ritter, who also plays varsity basketball for the Raiders.

In her top sport, Ritter was a four-year starter and helped the Raiders win district titles as a freshman, sophomore and senior.

Her volleyball career isn’t over. She has a scholarship to play at Alderson Broaddus University, a Division II school in Philippi, W.Va. “It’s really small, but that’s like how North Lima is,” Ritter sad. “I really like it.”

She plans to major in sports management and perhaps minor in business.

Ritter’s volleyball career has had bumps. Three days before her junior season’s first game, she twisted an ankle, her first major leg injury as an athlete.

“It was a chip fracture, I couldn’t even walk,” Ritter said.

She recovered before season’s end and continued playing JO volleyball and basketball.

Eventually she put together a video to send to college volleyball coaches with limited travel budgets.

This fall, the Raiders won a district title and earned a third trip to the Barberton regional in four seasons. Ritter credits South Range coach Rachell Storm-Baker’s experience with helping South Range qualify for its first regional trips.

“She played in college so she knows what it takes to be successful,” Ritter said. “She’s just pushed everyone hard, I’m really glad she got the job.”

Ritter’s twin brothers — Daniel and Anthony — are juniors. “They always have a sport going on so it’s nice that my parents [Mike and Jennifer] were able to to provide the JO experience even when my brothers were in two sports at the same time,” Lynnie said.