By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech volleyball team and head coach Jeannette Phillips welcomed a pair of future Golden Eagles into the wings Wednesday, announcing the signing of Ava Schubert and Jillian Shaneyfelt as a part of the 2023 signing class.
Ava Schubert
Right Side | 6'1 | Davenport, Iowa (Assumption High School) | Iowa Select (Club)
Schubert has competed at the highest level in her prep career, delivering a stellar career at Assumption High School while backing up with national success at the club level for Iowa Select. After leading Iowa Select to a national championship crown as the tournament's MVP, she followed it up by leading AHS to its first-ever state title, totaling 17 kills and nine digs on her way to MVP honors at the top of the All-Tournament Team.
During her career, Schubert led Assumption to four state tournament appearances including three in the semifinals alone. She picked up Mississippi Athletic Conference MVP honors as a freshman and again as a senior, earning All-MAC First Team honors all four seasons. Ranked the No. 4 player in the state of Iowa by PrepDig.com, she amassed more than 1,400 kills and nearly 900 digs throughout her career. Schubert was also an All-Conference performer in basketball.
"Ava is an ultimate competitor," Phillips said. "She is coming off of a state championship and while watching her compete in that high-pressure environment, we saw her come alive as a player even more than we had before. Seeing her get after it and lead her team in such a positive way made us even more excited to welcome her into our Golden Eagle family. She plays with confidence and bravery, which is what we constantly remind our team to embody daily. Ava will be a powerful piece to add to our offensive unit, which will allow us to keep the pressure on our opponents at all times. Ava will definitely be a fun piece to look out for in the future of TTU volleyball."
Jillian Shaneyfelt
Libero | 5'7 | Pickneyville, Ill. (Pickneyville Community HS) | High Performance STL (Club)
Shaneyfelt was also a two-sport athlete, playing both volleyball and soccer at Pickneyville Community High School while also competing in club volleyball for High Performance STL. A setter on the PCHS squad, she will make the transition to defense on her arrival in Cookeville thanks to an all-encompassing skill set that earned her All-River to River Conference honors in 2021.
A News-Gazette All-State Honorable Mention, Shaneyfelt was also named to the Junior Volleyball Association Watch List in 2019, 2020, and 2021. She took home All-Conference recognition while competing with the PCHS soccer team in 2021 as well.
"Jillian kind of snuck up on us, and we are so glad that she did," Phillips explained. "On her high school team, she is a setter, but she will play in the backcourt for us here at Tech. Having that type of cross-training allows her to have both an offensive and defensive mentality, which not all liberos have naturally. Her defensive range is so large and she has the ability to be so greedy on the court, which we love. She is absolutely a gamer that comes alive once that ball is rolled out. Jillian is one of those players that has a great balance of going into game mode while still maintaining a smile on her face. On our team, we play the best when we have a balance of focus and fun, and Jillian will fit perfectly into that culture."
