Shannon set to move up to Ranger College volleyball




Pleasanton’s Kaycie Shannon (front center) signs with Ranger College surrounded by (in front) parents Tammy and Joe Shannon and (in back) athletic director Tab Dumont, coaches Gabriel Aguirre and Brant Bird and superintendent Matthew Mann. TOM FIRME | PLEASANTON EXPRESS

Pleasanton’s Kaycie Shannon (front center) signs with Ranger College surrounded by (in front) parents Tammy and Joe Shannon and (in back) athletic director Tab Dumont, coaches Gabriel Aguirre and Brant Bird and superintendent Matthew Mann. TOM FIRME | PLEASANTON EXPRESS

Pleasanton’s Kaycie Shannon signed with Ranger College to play volleyball on March 19.

“It feels like a huge weight released, “ Shannon said. “I think I had five offers and I ended up going with the best offer, which was Ranger, which suited me the best.”

Ranger College, an NJCAA Division I program, went 23-12 in 2018.

“It wasn’t as much numbers, but the coaching style that suited me and the girls on the team. I talked to them on the daily. It was more about how I felt than how it stood out,” she said.

Shannon said she hopes to play for a four-year college after her two years at Ranger College. She mentioned that many from the school are recruited by larger programs.

Shannon helped the Eagles win 64 games in the past two years and make back-to-back regional quarterfinals. Last year, she played in the Texas Girls Coaches Association All-Star volleyball game.

By playing club volleyball with several of her Pleasanton teammates, Shannon has been able to thrive in different environments and see many different styles of play.

“Club gave me a part of the game that, I wouldn’t say I was lacking, but they gave me a new aspect,” she said, explaining that while Pleasanton coach Gabriel Aguirre taught her the fundamentals, her club coaches taught her different ways of reading the approaching the game. “Coach [Sandy] Longoria was my first club coach and pretty much paved the path for where I am. Coach Hillary [Moehrig] was my last one. They definitely helped me so much along the way,” she said. She also said it would not have happened without her parents, Joe and Tammy Shannon, saying, “They were the ones spending the money and driving and arriving at tournaments at 6:30 a.m.”

Shannon played outside hitter as a senior for the Eagles after being a middle blocker, as Aguirre needed to use her as a lead hitter. At Ranger College, she will be featured in a variety of roles.

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