Shelby Mauritson, outside hitter for the CWU volleyball team, began playing volleyball around the age of 10.

“My town wasn’t very big on volleyball, but my dad encouraged me to play, so I ended up trying out for this small club in a town that was about fifteen minutes away,” Mauritson said.

Mauritson went to Madras High School in Oregon where she played volleyball and softball. She considers them a huge part of her life and main focus. During high school,Mauritson was able to accomplish a lot on the volleyball court.

“I was player of the year for my [softball] league two years in a row and I won first team honors all four years for volleyball,” Mauritson said.

Going into college, Mauritson was recruited for volleyball by CWU, which she said ended up being a great fit for her. Mauritson also mentioned head coach Mario Andaya as one of the reasons that CWU stood out to her during the recruitment process.

“The coaches and the campus itself really opened their arms to me,” Mauritson said. “It felt like [Andaya] taught me a lot more in just one camp than I had been taught my whole life.”

In August, Mauritson became one of the first volleyball players for CWU to ever make First Team All-GNAC in the preseason.

“It was a super good feeling and really gave me confidence going into the season,” Mauritson said. “We’re moving up every day in practice and in every games… we improve on something different.”

Andaya had high praise for Mauritson–particularly her ability to perform during practices and in games.

“It’s always nice to have a talented kid like [Mauritson]. She can do multiple things at a pretty high level,” Andaya said. “It’s really fun and rewarding to work with a kid like that and see the improvements that she can make.”

Teammate Madison Weg spoke of Mauritson’s role both on and off the court.

“I came in with her, so I’ve had the opportunity to grow with her,” Weg said. “On the court, she pushes you to be better and has a lot of intensity, and off the court she’s just one of my best friends.”

Mauritson has positively impacted the team’s success, including by leading the team in kills this year. Although this is a personal accomplishment, Mauritson has credited her success towards her teammates, whom she says are the reason she is able to play at such a high level.

“I don’t really look at myself as a statistical leader, but I give more of the credit to my team for putting me in good positions and for having confidence in me.” Mauritson said.   

As a junior at CWU. Mauritson hopes that she can continue to improve her game. “I’m super excited because part of me thinks that I haven’t reached my full potential yet,” Mauritson said.