Savannah Sebek didn't hesitate.
"Dominant."
When asked to describe Jayde Shelton – Blinn College's dynamic hitting machine – the sophomore setter was locked and loaded with superlatives.
"Consistency. When she's on the court, there's a presence," Sebek continued. "It's something where she's been good pretty much every game. She doesn't take reps off, and she never goes easy. She's always going for the kill."
Shelton, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif., has spent her two seasons at Blinn developing into one of the NJCAA's premier hitters. The 6-foot-1, left-handed striker is now a featured piece in Buccaneer head coach Terry Gamble's offensive scheme, with the statistics and track record to match.
While Sebek and others within the Blinn program are bursting at the seams with praise, Shelton has taken a backseat approach to her success.
"Without my team, I wouldn't be successful," Shelton said. "I rely on my team a lot for everything I have, but I don't really worry about any of that stuff. The kills, the accolades … none of that really matters if the team isn't succeeding. I don't even look at the stuff."
Shelton may not have her attention directed toward the things she is accomplishing, but it's all hard to miss.
During Blinn' run to a fifth-place finish in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championships last spring, Shelton racked up Region XIV Player of the Year honors, was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament team, and found herself on the first-team All-America squad. She got there with an impressive season that saw her finish second in the nation with 442 kills and a hitting success rate of 38%.
One year later, with Blinn (33-1) ranked second in the NJCAA's top-20 poll and primed for another deep postseason run, Shelton is again among the nation's best hitters. Her 425 kills are seventh in the nation, though, by virtue of the Buccaneers' 25 sweeps, she has played 20 fewer sets than national leader Erica Fava of Western Nebraska Community College.
"I don't pay attention to that stuff at all," she said with a laugh and a smile. "If you want to be great, you have to be able to separate yourself from the noise, and I think our team's ability to do that is why we're having the season we are as a team."
It's that humility and team-first mentality which Gamble says has been Shelton's biggest area of growth since arriving in Brenham. Though Shelton didn't touch a volleyball until her freshman year at Paloma Valley High School, Gamble believes her meteoric rise has as much to do with her mental fortitude as it does her physical gifts.
"I think she has grown as a player mentally; I think she has learned a system where she's come in and maybe relied a lot on athletic ability, that now it's more of a mental game for her; and she's really grown mentally in learning the game and becoming a better player and teammate," he said.
You don't have to look much further than Sebek and freshman setter Lina Ellila to verify Gamble's last statement. Ellila currently leads Blinn with 682 set assists, while Sebek has served up 525.
"Jayde gets her kills, but when she makes a great hit, she'll turn to me and tell me how good of a set it was. She's selfless," Ellila said. "Jayde will get a kill – she'll hit a bomb – and she'll immediately turn around to me and say, 'That was an amazing set.' That's what she's about. She's not about, 'Oh, I'm so good.' She doesn't take all the credit, at all. She's all about 'Great pass and great set.'"
Sebek concurred.
"She's all about letting us know that we're as much a part of her success as she is," Sebek said. "She tells us on the court; she tells us off the court … she's a great teammate."
Though she's done her best to avoid recognition, Shelton can't run from it for much longer.
As her kill totals climb, so do her Division I collegiate offers. With less than one month left in her final season at Blinn, Shelton has fielded offers from New Mexico State, Stephen F. Austin, and Sam Houston State.
Before she steps onto a new campus, however, Shelton is focused on resolving unfinished business on the one in which she currently resides.
"We most definitely have an amazing team with extraordinary talents," Shelton explained, "and we're focused on each game. Our ultimate goal is nationals, but we have to focus on every single game that comes before that before we skip ahead. At the same time, that national championship is what we're all going for before this year ends."
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
About the Blinn College District
With innovative programs and award-winning co-enrollment partnerships, Blinn's academic transfer rate ranks No. 1 among Texas community colleges. Courses are available online and at five Central Texas campuses, and students save 43% in tuition and fees compared to the average state university. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
