Just days after writing the final lines in her Mancos volleyball career, Bluejay senior Shelby Jabour put pen to paper to sign on for a new chapter in her post-secondary pursuits.
With visions of carrying her passion for volleyball to the next level, Jabour signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic pursuits at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.
The anchor for the Mancos backline, Jabour enjoyed her best season as a Bluejay while her team reached new heights in the 2022 campaign.
Mancos, under second-year head coach Brianna Yeomans-Allison, enjoyed the program’s best season since 2011, picking up 18 wins, a top-three league finish, and a 2A regional tournament berth.
Jabour played a prominent role in the success, earning a first-team All-San Juan Basin League honor after leading the Bluejays in service aces, digs and serves received.
Her most passionate pursuit of several different athletic endeavors, volleyball has been part of Jabour’s life since elementary school, learning the ropes in the recreational leagues before diving in more competitively through middle and high school.
Jabour played year-round pursuit, playing for Four Corners Volleyball Club, and started to warm up to the idea of post-secondary volleyball during her junior season.
Her high-level energy and leadership, along with a strong academic acumen – Jabour posts better than a 4.0 GPA at MHS – look to have her prepared to take on the rigors of the next level.
Graceland University competes in the Heart of America Conference, competing against schools all across the Great Plains. The Yellowjackets are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, having recently capped off their 31-match regular season in one of the deepest conferences in the country.
Based in southern Iowa, Graceland has an enrollment of about 1,400 students – and Jabour will stay in a small-town environment, with Lamoni boasting around 2,000 residents.
Jabour looks to pursue a degree in health and movement sciences, which would help her follow her passion of working with other athletes in the physical therapy field.
She joins teammate junior Teya Yeomans on the SJBL’s highest honor as first-teamers, while Jabour’s classmate Jessie Wallace picked up a second-team selection. A motivated senior class leaves the Mancos program with a new trajectory, looking to compete at the highest level for years to come.
