Sophomore basketball star Shelton shined for Ripon Christian

RIPON -- In the Shelton household, there's a rule even a blue-chip, straight-A student like Andie Shelton must abide by.

TV is a privilege.

Not a luxury.

"My parents' rule," she says from the comfort and safety of her dorm at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. — a thousand miles out of Tiger and Michelle's earshot.

School and volleyball set the course for this 15-year-old sophomore and the two keep the Shelton family on the go, hustling between Stockton and Ripon, airports and gymnasiums.

It isn't until a rare break on a rare off weekend that Andie Shelton, The Bee's Volleyball Player of the Year, can slip into comfy sweats, settle onto the couch and call up her favorite programs.

"What's on my DVR?" she says, pausing only for effect.

"Wipeout," duh.

"It doesn't happen often, but in my free time I really like to watch TV," she gushed. "I really like 'Wipeout.' It's sad, I know, but I like to watch people embarrass themselves on national television."

Makes sense.

With a deft touch and a one-step-ahead court sense, Shelton has a track record of making opposing teams look foolish.

She was named the Southern League's MVP after guiding the Knights to a second consecutive unbeaten season, and then led the program to an unprecedented 15th Sac-Joaquin Section championship.

Ripon Christian has won five straight Division 5 crowns and will move up to D-4 next fall, where it will compete against schools much larger in size.

Naturally, the 5-foot-9 setter with a national pedigree relishes the challenge.

"When you play better competition," she said, "you're going to get better."

Shelton's already really, really good. She finished the season with 750 assists, feeding power players Morgan and Mikaela Alger. That total is 10th best in the section when compared to those posted on MaxPreps, and No. 1 for the Stanislaus District. She averaged 9.1 assists in 82 games, also third-best in the section.

Her athleticism allowed her to impact matches in other ways, too. She set the tone in league play with a booming kill from the right side that toppled a Mariposa player in their first match.

"Andie was terrified, like she had hurt the girl," Tiger Shelton said, recalling a moment that silenced even the Knights' home crowd.

"Nobody recovered from that; it changed the game. It also changed the way people looked at Andie. When you set a good game, it's like putting. You might win the (golf) tournament, but everyone wants to talk about how you drove it.

"When she hit that ball, I think everyone had to respect her game."

Shelton, who can touch 9½ feet on a jump, averaged 2.4 kills and 2.8 digs. She even doled out 112 aces.

"From what other coaches have told me, (Andie) sets a really nice ball and has great hands, but it's the intangibles that set her apart," Tiger said. "The energy, the ability to take over a game and get everyone involved."

Those at the highest levels of competitive volleyball have taken notice, too.

See, Shelton has a reputation that stretches beyond the valley.

Check the jacket.

A former A-1 Select national team player, Shelton is among the best at her position in her age group. From time to time, when it doesn't clash with her outfit, Shelton can be spotted in her Team USA apparel.

That's where she was this past week, immersed in a grueling camp at the Olympic Training Center.

There, coaches and trainers drilled the top 30 or so junior players in the nation, running them through drills and a round-robin tournament.

"It's very cool to be here," she said. "I think I'm on the path I want to be on."

With the two years left at Ripon Christian and an evolving game, that spells what for the competition?

Wipeout, duh.

James Burns is Sports Editor of The Modesto Bee and Merced Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@modbee.com.