Shannon Thompson enters her second season as an assistant coach on the Campbell volleyball staff.
"I am really looking forward to working with Shannon," head coach Greg Goral said at the time of her hiring. "I feel that her success both collegiately and professionally will provide our players a blueprint for how to achieve their goals and grow both offensively and defensively. Shannon is an insightful and intelligent woman who will help us with running effective practices, recruiting quality athletes, and managing the day to day operations of the program. Most of all, she is someone with the right personality for this program; very positive, efficient, hardworking and enjoyable to interact with."
A native of Moorpark, Calif., Thompson comes to Buies Creek following one season as an assistant volleyball coach at College of William & Mary. Working primarily with the middle blockers, Thompson guided freshman standout Julia Brown to All-CAAÂ Rookie Team honors in 2017. Brown totaled 106 blocks - the second-most in program history - along with 293.0 points and 212 kills for the Tribe last season.
Prior to her time in Williamsburg, Thompson served as an assistant coach for two seasons at her alma mater, UMass Boston. She helped lead the Beacons to back-to-back Little East Conference titles and NCAA Division III tournament berths, including an impressive 29-5 overall record in 2016. With Thompson as an assistant coach, UMass Boston players totaled five All-America honors, while the Beacon offense improved from 11.21 kills per set and a 0.182 attack percentage in 2014 (the year before she rejoined the team), to 12.47 kills per set and a 0.249 attack percentage in 2016.Â
Before she began her coaching career, Thompson spent two years as a professional volleyball player in Europe with VC Tirol, based in Innsbruck, Austria.
A three-time AVCA All-American, Thompson enjoyed a wealth of success at UMass Boston from 2009-12. She ended her collegiate career as a four-time LEC First Team all-conference selection and a three-time LEC Offensive Player of the Year. During her four seasons with the Beacons, Thompson helped UMass Boston to an overall record of 108-27 (.800), including four-straight conference tournament titiles and two NCAA Division III Regional crowns.
Thompson graduated from UMass Boston in 2013 with her bachelor's degree in exercise health science before completing her M.B.A. in marketing from UMass Boston in 2017.
