University of Houston Athletics
2025 Volleyball Roster
Roster
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Jersey Number 9
Avery Shimaitis
- Position:
- OH
- Height:
- 6-0
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Sugar Land, Texas
- Major:
- Integrated Studies - Business and Consumer Science and Social Sciences
- High School:
- George Ranch HS
- Prev School:
- Pepperdine
SENIOR (2025): Played in all 29 matches, starting in 24, while appearing in 99 sets ... One of three Cougars to play in all 29 matches ... Finished third on the team with 201 kills, the most of any right-side hitter ... Hitting percentage of .199 led the team among hitters ... Finished third on team with 98.0 blocks, the most of any hitter ... Led Houston in kills four times and blocks twice ... 10+ kills in eight matches ... Hit .300 or higher in nine matches.Â
JUNIOR (2024): College Sport Communicators Academic All-District … Played in 101 sets across 28 matches, making 20 starts … One of six Cougars to play in all 28 matches … Finished second on the team with 0.46 blocks per set … Placed third on the team with 205 kills, 2.03 kills per set, 229.5 points and 2.27 points per set … Led Houston in kills in three matches and blocks in two matches … Posted 11 kills, her first double-digit kill effort, in her Cougar debut at Omaha (Aug. 30) … Hit .706 behind a 13-1-17 line against East Texas A&M (Sept. 19) … Earned 11 kills against Ole Miss (Sept. 20) … Hit .450 with nine kills and a season-high eight digs at Kansas State (Sept. 25) … Notched 12 kills at #9 Kansas (Sept. 27) … Boasted five blocks against West Virginia (Oct. 4) … Earned 13 kills and hit .300 against Iowa State (Oct. 9) … Tallied 11 kills at Baylor (Nov. 23) … Posted 12 kills at Texas Tech (Nov. 27) … Season highs: 13 kills, 1 assist, 8 digs, 5 blocks, 14.5 points.
SOPHOMORE (2023 at Pepperdine): Played in 14 sets across nine matches ... Tallied 15 kills on the year, including a season-high five against UCLA (Sept. 7) and Gonzaga (Nov. 7) ... Also added five blocks.Â
FRESHMAN (2022 at Pepperdine): Appeared in 17 matches and 36 sets during her freshman campaign … Posted 58 kills and averaged 1.82 points per set … Recorded a career-high nine kills against Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Aug. 26) ... Tallied 13 blocks and four digs.
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CLUB: Played for Houston Skyline for four years and helped the team win Nationals in her 15’s year at the Open … Skyline tabbed an eighth-place finish in 18’s Open Nationals in 2022 as well.
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HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from George Ranch High School in Houston, Texas in 2022 … Lettered for years as an outside in the District 20-6A conference while at GRHS … Throughout her career, amassed 1,364 kills, 290 blocks and 575 digs … As a senior, earned VYPE Hitter of the Year honors, AVCA All-American first team, AVCA Best and Brightest first team and to the AVCA High School All-Region first team … Garnered All-District 20-6A first team status as well as the district’s Most Valuable Player … Named PrepVolleyball High School All-American nominee … Also excelled in the classroom, tabbing TGCA Academic All-State, THSCA Academic All State second team, GHVCA All-Academic and District 20-6A Academic All-District honors … As a junior, tabbed a spot on PrepVolleyball’s Top-150, as well as AVCA Phenom lists … Named to District 20-6A first team, GHVCA Postseason Team and helped lead her team to a 20-6A District Co-Champion finish, as well as a 6A Bi-District Championship and a 6 Area Finalist finish … Earned Academic All-District … In her sophomore campaign, recognized as an AVCA All-American phenom, District 23-6A first team, All-Area first team and led her team to a 6A Bi-District State playoff … Earned a spot on the District 23-6A first team and to GHVCA and TAVC All-Academic teams … In her freshman season, was a part of a team that was All-District 23-6A, 6A Bi-District and 6A Area Champions, propelling the squad to a 6A Regional semifinal appearance.
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PERSONAL: Majoring in business at Pepperdine … Daughter of Jennifer and Richard Shimaitis … Has one sibling, Jordan … Stated that she chose to attend Pepperdine because ‘I really loved the team culture … and watching how they interacted with each other confirmed it’s more of a family atmosphere. The coaches were a big influence as well because they showed me that we are more than just athletes from.’
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FAVORITES: Jalen Green (pro athlete) … Houston Astros (pro team) … Behind Closed Doors (book) … Top Gun (movie) … Stranger Things (tv show) … Harry Styles and Justin Bieber (musical artists) … avocado toast (food) … baseball (sport other than volleyball) … shopping and hanging with friends (hobbies/pastimes).
JUNIOR (2024): College Sport Communicators Academic All-District … Played in 101 sets across 28 matches, making 20 starts … One of six Cougars to play in all 28 matches … Finished second on the team with 0.46 blocks per set … Placed third on the team with 205 kills, 2.03 kills per set, 229.5 points and 2.27 points per set … Led Houston in kills in three matches and blocks in two matches … Posted 11 kills, her first double-digit kill effort, in her Cougar debut at Omaha (Aug. 30) … Hit .706 behind a 13-1-17 line against East Texas A&M (Sept. 19) … Earned 11 kills against Ole Miss (Sept. 20) … Hit .450 with nine kills and a season-high eight digs at Kansas State (Sept. 25) … Notched 12 kills at #9 Kansas (Sept. 27) … Boasted five blocks against West Virginia (Oct. 4) … Earned 13 kills and hit .300 against Iowa State (Oct. 9) … Tallied 11 kills at Baylor (Nov. 23) … Posted 12 kills at Texas Tech (Nov. 27) … Season highs: 13 kills, 1 assist, 8 digs, 5 blocks, 14.5 points.
SOPHOMORE (2023 at Pepperdine): Played in 14 sets across nine matches ... Tallied 15 kills on the year, including a season-high five against UCLA (Sept. 7) and Gonzaga (Nov. 7) ... Also added five blocks.Â
FRESHMAN (2022 at Pepperdine): Appeared in 17 matches and 36 sets during her freshman campaign … Posted 58 kills and averaged 1.82 points per set … Recorded a career-high nine kills against Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Aug. 26) ... Tallied 13 blocks and four digs.
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CLUB: Played for Houston Skyline for four years and helped the team win Nationals in her 15’s year at the Open … Skyline tabbed an eighth-place finish in 18’s Open Nationals in 2022 as well.
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HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from George Ranch High School in Houston, Texas in 2022 … Lettered for years as an outside in the District 20-6A conference while at GRHS … Throughout her career, amassed 1,364 kills, 290 blocks and 575 digs … As a senior, earned VYPE Hitter of the Year honors, AVCA All-American first team, AVCA Best and Brightest first team and to the AVCA High School All-Region first team … Garnered All-District 20-6A first team status as well as the district’s Most Valuable Player … Named PrepVolleyball High School All-American nominee … Also excelled in the classroom, tabbing TGCA Academic All-State, THSCA Academic All State second team, GHVCA All-Academic and District 20-6A Academic All-District honors … As a junior, tabbed a spot on PrepVolleyball’s Top-150, as well as AVCA Phenom lists … Named to District 20-6A first team, GHVCA Postseason Team and helped lead her team to a 20-6A District Co-Champion finish, as well as a 6A Bi-District Championship and a 6 Area Finalist finish … Earned Academic All-District … In her sophomore campaign, recognized as an AVCA All-American phenom, District 23-6A first team, All-Area first team and led her team to a 6A Bi-District State playoff … Earned a spot on the District 23-6A first team and to GHVCA and TAVC All-Academic teams … In her freshman season, was a part of a team that was All-District 23-6A, 6A Bi-District and 6A Area Champions, propelling the squad to a 6A Regional semifinal appearance.
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PERSONAL: Majoring in business at Pepperdine … Daughter of Jennifer and Richard Shimaitis … Has one sibling, Jordan … Stated that she chose to attend Pepperdine because ‘I really loved the team culture … and watching how they interacted with each other confirmed it’s more of a family atmosphere. The coaches were a big influence as well because they showed me that we are more than just athletes from.’
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FAVORITES: Jalen Green (pro athlete) … Houston Astros (pro team) … Behind Closed Doors (book) … Top Gun (movie) … Stranger Things (tv show) … Harry Styles and Justin Bieber (musical artists) … avocado toast (food) … baseball (sport other than volleyball) … shopping and hanging with friends (hobbies/pastimes).
HIGHLIGHTS: Houston 3, Texas Tech 1
Sunday, September 28
Houston at Big 12 Media Days
Thursday, August 07
Cougars All-Access: Barakat Rahmon (VB)
Tuesday, November 19
Cougars All-Access: Kate Georgiades (VB)
Wednesday, October 02
