LAKEWOOD, NJ (Sept. 26, 2024) - This past weekend, Georgian Court Volleyball Coach
Shana Rayside was in elite company as she was inducted into the Lakewood High School Hall of Fame.
Rayside was an outstanding student-athlete for the Lady Piners and continues to give back to her school, bringing the current Lions to help mentor current Piner students. For all of her accolades on the court and off, Rayside was included in the 19th Lakewood High School Athletic Hall of Fame class.
The following write up is courtesy of Lakewood Athletic Hall of Fame:
Shana Rayside was an outstanding athlete and volleyball player. She competed for all four years for the Lady Piners. Shana earned varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and track & field. Coached in basketball by Caravano, Shana was named to the Class B South, Second Team All division in 2015 and 2016. On the track, she competed in the LJ, HJ, 100m 200m, 400, and the 4x400m relay. Rayside coached by Head Coach Nancy Kwicinski and Tim Brown, was named Rookie of the Year on the track team.
It was on the volleyball court in middle school, coached by Mr. Fry, where Shana's passion began to grow. During her middle school years, Lakewood's girls volleyball team was still in its infancy.
Rayside played volleyball all four years of high school. She led the team to the team 's most wins in school history with 10 wins during her senior year. Shana was named captain and also received the team MVP honor. She received the Sportsmanship Award from the Shore Sports Network. Shana was coached in volleyball by Coaches VanHise and Currao and maintained close connections with them after graduation.
Rayside received a scholarship to continue her volleyball career at Georgian Court University. Shana chose GCU because her sister Shikel, a member of the track team, was there and it meant "I had my motivator on the court and field with me all the time, pushing me to do better in practice and when it was game time." Shana was later joined at GCU by her younger sister, Shanae, who competed on the track team.
Wearing the blue and gold for the Lions, Shana played the position of right-side hitter. During her junior year, Rayside led her team with 81 blocks. Her team qualified for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament in her junior year. During her senior year, she was named Captain of the Lions.
As team captain, Shana led the Lions to a 2019 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship and an NCAA Regional Tournament appearance. Her career totals include 686 kills, 277 blocks, 844.5 points, and a .205 attack percentage. As a senior, Rayside made the All-CACC Second Team and the CACC All-Tournament Team. Her 277 blocks are till the fifth-most all-time at Georgian Court.
Shana continued playing volleyball at the University of East London, England, as a graduate student. It was there she earned her Masters in Psychology. After graduation, Shana returned to the United States and began her coaching career. She was a seasonal coach at both the Ocean County Volleyball Club and the Shore Volleyball Academy in Toms River. Shana took a job as an assistant coach at Red Bank Catholic High School in 2021 and 2022. After 2 years at RBC, Rayside returned to her alma mater at Georgian Court University. After just a year as an assistant volleyball coach, Shana , was promoted to head coach in 2023 becoming GCU's 6th head coach.
Shana credits her family for all of the support she received. Her parents, Gaunel VanBerkle and Neilson Rayside; her three sisters Shinnecka, Shikel, Shanae; and her niece, Aria Armstrong.
