By Chris Cox

For Shawnee freshman Mikah Teape volleyball was love at first sight.

“I first saw it tv and thought it looked really cool,” she says.

That was four years ago. Fast forward to today and Teape finds herself on the Shawnee Lady Wolves volleyball team, playing all along the front line. 

Being a freshman can be intimidating, but Mikah credits the upperclassmen for Shawnee with helping her and her fellow underclassmen transition to this higher level of competition.

“They brought us under their wings,” she says. “They’ve helped me out through my mistakes, and they’ve taught me a lot of things that I didn’t know before.”

Teape says the seniors have helped build an atmosphere of trust within the Shawnee program. That trust will be the biggest key to Shawnee’s success this season.

“If you don’t trust your teammates, you’re not going to get anywhere,” she says. “If you want to take all the balls or not give it to a teammate then it’s just going to be a hot mess.”

As a freshman, Teape knows she likely won’t be called on to be a vocal leader or team captain, but she does know she has a role on this squad and it’s critical to the team’s success.  

“I just need to keep my team in a good position,” she says. “I need to help us from getting brought down by staying in a good mood and keeping a high level of energy. I need to show my teammates that we can come back even if we are 20 points behind by staying in a good mood.”

While Teape has virtually her entire high school career ahead of her, she does hope that volleyball is a part of her future after high school.

“I hope I can play volleyball at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee,” Teape says.

Outside of volleyball, Teape runs track for Shawnee and is a part of National Junior Honors Society. She and her family are also involved in their local church and with Legacy Parenting Center in Shawnee.