Paige Myers’ work not yet finished in Patoka

PATOKA – Her vicious spikes draw cheers from the crowd – even during warm-ups.

Her jump serve can swing a game’s momentum into her team’s favor in less than a minute.

Her skills are being pursued by several colleges.

But at the end of the day, “I don’t consider myself to be better than anybody else,” said senior Paige Myers, the unselfish superstar of Patoka High School’s volleyball team.

Known as “Superstar” or “The Beast” by some of her peers in Patoka’s hallways, Myers has been through plenty – both joyous and heart-breaking – in her three and a half seasons with the Warriors, but she is hoping to save the best for last, by helping Patoka advance further through the playoffs than last season.'

“We’d like to win our regional, our conference and go as far as last year (sectional finals), if not farther,” Myers said. “For me, I would be satisfied if we play like we can. We’re such a great team, and if we start playing like I know we can, we’ll go far.”

And if the 6-foot hitter plays like she did against Cowden-Herrick during a 25-14, 28-26 win on Tuesday, there is little doubt she’ll at least have a chance to help make that happen.

The road to success

As good as Myers is at volleyball, it may come as a surprise that she didn’t begin playing the game until she was in seventh grade, deciding on a whim to take up the game.

“I signed up to play just to play a sport and decided I really liked it a lot,” she said. “It’s like a new passion.”

By the time she finished her junior high career, Myers had already mastered the jump serve and was a prominent blocker at the net, leading to lofty high school expectations.

As a freshman in 2007, then-coach Bridgitte Friese was counting on Myers to immediately give Patoka some prominence in the Egyptian-Illini Conference.

Calling her the No. 1 player she was relying on before the season, Friese had Myers nervous about that season, but not because of her expectations.

“I didn’t want to push anyone out of the way,” Myers said. “I don’t want to be the big highlight because it’s a team sport.”

Three years later, Myers is still depended on to be that top player, but like when she was a freshman, there are pressures that come with the role.

It’s not necessarily the pressures from pushing someone out of the lineup, it’s more the pressures she feels when she needs to push a teammate to keep her head up in a close match.

“I feel extra pressure that I need to keep the team encouraged,” Myers said. “They get nervous sometimes when it’s a big game like that, and I just try to keep them calm and focused.”

That was evident against Cowden-Herrick.

Myers only had two serves during the second set and did not have many opportunities at the net for kills.

But when Patoka fell behind 24-19, Myers showed her true value as a leader, chasing every loose ball and becoming very vocal on the floor, encouraging each of her teammates after every point.

“Her attitude?” coach Nicki Brubaker said. “We love it. She’s always wanting to improve herself. She’s somebody everyone wants on their team.”

Looking ahead

Two veteran coaches – Brownstown’s Toby Harms (13 years) and St. Elmo’s Elise Asher (16 years) both gushed about Myers’ skills when their teams played Patoka this season, calling her one of the finest athletes either had ever seen.

Myers said she appreciates such comments, but hopes people notice the team instead of her. But truth be told, her skills make it her easy to notice.

And those skills may pay off for Myers in the form of college tuition.

Myers has been courted by several local community colleges, but because she will be pursuing a nursing degree, she isn’t sure yet if she will accept any of the offers, knowing she will need a strong focus on academics.

“And I’m kind of ready to relax and take it easy,” Myers said.

Years from now, though, Myers expects volleyball will still be playing an important role in her life, whether it be from playing in a recreational league or coaching.

But the game will forever be entrenched in her memories – the proudest of which Myers says would be a 2010 sectional championship.

“Especially with the girls we have,” she said. “We have four seniors, and we’ve been playing together since seventh or eighth grade, so it would be neat.”

More importantly though, Myers hope to leaves a legacy at Patoka High School – a legacy based not on volleyball, but on life itself.

“I really hope that the younger girls in the school, whether they play volleyball or not, look at me and see me as a role model,” Myers said. “I don’t drink or do any of that stuff, and I’m good at school.

“I work so hard at volleyball, and I hope they see that and take that over into their lives.”