Cheyenne Mountain’s volleyball team had several players who could’ve been named The Gazette Big Schools Volleyball Player of the Year.

The Indians had talent across the board, and played like a well-oiled machine while on their way to a 27-1 Class 4A state championship season. But it was the girl who was behind the scenes that made the team so dangerous.

Libero Mika Dickson stands just 5-foot-5, but the senior packs a lot of punch into that frame. She led the team with 390 digs, 65 aces and 450 serve receives and was second on the team with 53 assists.

“With her, it all starts with ball control, and her serving and passing was sensational in the state title match, as it was all season,” Cheyenne Mountain coach David Barkley said.

“Other coaches tried to not serve to her because she always got us in system.”

Being in system is one of the most important aspects for a successful volleyball team. Dickson’s solid play in the serve receive allowed setter Holly Huffman three options to pass to on most plays. It allowed the Indians’ offense to be unpredictable, and as a result – unstoppable.

“It’s really humbling to win this award,” Dickson said. “I’ve been a libero for a while now, and didn’t expect that much credit, but it’s nice to see the positions that aren’t glamorous are appreciated.”

Dickson has the appreciation of her coaches and teammates. Barkley says she was the best libero in the state, hands down, and that her versatility is something rarely seen at the position.

“Liberos usually only have one strength, but Mika’s defense was just as good as her serve receive,” he said. “We would try to set up our blocking so that they would have to hit it to Mika – we always wanted them to hit the ball to her.”

Dickson didn’t just receive notoriety from those in the area. She’s headed to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo to play at the Division I college level next fall.

“Ever since I knew what college volleyball was, my dream was to play in California,” Dickson said. “Cal Poly has the academics, location and atmosphere I wanted, and it’s a program on the way up, which is something I like – I like the underdogs. It means a lot that they wanted me badly, and it’s nice when colleges appreciate good defense.”

Barkley has been the coach at Cheyenne Mountain for more than a decade, and has seen a plethora of big-time talent come through the program during the Indians’ streak of six state titles in eight seasons.

He says Dickson is one of the best he’s coached.

“She’s a legitimate BIG 10 or PAC-12 player, and could’ve played in either conference, but chose the college that would fit her the best,” he said. “I would think she’ll be able to go in and play right away – liberos usually don’t get a scholarship for four years going in, so they believe in her a lot.”

Dickson says winning the state title on the way out was all she and her teammates could’ve asked for.

“We always had good team chemistry, but this year we had a lot of experience to go with the chemistry,” she said. “We wanted to compete for our school, and were all very selfless and we competed for our teammates – which I loved.”