Makayla Brown to play volleyball at Shaw University

McCook Community College sophomore Makayla Brown, Colorado Springs, has signed a letter of intent to continue her volleyball career at Shaw University, an NCAA Division II school in Raleigh, N.C.

Brown follows the path of older sister Mallory, who also attended MCC in 2018-2020 and went on to Shaw University, where she is in her final year.

"I was really lucky that I got to have the two sisters and really going to miss what both of those ladies brought to our team," MCC Coach Hayley Kobza said. "Makayla brought her energy and a great mental attitude and not just to the team but to my coaching as well."

This season Brown played in 21 matches for MCC with 96 kills, 45 digs and 14 blocks. For her career, she played in 58 matches with 231 kills, 98 digs and 96 blocks.

She had a season best 13 kills in a 3-1 win at Dallas College North Lake on Aug. 27 with her best dig game coming Sept. 27 against Southeast Community College when she had nine.

"Makayla was a player who always looked for the positives and never looked at the negatives and she really never had a bad day – and if she did, she made sure nobody ever saw that," Kobza said. "She is also a hard worker, and never complained about a workout."

Brown was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association all-academic third team for student-athletes with grade-point averages between 3.60 and 3.79. She was named to the Dean's List in fall of 2021 and the spring of 2022. She plans to pursue sports psychology at Shaw.

She said while her sister helped set a path toward Shaw, she made up her mind when she went for a visit this fall.

"When I visited, I got to see them play in their championship match, and seeing them in that competitive setting and the team dynamic playing together like they did, I loved it," Brown said.

Her sister Mallory accumulated 463 kills as an outside hitter in her career for the Bears, who finished 23-8 this past season.

Browns said her favorite memory came almost a year ago to the date when the team came together in the dorms as some of the players were graduating early.

"All the girls were leaving and we just all hung out in one room for one last time and just hanging out with all the girls the way we do, it just makes me so happy," she said."