Chasing a decade-long goal, senior Chloe Chen committed to play Division III volleyball at Carnegie Mellon University this fall. Chloe, a setter and opposite hitter on the MVHS Girls Varsity Volleyball team, has spent the last nine years of her life working her way up through club and school rosters to earn herself a spot on a collegiate team. As a freshman, she started on the MVHS Junior Varsity team, later moving up to Varsity and eventually leading as a Captain for her final two seasons.
Chloe grew up watching her sister play volleyball, which initially drew her to the sport. Chloe started taking volleyball lessons when she was 8 years old before joining her first club team when she was 9. Although interested in volleyball, Chloe found it difficult to commit to training at first, requiring her parents to push her to keep attending practice.
“I think my parents really wanted me to commit to it when I was young,” Chloe said. “They knew that I had the resources and the opportunities to get better and they thought it was something that I could work on long term. They encouraged me, but they would basically force me to go to practices even though I didn’t like it that much at first. But after I met a lot of people on the team and became more familiar with the community, I ended up really liking it, so I continued to pursue it as I got older.”
The sense of community that Chloe felt in her first volleyball club became something she’d continue to experience throughout her volleyball journey. From joining the Vision Volleyball Club in San Jose when she was 11 years old to playing volleyball at Kennedy Middle School, Chloe continued playing for competitive teams before ending up on the MV Girls Varsity Volleyball squad.
“Mixing my middle school friends and volleyball friends made me enjoy it a lot more,” Chloe said. “It made me realize how much I appreciate the community that I found within it. I think I had a similar experience with the community when playing for MVHS.”
Chloe’s mother, Kay Chen, has been a constant presence in her volleyball journey, attending nearly every single game. As one of the driving forces behind Chloe’s early development, Kay noticed Chloe’s interest in watching her sister play back in third grade. She was also the one who first signed her up for lessons and pushed her to stick with it.
“Even back then, she just kind of fell in love with the sport,” Kay said. “She was like: ‘Oh, my dream is to play volleyball in college.’ And of course we didn’t exactly know what her dream actually meant. The process was just like taking one day at a time and then putting in the hard work. And she also had a lot of fun doing it.”
Despite the welcoming community in volleyball, Chloe’s journey was far from easy, with two serious ankle injuries causing her to be unable to play for much of her first two years in high school. Even then, when she was unable to walk, Kay often found her practicing modified drills at home, doing sets against the walls to keep her skills sharp while she recovered.
“It was kind of demotivating because I saw all my friends practicing and I had to sit on the sidelines,” Chloe said. “But in junior year, when I was able to play a full season, our team did really well. Everyone on the team got to go to states and our team got a lot closer. Everyone really wanted to work towards a common goal, and everyone was really serious about it. That was a really fun and unique experience.”
Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach Nadia Lan, who coached Chloe during her freshman year on the Junior Varsity team and for her junior and senior year on Varsity, commends Chloe’s diligence and fast recovery from her injuries. Lan’s first impressions of Chloe’s prowess on the court were of her intelligence when it came to volleyball and of her high skill level on the court, often discussing game plans and strategies with her coaches. Moreover, Lan acknowledges Chloe’s dedication to improve, saying that Chloe attended extra practices when offered and was devoted towards advancing her skills as a hitter.
Lan’s connection with Chloe extends off of the court too — she was able to get closer with Chloe personally due to her friendship with Chloe’s dad, and says that their shared cultural background also draws them closer. Lan says that she is honored whenever Chloe asks her for advice, and has noticed Chloe’s respect for her as a coach.
“No matter when winning or losing, she keeps her composure, and that’s a very important feature of a good player and a good athlete,” Lan said. “You need to be able to keep your mental status stable and then be able to react to all kinds of situations.”
Though Chloe has received support and mentorship from Kay and Lan over the course of her volleyball career, the commitment process was ultimately her decision. Chloe says that the environment at her volleyball club, where coaches were involved in the commitment process and the majority of players committed to collegiate athletics, served as a motivator for her to be recruited. Being informed of the commitment process by her volleyball club also helped Chloe realize that recruitment was a realistic possibility for her.
In her freshman year, Chloe began connecting with college coaches over email in order to make herself known as a potential recruit, and would send monthly progress updates, including transcripts and test scores. By sophomore year, coaches began attending her tournaments to scout her in person and by junior year she was visiting schools and receiving offers. After CMU reviewed her junior year grades, they sent her a likely letter, allowing Chloe to officially commit in July before her senior year.
Chloe explains that she was initially attracted to playing at CMU because of the University’s academic rigor, and the warm welcome that others gave her, telling her about their love for the team, coaches and school. When it comes to balancing CMU academics with her volleyball responsibilities, Chloe plans to utilize the discipline and organizational skills that she’s acquired so far to stay on top of her work. For hopeful athletes looking to get recruited, Chloe strongly believes in maintaining relationships with colleges and coaches, and to identify academic and athletic priorities.
“Stay consistent with reaching out to schools and be proactive with it,” Chloe said. “Start as early as you can to make the connections you need, and to build a solid foundation when you’re reaching out so coaches know who you are and to have a better first impression that you’re starting so early. Depending on what division you’re trying to commit for, know what to prioritize — your sport or your academics — so that you can commit to the type of school that you’re aiming for.”
