Chloe Anderton's volleyball career came to an unfortunate end. Her future, however, is laden with positive things.
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has jumped up thousands of times to block an opponent at the net. This instance was different.
In the Georgia High School Association 4A state volleyball playoffs on Oct. 18, the senior for
St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta) went up for a stuff and came down on the foot of a Marist player. Anderton fell like a ton of bricks, breaking her tibia and fibula in half on her right leg.
Anderton's team went on to pull out a three-set victory. The next day, she underwent surgery.
Anderton has etched her name in the school
record books.
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St. Pius X ended up falling in the semifinals without one of its star players. Anderton was bummed she couldn't help lead her team, but she had more pressing matters to worry about. The doctors told Anderton recovery will last 4-6 months, possibly putting her behind in preparation for college volleyball.
The Clemson University signee is ready to hit rehabilitation hard and make sure she's healthy by spring.
"I'm slowly, slowly getting better," said Anderton, who turns 18 on Nov. 26.
It's going to be a long road to recovery. But if anyone can do it, it's Anderton.
"She's just a good kid," St. Pius X head coach John Frederick said. "She's a little bit of a nerd. Happy-go-lucky, always smiling, positive kid."
Anderton didn't start playing volleyball until she went into seventh grade. Quickly, she realized her talent on the court. At 6-foot-3, she is the ideal size for a middle blocker. She can also swing over and play some on the outside.
"She's big, she can jump, she can move," Frederick said. "The ability to move at that size is rare. She's got physical strength and dexterity for someone her size. She can be dominant at the net as a blocker, particularly."
Anderton was a three-year starter for the Golden Lions and also plays on the Tsunami Volleyball club team out of Atlanta. She amassed 563 kills in her high school career with a hitting percentage of .335. She had a career year as a senior with 207 kills and .384 hitting percentage, which is second-best in school history. Anderton finished her career with a school-record 327 blocks, 140 of those coming her junior season.
One of the biggest highlights of Anderton's young volleyball career was being a member of a state championship team as a freshman. Even though she missed the second half of that season with a minor concussion, winning the crown was a valuable learning experience.
"I was really gifted to play with such talented players," said Anderton, whose team was also state runner-up when she was a junior. "Their leadership really motivated me to be like them and made me be as strong as they are as players, on and off the floor."
Anderton was named third-team AVCA Under Armour All-American and to the 4A All-State Team as a senior, and garnered plenty of Division I looks for her prowess on the court. West Virginia and Georgia Tech were attracted to her, and Clemson got on the radar between Anderton's junior and senior years. She signed with the Tigers on Nov. 10 and loves the school's academic and athletic excellence.
Anderton's expected to contribute quickly at the
collegiate level.
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"I think it's going to be a fabulous fit for her," Frederick said. "I imagine she's going to be able to play there fairly soon."
The Clemson coaching staff is excited to get Anderton fresh off the injury and work with her to become an even better volleyball player.
"We're not worried one bit and look forward to her getting healthy in mid-spring and then getting after it this summer and next fall season," Clemson coach Hugh Hernesman said in a press release after signing Anderton.
Away from the court, Anderton is a devoted community leader who loves to volunteer during her free time.
"Now that I'm out of volleyball for a few months, I'm going to be taking on a lot more volunteering things just so I can give back to my community," Anderton said.
She has helped make meals at Christ the King School for the homeless over the past few years. She enjoys bringing friends with her during the summer to pack up the food. Anderton also makes sure she helps out around Christmas time.
"To have happy functioning lives, you need to be able to help everyone," Anderton said. "It's just nice to give back, because they're giving to you. Helping them just really helps me."
Anderton has volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul, hanging up donated clothing, organizing donations or helping regular volunteers with day-to-day needs. She has also spent time at a crisis pregnancy response organization.
Last summer, Anderton was all set to head to Nicaragua for a mission trip through her high school, but because of the Zika virus outbreak the trip was cancelled. She'd like go on a mission trip in the near future to help out the less-fortunate.
Anderton generally volunteers one full day every weekend when she's not competing in a volleyball tournament. She loves to balance her volleyball activities with volunteering.
"I like having something to do," Anderton said.
In the classroom, Anderton is a solid 3.5 GPA student at one of the most difficult college preparatory schools in the area.
"She's a classroom-first kid, always has been," Frederick said. "She's just a well-rounded, well-grounded kid."
Working with youth at volleyball clinics is just one
of many things that Anderton does to serve her
community.
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Anderton's Catholic high school provides plenty of opportunities for students to grow as young adults. For the second-straight year, Anderton was asked to be a leader on a student-led retreat that takes place every spring.
"We are picked to lead and direct and host this retreat up in the north Georgia mountains where the kids can grow in their faith and we can share testimonies and we can really bond over the weekend away from the world," Anderton said. "It's really nice because not only do we get these amazing experiences, we get to bring them back and share it with the people who could not go on the retreat."
Anderton makes it a point every summer to help with her school's volleyball camp for young players just picking up the sport. She has a passion for working with aspiring volleyball players.
"I love sharing the love of the sport with the younger people," Anderton said. "Just to see their enthusiasm for it helps me grow as a volleyball player."
