The last four seasons on the volleyball court, Shady Spring has ended the year in the state championship match.
The two players involved all four years for the Tigers have been Chloe Thompson and Meg Williams.
Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by family, teammates and friends, Thompson became the first half of the dynamic duo to officially sign to play college volleyball at Concord University.
“I feel really lucky to be here. I think I can still learn a lot at Concord,” Thompson said. “I feel like I still have a lot more potential, so hopefully I can keep growing at Concord.”
According to her high school coach, Kelly Williams, Thompson will be a great fit in Athens.
“Chloe is an excellent teammate. She is very encouraging player and always has a smile on her face. Her work ethic is above and beyond. She has done that since she was in elementary school,” Williams said. “If you are looking for someone that is going to make your team better, Chloe is exactly who you need.”
During her high school career against high-level competition, Thompson blasted 1,524 winners and had a nearly 50 percent hitting percentage.
The numbers alone clearly show Thompson’s ability to make an impact at the next level, but its her work ethic that her coach touched on that is the true difference maker.
While most freshman are just trying to find there way at a young age, Thompson already had her eyes on improving her game to play at the next level.
“Chloe needed to work on some defense and some little things. She worked hard over the years to improve her game and her court awareness is just great now,” Williams said. “She knew she needed to work on those things and we talked about it before. She went out and did it. We didn’t have to tell her twice. She is just going to keep getting better at the next level.”
Kelsie Dangerfield was an all-state setter that graduated from Shady Spring last year. Dangerfield played this past season at Fairmont State and played three seasons with Thompson.
“Every time I set (the ball to) her, I knew she was going to put that ball down. Each time she did, it was just a huge celebration,” Dangerfield recalled. “Everybody got so excited. So much joy comes out of her. She is a ray of sunshine and the player I looked to when we needed a change in the game.”
Concord has been a very familiar place for Thompson over her high school career, but Athens was not high on her list early in the recruitment process.
Familiarity, however, eventually became the deciding factor in Thompson’s college choice.
“I did not want to go close to home. Concord was so familiar to me. I have been playing there for years,” Thompson said. “I guess where I had been there so long, anywhere else I went, I felt out of place. I felt like a number or a statistic. At Concord I felt like it was home.”
According to Thompson, the decision became even better a little while later when her high school partner in crime committed to Concord as well.
“We both ended up signing and then I got a text from Meg asking me if I wanted to be her roommate,” Thompson said, smiling. “We didn’t pressure each, but we are really lucky that we will still have one another to push each other and grow. We have been through all the biggest games together. We have won together and we have lost together.”
With Dangerfield stepping in as a freshman to play for the Falcons and several former Tigers making an impact at WVU Tech, Thompson is convinced her time at Shady Spring has set her up for continued success in college.
“I really just feel extremely lucky to have been a part of this program (at Shady Spring). I know I likely would not be where I am today without playing with Meg and all my great teammates, or having coaches like Kelly,” Thompson said. “The reason we were winning all of those games is because of what we have been taught in this program.”
Having made it official that she will become a Mountain Lion, Thompson can now relax and enjoy her time prior to making the trip to Athens, right?
Not exactly. That is not how she rolls.
“In high school I played all six positions. I want to come into college as a versatile player and earn any spot that I can on the floor,” Thompson said. “This summer I am going to work even harder to be an asset at any position the coach needs me.”
