'From great to elite,’ Mount Vernon’s Chloe Meester also is now complete

SOLON — Chloe Meester has made the transition. She has taken the next step.

She’s complete. She’s elite.

“Chloe’s growth between last year and this year, it’s really remarkable,” Mount Vernon volleyball coach Maggie Willems said. “She has gone from great to elite, and that includes her back-row play.”

Her team’s go-to attacker since she joined the varsity as a freshman, the 6-foot-3 outside hitter is now a six-rotation player.

A complete player.

“Sometimes it’s a little stressful, playing six rotations and being in the back row,” Meester said. “Everybody is targeting you.

“But in club (volleyball), I was playing six rotations, so I’m ready.”

How ready? Well, Meester ranks second on the team in digs, with 61 (3.81 per set).

Meester’s role expanded this year, partly out of necessity. Mount Vernon graduated five starters from their Class 3A state-semifinal team of 2022.

The new crew is going to be just fine. Ranked No. 6 in the first 3A rankings (and sure to rise after a runner-up finish at the Shirley Ryan Invitational last Saturday), the Mustangs are 6-1.

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In Tuesday’s Wamac Conference East Division opener at No. 7 Solon, Meester notched 19 kills, against four errors, in 34 attempts.

Mount Vernon won in straight sets: 25-19, 25-19, 25-23.

After one point, in which the Mustangs were in scramble mode before Meester terminated, Willems said:

“THAT was a Division-I, out-of-system play.”

Not only has Meester selected a D-I program, she picked one of the best. On July 31, she verbally committed to the University of Louisville, the 2022 NCAA runner-up.

“It was a tough decision between Louisville and Pitt,” she said. “It came down to where I felt the most comfortable.”

At Louisville, Meester will join forces with Payton Petersen, currently a senior at Dike-New Hartford.

“I love the idea of playing on the same team with (Payton),” Meester said. “But that wasn’t the main reason I chose (U of L).”

Also among Meester’s summer activities was some “outstanding training” (in the words of Willems) with the National Team Development Program.

That further enhanced Meester’s back-row skills.

“She has tremendous range,” Willems said. “At 6-3, she can take one step that would be the equivalent of most girls’ three steps.

“Her serve receive is very, very reliable. People that try to serve at her, it’s not going to yield them anything.”

As much as her passing and digging skills grow, Meester will always be a hitter first.

On the season’s first weekend, she passed the 1,000-kill mark for her career (she currently stands at 1,028). And it’s entirely plausible that she could finish her career with 2,000-plus.

She is averaging 5.69 kills per set (fourth most in the state) and owns a .394 kill efficiency.

Meester is the third of six sisters. That makes her a consummate teammate in Willems’ eyes.

“She’s a connector. She finds it easy to get along with everybody,” Willems said. “She’s learning some leadership skills. By nature, she’s a joyful, fun-loving person. She’s learning to demand excellence from her teammates.”

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com