With a team forged by players like Chloey Myers, victory has come to the Chaparrals in great strides as they’ve gone 19-2 against teams stretching all the way to Texas. 

From waking up at 4 a.m. to train, to practicing five hours with two different teams, Myers has always put in the work as she’s played volleyball for more than a decade.  

“I love the feeling of winning a game,” Myers said. “It’s the excitement, and it feels like you’ve accomplished something.” College of DuPage’s women’s volleyball team hasn’t won the NJCAA championship title for more than 20 years, but this year’s team is filled with nothing short of superb athletic prowess. 

Involved with the sport for so long, Myers has created a fierce and calculated athletic mindset for herself as she’s learned how to read other players on the court during games. Myers’s ability to construct a defense based upon the type of team she’s playing is key to her performance. 

Myers believes that “a good attitude and good communication” is what’s carried the team to have been so victorious thus far. 

“We have that energy. We have that communication; We know how to move on the court with each other,” Myers said. “My mom always told me, ‘you’re only as good as your worst player,’ and that is so true. If you’re not working together, it’s not going to work.” 

In her time playing volleyball she’s found valuable lessons and guidance through the sport, as she tries to play as big a role as she can within the team dynamic. 

“One of the big things for me would have to be just being a part of something, knowing that I make a difference where I’m at,” Myers said. “Being a part of something, knowing that you mean something, and you have a purpose.” 

During some points of her athletic journey there have been moments of strain on her mental health, causing her to lose a little bit of love for the sport now and again. 

“I feel like a lot of people don’t realize what we go through on a daily level,” Myers said. “How damaging it is when you mess up, when you have a bad game, it tears on you mentally. You’re like, ‘What am I doing wrong? I’ve been doing this for so long, I shouldn’t be making these mistakes.’” 

Myers has experienced points of misery as she’s played for different volleyball teams in the past. 

“When it comes to the mental part of it I’m a very big advocate because I have been through a lot of stuff mentally because of my sport,” Myers said. “I have been torn down as a player in general. I know I’m not the only one going through this. I know I’m not the only one that is upset or goes home from practice crying because he or she doesn’t feel like they’re good enough, and that’s not right.” 

Through Myers’ care for athletes’ mental health, she’s come to learn that a lot of people seem to forget players have lives outside of sports. 

“There’s more to us than just the sport. There’s more to me than just volleyball,” Myers said. “I get it. We’re athletes, but we are humans.”

This inaccurate assessment of a player’s life only being defined by the sport they play doesn’t live at COD, with the coaching staff following a different tune, she said. 

“[Head Coach] Tolis [Koskinaris] does a great job with that. If I’m having a bad day, or if I’m like, ‘Hey, I don’t want to practice today. I’m not feeling right. I’m just not mentally there,’ he’s very understanding about that.” Myers said. “He’s helping me find the love for the sport again.” 

After COD, Myers hopes to join up with a beach volleyball team and pursue a career in business by attending cosmetology school and opening her own hair salon.