Girls volleyball: Anderson thrives on the outside at St. Charles North
Everyone likes a story about hard work paying off, and Claire Anderson has such a tale to tell.
A middle and right side hitter until two years ago, it was suggested to the St. Charles North senior she would have a brighter future as an outside hitter.
At first, that wasn't what she wanted to hear.
"I had to make the transition and I wasn't very good and I kind of didn't like outside," Anderson said. "So I had to put that much more time and effort because I had to get faster and I had to touch higher and I had to get an insane amount of reps to be the player I want to be. I saw where I wanted to be and I knew that was the only way to get there."
Anderson did that work, arriving early before practice and showing up on days she didn't have practice. She worked on her arm swing mechanics, she worked with a personal trainer, she took all those extra reps.
And where did that work get her?
Anderson became a dynamic outside hitter, one who hit the ball as hard as anyone in the area but also smart enough to know when to tip or find a hole. She earned a scholarship to DePaul, and she was in the middle of one of the top teams in the state for a St. Charles North team that won 34 games and conference and regional championships.
Anderson and Cary-Grove setter Erin Olson are this year's Honorary Co-Captains of the Daily Herald Fox Valley All-Area girls volleyball team.
"Claire is probably the most dynamic and versatile player I've had the pleasure of coaching," St. Charles North coach Lindsey Hawkins said. "She has played middle, right side, and outside for us at different points in her career at North. But what makes me the most proud, is to have seen how far she's come and how hard she's worked to get to this point."
Anderson, who was born in Bloomington but has lived nearly her entire life in St. Charles, didn't start playing volleyball until seventh grade.
Her father Scott played high school basketball and her mother Pam was a swimmer. Anderson grew up playing soccer, basketball and softball on travel teams before narrowing her focus to volleyball.
"I like the challenge of it because all the other sports I was just naturally gifted at it because I was tall," Anderson said. "Volleyball is something that took a lot more skill than I was used to and I liked the challenge. A lot of people told me I had potential and I wanted to explore that more."
Playing volleyball at Thompson Middle School and club with Fusion since seventh grade, Anderson entered St. Charles North and immediately made the varsity.
She wasn't alone. Anderson is part of a special senior class with Daley Krage, Jaclyn Taylor and Sam Lappin that has been playing varsity since they were freshmen.
Krage met Anderson in sixth grade.
"We've been playing volleyball ever since," Krage said. "Claire is someone I love to play with because she has more intensity and passion for the game than anyone I've seen. She just really wants to win. Once she moved to the outside she started focusing on that and she's gotten amazing."
Anderson said having a friend like Krage, who will play college volleyball at Northwestern, made playing varsity as a freshman easier.
"It was scary at first," Anderson said. "I didn't talk much the first few months. It was comforting having Daley with me. It was a good experience because I had so many upperclassmen to look up to and it helped me be a good leader when I got older."
Before her junior season Anderson made her college choice, picking DePaul over Marquette and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, among others.
"I wanted to stay close," said Anderson, who plans to study finance. "That was a big selling point to me and that's why DePaul was my No. 1 for a long time."
Anderson made the All-Area team as a junior with a team-high 252 kills in the regular season as the North Stars won 27 games.
Anderson did that while not possessing the size that same outsides do.
"While she's tall, she's still undersized for this game, especially as an outside hitter," Hawkins said. "She's had to learn to use her explosiveness, her quickness, and her knowledge of the game to get as good as she is. She has had to learn when to hit around blockers, and when to go for the straight down, floor-shaking kill we've all seen her get."
Hawkins also has been impressed with how Anderson's overall game has improved to become a 6-rotation player.
"She's become one of our best passers," Hawkins said. "She's a player who spends who free time at Fusion, working out and taking private lessons to get better. She's the player who, after a two-hour practice, goes to a personal training organization to work individually with a trainer on her speed, agility, and strength."
Anderson came into her senior season after an outstanding club season when she was named an AAU All-American.
Anderson made it a memorable year for the North Stars, who lost only to Benet twice, and Geneva the first weekend of the season. They got their revenge against the Vikings, beating them to win the Upstate Eight Conference River Division.
Naperville North ended St. Charles North's season in a 3-set sectional classic, 30-28, 23-25, 25-23, Anderson going out with 20 kills in her final match.
She reversed roles as a senior and became a mentor to St. Charles North's sophomores and freshmen.
"We have a great core of seniors and we have all played together a really long time," Anderson said. "This year has been especially good because I think this team has a different mindset. We have a natural urgency toward the game. The potential of the younger girls on the team is insane and to have the core group of seniors to guide them and bring out the best in them is the reason we are doing so well."
Other coaches certainly have been impressed.
"Claire Anderson is a strong outside hitter," Batavia coach Lori Trippi-Payne said. "We are so happy she is graduating. She will do great in the Big East at DePaul. She is such a dynamic attacker, as she can hit from anywhere on the court. I remember a couple of years ago coaching against her and saying, 'Who is that kid?' All the attention was on Taylor Krage, but even back then, Claire Anderson was contributing and making that team stronger as well."
With her work ethic Anderson doesn't get much time away from volleyball or school, but she said when she does one of her favorite things is going to show competitions with her horse, Charlie.
"That is my way to de-stress and not have to worry about volleyball and school," Anderson said.
By going to DePaul, Anderson is staying close enough to home to still see her horse - and her family and friends, of course, while those who know her best are glad to still be able to see, and cheer, for her.
They know if it comes down to how hard you work, Anderson will be a big success again.
"I truly think she will be a standout at DePaul and that they are so lucky to be getting an impact player like Claire," Hawkins said. "While it will be extremely hard for me to let her go because we are so close, I am so happy for her to begin a new journey. She puts in countless hours to craft her game, and I couldn't be more proud of the player she's turned into."