Chris graduated from O'Fallon High School in Illinois. At O'Fallon, Chris was All-State, 2nd team All-Conference, 3rd Team All-Area, and Honorable Mention All-Metro.

He attended Kaskaskia Community College where he was Freshman of the Year and as a sophomore was the team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.

Chris is the son of Karen and Michael Gottschall; his father played volleyball at UCLA where he was a two-time National Champion.