Grothues started playing volleyball with the Dutch club Krekkers in 1996, inspired by the male national team winning the Olympic gold in Atlanta 1996.

[2] She made her international debut in the Dutch national team at the opening match of the Montreux Volley Masters against Cuba in June 2008.

Grothues did not play in the national team in 2014, due to an Achilles heel injury.

In 2015, she was promoted to team captain prior to the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.

[3] Thus she only returned for the knockout rounds, seeing limited minutes as the Netherlands finished fourth.