Simmons Heading Up The Road To Goshen
SYRACUSE – Madi Simmons’ fan club won’t have to travel very far to see her continue her volleyball career. The Wawasee senior has chosen to continue her volleyball and academic careers at Goshen College.
Simmons was a standout defender for the Lady Warriors last season. Primarily contributing on the back line as a senior, Simmons registered a team-leading 743 serve receptions, 293 digs and 82 aces to go with 55 kills and 28 assists. The Lady Warriors were 15-17 overall, and Simmons helped the team to 29 wins the past two season after the program struggled in her first season after transferring to Wawasee.
“Madi is a player who was passionate about volleyball, lost that passion for a minute, and then found it again,” said Wawasee head coach Jeff Phillips, who took over the program last season after last guiding the team in 2014. “Players who want to work and want to get better are everywhere. But players that really love volleyball are special. She may not be the player people notice on the court, but she is going to do everything she’s asked to do with full energy all the time. That makes her a player who can impact matches in several positions and help a team win.”
Simmons had some games of major impact in 2019, including a 31-dig, nine-kill, seven-ace performance in a Northern Lakes Conference win over Concord. Simmons also recorded 10 kills in a win over West Noble, seven aces in a win over Lakeland, had six aces on six difference occasions and reached double figures in digs 16 different times last season.
Goshen wrapped up an 8-27 season in 2019, which figured a 2-16 Crossroads League mark. First-year coach Kourtney Crawford has a roster loaded with area players, including NorthWood’s Haylee Pennington, Westview’s Taylor Eash and Bethany Christian’s Tessa Clark. The Leafs lose just one senior to graduation.
At Goshen, Simmons plans to study elementary education.