Healthy Simmons a big hit
Waubonsie Valley senior set for another late-season push
There is nothing more frustrating than being powerless to help your team. Just ask Waubonsie Valley’s Michael Simmons.
Last year, the 6-4 outside hitter missed all but five games with a stress fracture in his left ankle and foot. The Warriors went 10-20 without him.
“It was tough to watch,” Simmons said. “I hated seeing my team struggle and not being able to do anything about it.”
When he did return, Waubonsie Valley won four in a row, including upsets of No. 3 seed St. Francis and WW South in the regional, before falling to second-seeded Neuqua Valley in a sectional semifinal.
“Getting to the sectional was huge,” he said. “But I felt like I was waiting the entire season to come back.”
There have been no physical setbacks for Simmons this year, and he has put together some electrifying performances. He had more than 20 kills in a loss to No. 2-ranked Lincoln-Way North at the Marist Invite.
“That was a fun game,” Simmons said. “[The Phoenix’s] Jake Walenga and I were going backand-forth. After that match, we knew we could play with the top teams. We just haven’t been really consistent. But we’ve adjusted our rotation and I think we figured it out.”
Whatever adjustments Waubonsie Valley makes, it’s certain that Simmons will still see the ball. He is averaging 15 kills per match and could reach 1,000 for his career despite missing most of last season and spending his freshman year as a setter.
“He’s a consummate performer,” Waubonsie Valley coach Al Lagger said. “He always hustles, he’s a competitor, he’s a student on the court and a student off the court. He knows the game inside and out. He comes from a volleyball family. He’ll do well at the next level.”
Simmons’ father, Dean, played at BYU. His sister, Ally, a former standout at Waubonsie Valley, is a junior middle hitter at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan. Simmons will continue his playing career at Lewis University.
“I have gone to most of their home games,” said Simmons, who will join other local standouts at Lewis such as Downers North’s Greg Petty, Mount Carmel’s Bobby Walsh, and Sandburg’s Scott Fifer and John Hodul. “I got to know the guys pretty well. Walenga and I are going to be roommates.”
Meanwhile, Simmons is hoping to lead Waubonsie Valley on another late-season run.
“I need to be more consistent as a player and as a leader,” Simmons said. “I have to get the guys up no matter who we’re playing, and I have to be able to step up in really big moments. But I also need to trust my teammates to be able to put the ball away. Trust. That will be big, too.”