Teana Simmons never gives up on a play, and she brings that same energy to passing, hitting and cheering on her teammates. She takes coaching well and is always looking for ways to improve. Before the season, one piece of feedback reshaped her mental approach: focus fully on the next point. It took practice, but it gave her more confidence and consistency through a match. She also said she was excited to face older, bigger and stronger opponents, because she saw it as a real measure of how much she could improve. She is with WAVE 15-Brennan this club season.

Two months into her freshman season at Temecula Valley, that measuring stick has taught her something new.

“One thing that surprised me about high school volleyball was how much faster the game is and how good everyone’s volleyball IQ is, especially playing against older girls. The players are really smart about where they place the ball, so I’ve had to learn to read the court better and react faster.

Something that really helped me was having such supportive teammates, especially the juniors and seniors. They trusted me on the court even though I was just a freshman, and that helped me feel more confident and grow as a player.”

She understands that the gap at the next level is as much mental as physical, and she’s closing it by reading the court earlier. A freshman who notices opponents’ shot placement is already thinking like a defender a level above her age. Coaches should notice that the trust she has earned from upperclassmen came quickly.

~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247

Teana Simmons never gives up on a play, and she brings that same energy to every part of the game, passing, hitting, and cheering on her teammates alike. She takes coaching well and is always looking for ways to improve, and she wants coaches to notice that competitive engagement first. A piece of feedback changed her mental approach entirely, she was told to focus fully on the next point, and while that took practice at first, it’s given her far more confidence and consistency throughout a match. Simmons is excited to compete against older, bigger, and stronger opponents this freshman season, seeing it as a real measure of how much she can improve. Her goal is to keep growing every day toward playing college volleyball, and she stays motivated by trusting that every practice and game moves her closer to that goal.

~ Michelle Bamford @Coachable247