Russ Rose Then (2016): “I am really hoping Simone will be able to pick up some of the offensive gaps that we have with the graduation of Aiyana Whitney and Megan Courtney. She didn’t have a full time role last year, but I thought she had a good spring and she’s arguably our strongest athlete. Her energy is great and I’m confident that she’ll be able to carry a big load for us this year.”
Russ Rose Now (2026): “Simone was one of the one of the top recruits in the country. She was incredibly physical, long arms, strong frame, big hands, great blocker, and as she matured as a player and got better at ball handling and all the other intangibles, she became an All-American player at Penn State. She’s one of the leading scorers in Brazil now and is having a great year. Both she and Ali Frantti are names that are talked about as players who could be brought back to the National Team because of how well they’re doing professionally. She keeps on swinging and is not afraid of the moment. Simone made great contributions to the program and was a great teammate.”
2016 Season (Junior) Highlights and Awards: AVCA First Team All-American … AVCA All-Northeast Region Team … Unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection … NCAA Lincoln Regional All-Tournament team … named Big Ten Player of the Week and espnW National Player of the Week following a 30-kill performance in an upset of No. 1 Minnesota … Penn State Classic All-Tournament team … led Penn State with 503 kills, which ranked 4th most for Penn State during a single season in the 25-point rally scoring era.
Season Recap: Started in all 34 matches, playing all 121 sets … totaled 17 service aces, 194 digs and 63 total blocks … posted 23 kills against No. 19 North Carolina (8/27), adding 10 digs for her first career double-double … led the team with 19 kills at Colorado (9/3) … led the team with her 3rd straight match with double-figure kills, tallying 12 vs. No. 9 Stanford (9/4)…led team in kills with 13 at Rutgers (9/21) on .458 hitting, along with 6 digs … set a career record with 4 aces and added 10 kills against Northwestern (9/25)…pounded a career-high 30 kills against No.1 Minnesota (10/5)… 30 kills marked third most for Penn State in a single match during the 25-point rally scoring era …. notched 15 kills to lead the team along with 2 digs and a solo stuff against No. 22 Purdue (10/14)…logged a team-high 27 kills, 6 digs and a block against No. 16 Michigan (10/22)…notched 19 kills to go along with 6 digs and 1 ace vs. No. 4 Wisconsin (10/28)…recorded her 2nd career double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs against No. 3 Minnesota (10/29)…Charted her 3rd career double-double with 23 kills and a career-high 13 digs vs. No. 1 Nebraska (11/4) … put down 19 kills and 4 digs vs. Ohio State (11/12) … logged 6 kills and 7 digs against No. 1 Nebraska (11/16) … recorded 20 kills, 5 digs and a solo stuff against Illinois (11/26).
NCAA Tournament: Led the team with 12 kills and a match-high 5 blocks in the NCAA Tournament First Round match vs. LIU Brooklyn (12/2)…put down 14 kills and 9 digs in the Second Round match against Pitt (12/3) … logged a team-high 22 kills, 12 digs and 3 blocks in the Regional Semifinal match against Nebraska (12/9).
Before Penn State: A 4-year starter and 2-year captain at Menomonee Falls … guided the Indians to a WIAA state championship title, picking up All-State honors following her sophomore and junior seasons … with her club team, Club Fusion, she earned 4 AAU all-tournament team honors … a member of the 2012 and 2013 USA Girls’ Youth National Team, helping the team to a 1st-place finish at the NORCECA U18 Continental Championships in 2012 and a 2nd-place finish at the FIVB U18 World Championships in 2013 … a 2013-14 Under Armour First Team All-American … 2013 Mizuno First Team All-American … 2013 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year.
