WEST POINT, Ala. — West Point’s Caitlee Simmons is gearing up for her sophomore seasons with both the Lady Warriors volleyball and basketball teams and in this interview, she shared some of her favorite lessons and memories she gained during her freshman year.
“This season wasn’t our best and we knew it, but we couldn’t let it affect our mindset. I would say the biggest thing I learned was to be mentally tough. My dad has always told me that ‘you are what you think you are.’ Once you get your head right, you can do anything you put your mind to. Another thing I learned was volleyball is more than just ‘a game you play’. When playing volleyball, you have to work together and be good teammates to one another. You have to have a love and a passion for the game to get the good results you want.”
Caitlee got to play alongside some great teammates last season and soaked up as much as she could from first-year head coach Kate Kent.
“We were sisters. We loved and cared for one another, when no one else would. We laughed together and we cried together. We were one big friend group on and off the court and knew if any of us needed anything, we could reach out to any of the girls. I think that’s what made it so special to play with a great group of girls,” Simmons said. “She was a great coach, and she knows volleyball. She pushed us and that’s what we needed. She knew what we could do and if we weren’t meeting the standard, she’d push us even more; I love that. What I learned from her is that the little things are actually just as important as the big things. When you do the little things, it makes the bigger things not seem so big or hard to do.”
Caitlee learned so much from last year’s senior, Brooklynn Wells and she has seen a lot of improvement in her game so far.
“I love Brooklynn. She was the only senior and she was like our team mom. When times weren’t going so well, she always cheered us up. I learned that you have to make the best out of every situation. Even if we were losing or winning, we had to pick each other up and have fun together. When you just have fun, you tend to play better. You can’t be so serious, you miss out on good memories,” Simmons said. “I have been working hard on the little things, whether it be working out or working hard on the volleyball court. I feel like just focusing and locking in for this upcoming season has helped me improve already.”
Caitlee talked about the goals for this upcoming season, and what will make this team special to watch.
“For this upcoming season, as an individual, I would like to keep my focus on the phrase, ‘Eyes up’, meaning keeping my eyes up on Christ at all times, not just when it gets hard, but even when it is good. I hope to be a leader to my teammates and that they keep their eyes up as well. A goal I would like to achieve is 200 kills by the end of the season. As a team, we’re starting small, such as winning county and area. It would be a dream come true if we won the 5A State Tournament Championship,” she said. “I think we will be special to watch because of our natural talent and our drive. We all love the game and hate losing, so we give it our all every play and point. As a team, we are working together to achieve a common goal, so we play fast and give blood, sweat, and tears for this team.”
West Point had a solid basketball season as they collected yet another area championship and made it to Sub-Regionals. Caitlee was happy with how the season went for this team and she’s so blessed to play alongside a group of young, but talented girls.
“I enjoyed this past basketball season. I feel like we accomplished a lot and got better. We proved to ourselves, time and time again, that no matter how young we were, we could still do big things. We came in every day, got positive attitudes from everyone, worked hard, and got the job done,” she said. “It’s always so much fun getting to play with my friends and getting to build friendships. The girls made it work, we made the environment positive and while we worked hard, we made it fun. We were all there to win. None of us was there to lose, so we gave it our all. I love those girls.”
Caitlee has learned so much from head coach John Welborn and her time on JV helped her a lot when she got moved up to varsity last season.
“He’s a great coach and he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to basketball. Coming into the season, he knew we were young, but he knew what we were capable of. Even though we were young, we still had the same high standards to meet. I believe his high expectations for us got us as far as we want. I learned that hard work will get you just about anything you put your mind to. Working on meeting his high standards will not only help me as a player now, but life after basketball,” she said. “It made me have a better understanding of the game and I learned the importance of teamwork and hard work.”
Caitlee has seen a lot of improvement in her game but will continue to work on her game in the offseason as she prepares for next season. She talks about her goals for the upcoming season.
“My opportunity to play on the varsity team as a freshman has made me more confident in my game,” she said. “In our summer workout program, we have been working on conditioning and agilities to help us be in better shape and hopefully prevent injuries, along with working on skills related to basketball and volleyball. I would say this season, I would like to be more confident in myself and my skills. As a team, we would love to make it to Birmingham, and I think that’s totally possible for us if we just keep putting in the work.”
Caitlee think this Lady Warrior team will definitely do special things this upcoming season and she also talks about her role models growing up, and the best advice that she was ever given.
“What will make us special to watch is our positive attitudes and atmosphere. That’s one thing I like about playing with these girls is because it’s always positive. I think the way we work together and always hustle is something special. We know each other. I’ve been playing with some of these girls since the third grade and our chemistry just works,” she said. “I remember looking up to Braelee Quinn (basketball and volleyball) and Ryleigh Jones (basketball). They always hustled, worked hard, and they were just fun to watch. I loved watching Braelee play volleyball because she was good at everything she did. She always worked hard and hustled; that always stood out to me. The best advice that someone ever gave me was from my dad and he told me, ‘You are what you think you are, once you get that instilled in your head, you got it’. If you think positive, you’ll get positive. That’s why it’s so important to stay positive, so when things aren’t going like you want them to, you believe you can, and you will.”
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