The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 13 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Outside hitter Amalia "Molly" Simmons is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree who's also stood out on the court. Last season, the 5-foot-11 standout appeared in 26 sets across 10 matches with four starts, averaging 1.81 kills per set. In 2023, following a redshirt season her first year, she tallied 119 kills, 31 digs and 21 blocks in 61 sets across 20 matches. Here are some things about Simmons you may not have known: Best Aspect Of Being From Pittsburgh: "It's such an old town, so everybody there is from Pittsburgh. People who grow up in Pitts- burgh always come back. It's such a homey feel and vibe. They're so far behind other medium-sized cities in the country, and it makes it feel so old-timey. I like it." Favorite Restaurant In Ann Arbor: "Frita Batidos." Best Meal She Can Cook By Herself: "I'm a pretty good cook. I enjoy it. I recently made steak-fried rice." Favorite Professional Athlete: "[Olympic track athlete] Allyson Felix. I grew up watching track. My dad would always be watching the Olympics, and she was incredible. She's so fast, so muscular. I loved seeing her on screen. Now, she's not running anymore, but she's a mom and doing things in other spaces. I really look up to her." Sport She Enjoys Besides Volleyball: "I love IM [intramural] bas- ketball. Me and my friends will go there on a Friday night. Growing up, my favorite sport to play was gymnastics." Favorite Movie: "The Parent Trap." Favorite TV Show: "Jane the Virgin." Why She Chose Michigan: "The coaches who were here at the time really saw something in me. I wasn't that great, and I had just started volleyball. I was just athletic, and on the court I had no idea what I was doing, but they offered me so young. If they could see something in me when I was terrible and that I would grow up to be something even better, I like what they can see in me. It's not far away from home, which is good. And then the pride of the school." What She Hopes To Do After Michigan: "My major is biopsychol- ogy, cognition and neuroscience. I have an extra year [of eligibility], so I'm either going to stay here and take grad school or go some- where else and find a one-year program and play volleyball. I want to eventually take what I've learned about the brain and how it works and how people process decisions, and the ultimate goal is to use that to help the youth in sports." Favorite Memory At Michigan: "My team got delayed in Texas over- night on a trip. We were stuck in the airport for hours. I think we stayed at a motel. A lot of us had checked our bags, so we didn't have clothes to change into. The food was not great. But we made the most of it. A couple of us went to the salon. We all bought matching t-shirts that said, 'Don't Mess With Texas.' We just spent the day in the airport doing everything that we could. It was so much fun, and we bonded so well." Overall Experience At Michigan: "It has been some of the best four years of my life so far. I've stepped into who I am here. I came in my freshman year a lot different than who I am now — the ways I've been able to grow and learn about myself as a person, but also how I have an impact on other people and the things I can do in my life. My eyes have been opened." — Clayton Sayfie ❱ Getting To Know Volleyball Redshirt Junior Amalia Simmons Simmons was a three-time Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association All-State selection for Moon Area High School. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY