Cammy Simmons rebuilding volleyball program at Crossroads Christian
HENDERSON — Cammy Simmons was determined to change the status quo of inconsistency surrounding the Crossroads Christian volleyball program when she took over head coaching duties last month.
There’s been significant progress already in Simmons’ first year with the team, as Crossroads has already won as many games as it did over the prior two seasons, by defeating Bradford Academy and Thales Academy.
Even though many more weeks of competition remain in front of the Colts, Simmons said the early results are a positive sign that the team will be good enough to qualify for the NCISAA 1A playoffs at the end of the year.
“So far so good,” Simmons said.
“The girls are playing some really good volleyball right now,” she said. “Playing some really tough schools early in the year has helped us figure out where we’re at, but I’m really happy with how the girls are coming along.”
Having previously worked with many of the players currently on the roster, Simmons thought the program always had the potential to be successful but lacked the energy and cohesion needed to establish long-term success.
The process of creating a winning volleyball team at Crossroads was something that Simmons envisioned being a difficult task, but she worked closely with athletic director Scottie Richardson and the most recent head coach, Greg Hardy, to come up with a proper plan for the immediate future.
Simmons wanted her players challenged at the beginning of the year so they could get more comfortable with each other. While Simmons believes Crossroads still needs to iron out several issues, she said the two wins at the start of 2021 would not have been possible without an overall improvement in team chemistry.
“Communication and leadership have grown tremendously,” Simmons said. “The two senior captains in Abbie Cranfill and Lillian Owens have really stepped up and brought the energy that we’ve been missing these past few years.”
Like most of her teammates, Owens had to battle through a difficult, COVID-19-stricken season in which Crossroads failed to win a single game, but she entered her senior year ready to take on more responsibilities with the hope of breaking Crossroads’ losing streak.
HENDERSON — Cammy Simmons was determined to change the status quo of inconsistency surrounding the Crossroads Christian volleyball program when she took over head coaching duties last month.
There’s been significant progress already in Simmons’ first year with the team, as Crossroads has already won as many games as it did over the prior two seasons, by defeating Bradford Academy and Thales Academy.
Even though many more weeks of competition remain in front of the Colts, Simmons said the early results are a positive sign that the team will be good enough to qualify for the NCISAA 1A playoffs at the end of the year.
“So far so good,” Simmons said.
“The girls are playing some really good volleyball right now,” she said. “Playing some really tough schools early in the year has helped us figure out where we’re at, but I’m really happy with how the girls are coming along.”
Having previously worked with many of the players currently on the roster, Simmons thought the program always had the potential to be successful but lacked the energy and cohesion needed to establish long-term success.
The process of creating a winning volleyball team at Crossroads was something that Simmons envisioned being a difficult task, but she worked closely with athletic director Scottie Richardson and the most recent head coach, Greg Hardy, to come up with a proper plan for the immediate future.
Simmons wanted her players challenged at the beginning of the year so they could get more comfortable with each other. While Simmons believes Crossroads still needs to iron out several issues, she said the two wins at the start of 2021 would not have been possible without an overall improvement in team chemistry.
“Communication and leadership have grown tremendously,” Simmons said. “The two senior captains in Abbie Cranfill and Lillian Owens have really stepped up and brought the energy that we’ve been missing these past few years.”
Like most of her teammates, Owens had to battle through a difficult, COVID-19-stricken season in which Crossroads failed to win a single game, but she entered her senior year ready to take on more responsibilities with the hope of breaking Crossroads’ losing streak.
