Symone Sims had no trouble finding her voice this spring.
Maybe that’s because she’s spent so long using her eyes and ears.
Sims, Auburn volleyball’s veteran senior transfer at libero, has seen it before. She was a key part to an NCAA Tournament run last season, finishing with the third-most digs per set in the Big 12 as K-State’s starter.
Even before that, she was part of an illustrious position group: As a sophomore in 2024, she played defensive specialist while K-State’s starting libero, Ella Larkin, again racked up the third-most digs per set in the conference. In her freshman year in 2023, the Wildcat group was led by Mackenzie Morris, who finished that year with the Big 12’s single most digs per set. Morris had the league’s second-most the year prior.
“I’ve always had a very competitive libero group,” Sims said, looking back through her college journey, just before Auburn’s practice Monday. “So that has pushed me. The liberos always have really good, healthy competition.
“We’re the best friends on and off the court, but we’re also all so good, and we get to push each other, and that has allowed my mental toughness to grow, my confidence, and also my willingness to learn.”
Fast forward to Auburn: