The Wisconsin volleyball team has brought in an impressive group of freshmen this season, but there's one who is impressing more than the rest early on: Kristen Simon. She was recently mentioned by Big Ten Volleyball and Emily Ehman as a freshman impact player with her incredible dig rate in the first five games of the year.
Simon has the second-most digs per set in the entire Big Ten. Not simply among freshmen but among all of the Big Ten, with 4.14 according to the social media post by the Big Ten. However, that's actually gone up since then; she's now up to 4.64. Which, according to the official NCAA stats, is actually first in the Big Ten and 39th in the nation.
These B1G 🏐 freshmen have made an immediate impact. 👀 Who else could make @emilyehman's list? pic.twitter.com/G6kmmX2ySk
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) September 10, 2025
True freshman Kristen Simon is the best at digs per set in the Big Ten
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In the first game of the season against Kansas, she led both teams in digs at 23. The only other players close had 20. Charlie Fuerbringer of Wisconsin and Ryan White of Kansas. She followed it up by having the most digs in the match against Texas for both teams with 16. Against UC Davis, she had a team high of 12, and it was the first time in her young career that she didn't have the most on the court. UC Davis' Ximena Cordero Barr had 16.
She didn't play against Chicago State but came back with seven more digs against Milwaukee. She's had an amazing start to her college career and has been a player whom Wisconsin depends on. As she continues to get more and more experience, she will become even more valuable.
If Wisconsin is going to reach its goals this season, it will need Simon's impressive ability to dig out balls and keep volleys going.