Karina Souza Simon
Souza came to Freed-Hardeman from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and along with Pedreira made an immediate impact for the Lady Lions. She recorded 597 kills and 468 digs in her first year, more than enough to earn her TranSouth Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
That same type of production followed for the next three years, as Souza set the program’s single-season digs record in 2005 (519) and posted more than 500 kills as both a sophomore and junior. She was a four-time first-team all-conference selection and was the conference player of the year as a senior. Souza was also the program’s first two-time NAIA All-American, earning the honors in 2006 and 2007.
When her career came to an end, Souza held the career records in both kills (2180) and digs (1869), both records that still stand at the time of her induction. She also ranks second in career aces (138) and sixth in career blocks (183). She was also a two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete, adding academic success to her athletic success.
At the time of her induction, she resided in Adamsville, Tenn., with her husband Adam Simon, an FHU alumnus. She received her MBA from Freed-Hardeman while also working as a graduate assistant for the volleyball program. She currently works at Hardin County Bank.