The University of Mississippi Athletics
Putting Her Best Foot Forward
9/12/2001 | Soccer
Sept. 12, 2001
The 2001 soccer season is going to be an exciting one for Ole Miss' Anna Sanders. The junior midfielder has grown from a young player to a seasoned veteran leading a troop of young Rebels that, according to Sanders, are better than ever.
"I can already tell this year is going to be my best," Sanders said. "With the graduations we had and 11 new players coming in, we're getting better and better. I love playing with this team, and I'm really excited about the season."
It's hard to imagine Sanders playing better than during the 2000 campaign, when she was the Rebels' top player in Southeastern Conference action. She led the team in total points in league play and was among the conference's leaders in assists. Sanders had a pair of multiple-assist games in victories over Auburn and Arkansas.
She will be called on to set up her teammates even more in 2001. Rebel all-time leading scorer Jennifer Soileau had been UM's assist queen the past few seasons, but her graduation leaves a void in the midfield and the team in need of even more playmaking.
"As an outside midfielder, her ability to set up other players is probably the strongest part of her game," said Rebel head coach Steve Holeman, who has been with the Ole Miss soccer program since its inception in 1994. "She has the skill to make a nice technical cross into the box and put the ball right on a player's head or foot. She also can also make dangerous serves."
Soileau was one of four four-year starters who graduated last May, signifying a change in leadership for the team. Sanders, along with senior Melinda Smith and junior Courtney Biddle, are team captains this season, and Holeman feels the squad is in good hands.
"Anna is part of what holds us together," he said. "She's been a great representative for the Ole Miss soccer team. She's a great person and the ideal student-athlete.
"She's our hardest-working player, our fittest player and heart of this team."
Sanders' dedication has been unmatched. A starter in every game of her two-year career, she has worked tirelessly in the weight room and in practice to be in the best of physical shape come game time.
"My work rate has continued to improve since I've been here," Sanders said. "During the summer is really when I crack down and focus. I try to stay as fit as possible all year long."
Her work ethic also carries over into the mental aspects of the game.
"She has improved tactically," Holeman said. "She likes to study the game. She's gotten used to playing at the highest level, so she now understands the game better."
The preparation has translated into success on the field. The Rebels have won the SEC Western Division Championships the last two years, and Sanders has been among the catalysts, starting every game.
As a freshman, she netted key goals against LSU and Arkansas and finished the season with three goals and three assists. Sanders doubled her production as a sophomore last year, collecting five goals and six assists, which ranked second on the team. She posted her first career multiple-goal game against South Carolina and scored the game-winner against Kansas.
Sanders currently ranks seventh on the Ole Miss career assists list and ninth in career goals.
However, she has not allowed her devotion on the soccer field to interfere with her studies. Sanders has been a regular on the Dean's Honor Roll, and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll a year ago.
With all her qualities as an outstanding student and a great athlete, Sanders was the perfect choice to sit on Ole Miss' Committee for Intercollegiate Athletics. She is only the second student-athlete to be on the panel, with former women's basketball player Stephanie Murphy occupying the position the last two years.
Sanders and ASB President Clarence Webster are the lone students on the 16-member committee, which meets four times a year and discusses NCAA legislation and issues pertaining to college sports today.
"It is a huge honor, and I'm very excited about it," Sanders said. "When they were deciding on who to put on the committee, I had a lot of good recommendations around campus, and I was really appreciative of that.
"It's really great being there representing the entire student body of athletes."
