Freshman Akasha Anderson ‘front and center’ in Auburn turnaround

AUBURN, Ala. – Akasha Anderson is used to being the underdog. She embraces it.

In high school, her volleyball team was known in the area – and not in a good way. Other schools would schedule their senior nights against Herndon High. But Anderson and her teammates made history her senior year by making the state finals.

When it came time to choose a college to play volleyball, Anderson – the 2021-22 Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year – was getting looked at by top programs like Pittsburgh, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi State. It would have been easy to go to one of those more established programs and compete for titles right away. But she wanted a different challenge. She wanted to build something.

At Auburn, new head coach Brent Crouch was looking to build something also.

“Brent came from USC, and he has a pretty big name with turning around programs,” Anderson said. “For me, it was really important to play for a program that was building something rather than going to a program and expecting to win a national championship my freshman year. And I also wanted to be a part of something big. I knew I could do that at Auburn.”

The turnaround at Auburn is off to a fast start this season thanks in large part to Anderson and the rest of her freshman class. After finishing 13-15 a season ago, the Tigers started 14-0 before dropping their first match to LSU on Wednesday. It was the best start in program history. 

Anderson leads the team in kills (205) and points per set (4.11). She was named the SEC Freshman of the Week earlier this week, coming off Auburn’s win over Mississippi State last week. And as a six-rotation player, she’s literally doing it all for the Tigers.  

“She's carrying the biggest load on the team besides Jackie (Barrett), and you could argue that she's carrying a bigger load because she's the one that has to kill the balls,” Crouch said. “On the court, the production across the board has been off the charts. She just turned 18 three days ago. She should be a senior in high school. To be able to do that as a freshman is pretty amazing.”

Anderson isn’t your typical freshman either. A political science major, she stays committed to social causes and has little to no desire to stay in athletics past college. Instead, she wants to help people through global politics and international affairs.

Crouch still remembers their first recruiting calls. Volleyball was obviously talked about, but they spent more time discussing what book they were reading at the time.

“I keep telling her, ‘You’re going to be President,’” Crouch said. “She’s just as well-rounded kid who is going to make her mark here at Auburn for sure.”

That appetite for knowledge and attention to detail carries over into volleyball where Anderson is constantly watching film and trying to understand the ins and outs, the details, the technical parts of the game. As good as she has been through her first 15 matches at Auburn, she knows she can get so much better.

Just flip on the tape from Auburn’s first match against Marist and then watch one of watch more recent matches against Mississippi State or LSU. You can see the growth. 

“There were those moments in preseason during two-a-days where I was like, 'Oh my God, this is going take forever. This is so hard,’ Anderson recalled. “It was really mentally draining and difficult, but it's really cool to see how I've grown. Not just as a physical player but also a mental player in college because it's really difficult. People have your name and your number on scouting reports four days before you play them.”

Seeing that growth is exciting for Anderson who wants to be an All-American one day. More importantly, she wants to win a ring at Auburn with her teammates. It’s why she chose Auburn. To build something special. To leave a legacy.

When Auburn beat Mississippi State, it wasn’t because Mississippi State played poorly. It wasn’t a fluke. It was because the Tigers were the better team that night.

“This year we have created expectations for ourselves that Auburn volleyball has never had before, and that is really cool to hold yourself to that standard,” Anderson said. “Auburn volleyball has never really held itself to that standard before. It's just really cool to unlock those new things as a team together.”

“It's a different experience when you go someplace, and you build it for the first time,” Crouch said. “Those are the people that get the statues in front of the buildings. We were looking for players that wanted to do that, that wanted to take on a challenge, that wanted to be front and center early on.”

Anderson has been front and center this season, and she’s not going anywhere.