Sister act: Leanders to play at C-N

November 20, 2024 by Ken Lay

Elly and Emma Leander are sisters and twins.

For the past four years, they’ve played on rival high school soccer teams.

But that’s about to change. Last week, Elly, who played for the Clinton Lady Dragons, and Emma, who recently wrapped up her high school career with the Anderson County Lady Mavericks, signed national letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City.

Though they played together on club teams, they took different paths in high school soccer and say they enjoyed facing off against each other. Now, they’re excited to team up in college.

“I honestly really enjoyed it; it was fun, and it was kind of funny,” Elly said. “It was more fun than I thought it would be. Emma and I have played club together, and it’s going to be fun representing the same school.”

Emma also enjoyed the sibling rivalry.

“It made for some good times, not just on the field but at home,” she said. “I liked it and I wouldn’t change my decision. But I think this is going to be great personally. We’re looking forward to playing together.”

Both players had standout senior seasons.

Emma and the Lady Mavericks went undefeated in the District 4-AA regular season, won the district’s postseason tournament, and claimed the Region 2-AA Tournament title.

Emma was named Region 2-AA Most Valuable Player by the region’s coaches.

Elly and the Lady Dragons had their best season in school history. Clinton finished second in the district and was tournament runner-up. They made their first-ever trip to the region tournament.

The sibling rivalry added an exciting new element to the Anderson County-Clinton girls’ soccer series.

“They’re both great players, and I think they really like playing against each other,” Clinton Coach Suzanne Stout said during the Lady Dragons’ historic 2024 season.

Anderson County Coach Chris Curtin also enjoyed watching the twins face off.

“They’re great kids and great players,” Curtin said. “They both wore No. 23, and I would jokingly tell the referees that if they saw the two No. 23s going at it, to let them go because they were twin sisters. I love watching Elly play, unless I’m the one who has to come up with a way to stop her.”

Both sisters chose Carson-Newman for similar reasons.

They were drawn to the campus, the small-town family atmosphere, and the intimate class sizes.

Though both are entering college as undeclared majors, they’re staying close to home.

“I want to be a lawyer, so I’m looking at political science, but I’m undecided,” Elly said. “I honestly liked the small classes. The coaching staff was great, and the girls are great.”

Emma agreed.

“I’m going in undecided, but I think I want to go into business,” she said. “I think I wanted to stay closer to home more than Elly did. The campus was super nice, and when we went to a game, the girls played, and they all stayed to watch the guys play. Things were extremely personal.”