April 18, 2008

University, MS (UWIRE) -- There are many facets that factor into a team's success: talent, work ethic, coaching and experience to name a few. The most essential intangible assets may be leadership, an area where the Ole Miss soccer team is well endowed.

The Rebels feature seven rising seniors who will be of service for the Rebs on and off the field as they conclude their spring season and begin summer preparations for the fall.

"This is a special group of rising seniors," Ole Miss head coach Steve Holeman explained.

"To have seven seniors is great for our program and ensures some stability within this group. They are seven great players who experienced one of our best seasons ever their freshman year when we won the West, and they want to get back to where they have been in the NCAA Tournament."

The group of seniors includes All-SEC selections Amy Bayles and Jennifer Hance, Amanda Verkin, Stacey Emmonds and Austin Brown, and team captains Megan Vickery and Christine Breaux.

"This is a motivating season for them," Holeman said. "We have great leadership and quality players. All seven of these rising seniors have been starters at some point in their career, and it will be grounds for a great season ahead."

The seniors know they have to work hard and assist the incoming freshmen with their transition into SEC soccer.

Rising senior and co-team captain Christine Breaux has adopted this mantra and is anticipating the challenge she and the rest of the seniors face in the fall.

"Next year it is going to be great with all the new freshman coming, and they will definitely be looking at the seniors for leadership. Every senior on the team has a great attitude about next year and is really looking forward to it," the Gonzales, La., native said.

Megan Vickery, who is the other senior captain for the Rebels, is a fifth year senior goalkeeper for the Rebels. Vickery, having been around the longest, has experienced multiple successes and failures during her tenure with the Rebels, including the disappointment last year's seniors felt after failing to achieve their pre-season goals.

According to Vickery, "Seeing the class I came in with go out not being completely happy with the way things ended makes me want to work really hard to make sure we do not end things on terms we are not happy with at the end of the year."

Vickery was coming off an ACL injury last season and split time in the goal with the now graduated Ann Shelton. Shelton was heralded as one of the best goalkeepers in Ole Miss soccer during her five years at Ole Miss and provided Vickery with plenty of motivation to continually improve her game.

"Ann is someone who works 110 percent all the time. Whether it is at practice or a game, she is someone who makes you want to work harder and get better. Getting to play with her was definitely something that challenged me and made me want to work harder."

Under the leadership of Vickery and Breaux, as well as the rest of the Ole Miss rising seniors, the team has high expectations for the fall season as the spring season begins to wind down.

"We always have high expectations and expect to win the West," Breaux said. "We have to come back and have another winning season and, of course, to always make the SEC Tournament, but the big deal this year is getting back to the NCAA Tournament."

These goals are something Holeman sees as attainable with the talent level of the team and the leadership the upcoming senior class can provide.

"We have set a standard here for work rates and ethics and set a standard for giving it your all every day in practice, training and games," Holeman said. "These seniors represent our program in all that we have done and all that we have accomplished."

(C) 2008 Daily Mississippian via UWIRE