Hall of Fame
A winner for the Millersville women’s tennis team in every sense of the word, Abbey Neff Anderson ranks among the most winning singles players in program history and was one-half of Millersville’s most dominant doubles team.
Her four seasons from 1997-2001 coincided with one of the most successful runs for any women’s tennis program in PSAC history. Neff Anderson’s play helped Millersville to four-straight PSAC Championships and four-straight NCAA regional titles. Her teams posted an incredible 89-18-1 record with four consecutive 20-win seasons.
In singles play, Neff Anderson’s 92 career wins rank second all-time. She also teamed with Lauren Witmer to win 107 doubles matches—44 more than any other Millersville duo. The future hall of famers paired for four seasons, winning at least 27 matches three times, including a program record 31 in 2000-01.
Neff Anderson won a PSAC doubles championship and placed second in her flight in each of her first three seasons. The championship format changed to a team tournament for her senior season, and she was named All-PSAC First Team after going 24-8 in singles and 31-10 in doubles play. That 2001 season saw Millersville beat Bloomsburg for the first PSAC Tournament title, and Neff Anderson and Witmer swept their way through the tournament’s three matches at No. 1 doubles. Millersville advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals in Pensacola, Fla., and the team finished with a school record 29 wins.
Neff Anderson won at least 24 singles matches in three of her four seasons and holds three of the seven most successful singles seasons in program history. As a junior in 1999-2000, she went 26-4 in singles action, and that win total still ranks third all-time. That same season, she and Witmer posted a 27-5 doubles record, matching their win total from the previous season when they went 27-2.
Neff Anderson received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2001. After graduation, Neff Anderson continued to play competitive tennis with Witmer and fellow Millersville Hall of Fame member Abbie Mahaffey. She met her husband, Jim, through tennis and the two play mixed doubles competitively. eff Andersson taught for 13 years in the West York Area School District and received a master’s degree in education from Villanova as well as a principal certification from Temple University. She, Jim, and their three children—James, Wills and Emi—live in York, Pennsylvania.
