Anderson grads helping Freed-Hardeman in quest for national title
By John Herndon, 110forChrist.com
You would have to forgive someone if he thinks he’s seeing double while looking at the box score from a Freed-Hardeman women’s basketball game this year.
During the Lady Lions’ 89-61 win at Georgetown, there was Jenna Satterly on the second line of the FHU stat sheet with 23 points, nine rebounds and two assists. On the third line was Rachel Satterly with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Two days later, Freed-Hardeman, ranked No. 2 in the NAIA, whipped the University of the Cumberlands, 74-56. In that one, the Satterlys evenly split 38 points. Jenna added five rebounds and three assists while Rachel snared three rebounds.
Yes, they are sisters having stellar seasons as Freed-Hardeman enjoys one of its finest seasons in history. In many ways they are alike: tough, competitive and winners in every way.
But the Satterlys are as different as their most recent awards given by the Mid-South Conference: Jenna, a sophomore, was named the MSC’s Offensive Player of the Week on Jan. 26. Two weeks earlier, Rachel, in her final season of eligibility, had been selected as the league’s Defensive Player of the Week.
It’s how it’s always been even when they were teammates at Anderson County High School. And being able to suit up together for two years of college basketball has given the Satterlys an opportunity afforded to few.
“It’s a super special thing,” says the Lady Lions’ second-year coach Abby Stutts. “I feel like they have that extra connection. Friends can have a connection but they have that sister bond.”
It wasn’t a given that the reunion would happen. While they were teammates on Anderson teams that advanced to the Elite Eight and Final Four of the KHSAA State Tournament, their path split when Rachel accepted former coach Joshua Epperson’s offer to play for the Church of Christ-affiliated school in Henderson, Tenn.
Jenna would go on to participate in two more Sweet 16s, putting Anderson on her shoulders for a come-from-behind win in the 2024 Eighth Region championship game, then elected to pursue her college basketball and academic career at the same school where her sister was finishing her redshirt sophomore season.
“I didn’t think I was going to get to,” Rachel said of the possibility of being on the court with her sister again, “but she chose to come here. College is a choice and when she chose to come here it just makes it more special. The school has become such a big part of our family.
“To be on the same floor and be able to trust each other, it’s just awesome.”
Rachel had connected with FHU after Epperson,saw her in high school. “He offered me as soon as he got the job at Freed,” she remembers.
Epperson left Freed-Hardeman for Southeastern University in Florida after the 2023-2024 season.
“I don’t think there is a word to describe it,” Rachel says of being able to suit up with her younger sister. “It has been very special. It’s very rare (for siblings to play together in college) and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s been amazing. It’s altogether different from high school. It’s a different level.”
And the Satterlys are part of a Freed-Hardeman team that is taking things to a different level on the court. While FHU has been a major factor in NAIA women’s basketball for the last three decades, the Lady Lions have not captured a national championship since 2018 nor returned to the Fab Four since the following season.
A year ago, FHU advanced to the national quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded Indiana Wesleyan to finish 28-5. The Lady Lions have made it known they are eyeing bigger things in 2026, opening the season with 17 wins before falling at conference rival Lindsey Wilson. After beating Cumberland (Tenn.) on Feb. 2, FHU stood at 22-1 and were atop the Mid-South Conference at 7-1. Their final four regular season games are at home, three against ranked teams.
At Georgetown, FHU displayed the fire and precision of a champion. “It was a great team win,” Stutts said. “We were moving the ball really well. Our team is very unselfish and we can have a different leading scorer every any given night. I love how our team adapts to whoever has the hot hand.and share the ball really well. They don’t get caught up in stats and anything that comes with that. They just care about team ball and winning.”
That explains why Freed-Hardeman was such a fit for Rachel and Jenna Satterly. Their Anderson County fans — many of whom were in attendance at Georgetown — had seen that winning attitude for seven years.
“They are both leaders in their own ways and that plays into their personalities,” Stutts continued. “Rachel is more of a vocal leader. She has been here five years and knows the system. Jenna is a little more quiet, but you can lead in multiple ways and they both do a great job of that.”
Through Feb. 2, Jenna is second on the FHU team in scoring at 15.7 ppg despite coming off the bench for most of the season. Rachel follows at 11.5 ppg. Rachel is second on the team with 69 assists while Jenna is third at 52. And it is significant that Rachel is second on the team in minutes played at 30 per game while Jenna is third at 29.2.
While their stat lines are close, Rachel says there is no rivalry. “Not anymore,” she smiles. “If you were asking when we were in high school, I would have said yes, but here, I have had a lot of individual success and team success since I have been here. She is a great player and so well-deserving (of awards) and I am so happy for her.”
Jenna adds, “We just want the best for each other.”
The Satterly sisters know their time on the court together is coming to a close. Rachel has her bachelor’s degree in Education and Kinesiology in hand and is competing as a graduate student. She completed her student teaching at Jack’s Creek Elementary School, not far from the FHU campus, and will be joining the school’s faculty full-time in the fall. She adds that if an opportunity that is a good fit presents itself, she might join the coaching ranks in the future.
Jenna is pursuing a career in Civil Engineering.and is working on another major in Math. She has two more years at Freed-Hardeman before needing more schooling for her chosen career.
Both Satterlys say that choosing the small school located between Nashville and Memphis has exceeded their expectations and has helped them grow spiritually.
Rachel explained that making the five-hour trip has been all she wanted and more. “I didn’t want to be right next door. I wanted to live my own life and be somewhere different,” she says of choosing FHU. “It has been the perfect environment for me.”
Both sisters say the spiritual emphasis on campus, which includes a 30-minute chapel every day, was a factor in their college choice and has helped them grow and mature. Their coach says that growth is intentional.
“As a university, as a team and for me as a coach, at the end of the day, there are way more important things (than athletic greatness). Ultimately, your spiritual life and coming and growing in that aspect of your life is more important than anything and I think that is the awesome thing that we have that support from our university and our team.
“Our girls really value their spiritual lives and they push each other in that just like they do in the weight room and in the classroom and in practice. We keep Christ at the center of our lives and focus on what is truly important.”
Rachel and Jenna Satterly fully agree.
“Freed is a special place,” Jenna says with a big smile.
And Rachel? “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
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