Greene Central Drops Road Match to Farmville Central
Greene Central Drops Home Match to Farmville Central
FARMVILLE — Greene Central ran into one of the toughest teams in the state Tuesday night, falling to Farmville Central in straight sets 25-9, 25-18, 25-14. The Jaguars, currently 18-1 and second in the conference with their only loss coming to league leader Ayden-Grifton, showed why they’re considered one of the top contenders heading into the postseason.
The loss moved Greene Central to 11-10, with one regular season match remaining Thursday at Beddingfield. A win would secure sole possession of third place in the conference standings behind Farmville Central and Ayden-Grifton.
Head coach Emily Lahr said there were positives to take away from the match, especially from senior Jaycee Russell, who showed resilience after a tough stretch early on.
Senior Jaycee Russell had an up-and-down night early, and after a brief reset on the bench, returned to the floor with multiple hustle plays—diving to keep points alive and setting the tone with senior leadership.
“Thats what we look for, sometimes the girls just need a reset and its hard to be able to pull someone off the court and then want them to mentally and emotionally reset 'this is what I did, what Is what I need to do, I am going to fix it' and being able to put her back on the court, thats all you can ask from an athlete”
With the playoffs approaching, Lahr said facing a team like Farmville Central can be beneficial for her players.
“I think it does a lot,” Lahr said. “I think every game prepares you, wins or losses. I think it’s really how you look at it. The girls are really good about watching film and making sure they are doing what they are supposed to do. Every little bit helps — and not even just watching film, but watching college games to continue to improve as an athlete.”
Even in defeat, the Rams had moments of fight and long rallies against one of the state’s best.
“I think rally volleyball, you just have to accept you are going to have 15 balls over the net to get one point,” Lahr said. “Sometimes it’s tiring, sometimes you just have to do that. I think the girls did a really good job playing the rally ball.”
Greene Central closes out the regular season Thursday at Beddingfield, looking to lock in third place and carry momentum into the postseason.
