Greene Central sweeps Tarboro in conference opener

SNOW HILL — Greene Central opened conference play with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Tarboro on Tuesday, winning 25-7, 25-3, 25-8. The Rams improved to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in league play.

Hailey Sauls controlled the service line with 20 points and 5 aces, while Donkey Phillips and E’mahni Williams powered the attack with 7 kills apiece. Ava Kearney added 5 kills, and Olivia Corbin chipped in 5 aces.

“I think our girls were on top of it, doing what they needed to do,” Greene Central head coach Emily Lahr said. “It was nice to see some new faces across from us. It gives us perspective on how we need to adjust. You learn from every little bit of it.”

Williams said she felt comfortable in the flow of the match.
“I felt like I did pretty good,” Williams said. “I was very aggressive at the net, and my girls were covering me.”

Lahr credited Williams’ growth since making the jump from JV midway through last season.
“She came up halfway through the season last year and we needed to work her in,” Lahr said. “It’s a huge change from JV to varsity, but she jumped right in.”

The Rams’ coach also emphasized the value of the team’s early schedule.
“They want to fight and they want to win,” Lahr said. “You learn just as much from losses as you do from wins, so I’m happy with some of the losses we’ve had and how we came out from them.”