Greene Central continues girls' tennis success in 2019

By Junious Smith III

SNOW HILL — There seems to be no end in sight for Greene Central’s reign of girls’ tennis dominance.

As the Rams pursue a 26th straight conference title — trailing C.B. Aycock’s 28-year streak for NCHSAA supremacy — the team looking to continue the streak is very young. There are no seniors on Greene Central’s team, as four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen make up the roster. Still, the squad has already made history by winning the Wilson Cup in August, marking the first time in the history of the event a non-Wilson County team took the trophy.

“It was thrilling,” Rams coach Tim Medlin said. “I thought we were a year early and might have a chance next year, but they rose up to success. To see the way they’ve worked together is just amazing.”

Rams junior Shayna Cox said the young team has ability beyond its years.

“We wanted to win the Wilson Cup,” Cox said. “We have a strong top 6 and we also have a great amount of determination and unity.”

The passion has translated to the regular season. Despite a tough non-conference schedule, the Rams are still undefeated after registering an 8-1 victory over Washington in the Eastern Carolina 2A opener. Currently, Greene Central is ranked as the No. 2 team in 2A and tops in the East, with aspirations toward the school’s first championship since 2007.

“We’ve got depth all the way through, even beyond No. 6,” Medlin said. “We’ve got power at the top and we’re usually known for having good doubles teams. We’ve played a hard schedule with traditional 3A powers such as (Greenville) Conley and (C.B.) Aycock, along with the No. 9 1A team in the state (in Lejeune) and a top 2A team in First Flight.

“We’re looking pretty strong now and hopefully the trend continues.”

Greene Central sophomore Venancia Miller said a collaborative effort will be needed for sustained success.

“It’s going to take hard work,” Miller said. “We have to keep the unity and act like a big family.”