Woodford County High School senior Caroline Gribble reached 1,000 career assists during Woodford County’s volleyball match against East Jessamine, but the Lady Jackets fell in four sets, 25-18, 14-25, 25-22, 25-19.
Gribble reached the milestone in the opening set. She knew she was approaching the mark coming into the match, though she was unsure exactly how many assists she needed.
“I knew I was getting close, so I looked it up and I calculated,” Gribble said. “I knew it was close, but I didn’t really know how close I was.”
Reaching the mark gave Gribble a moment to celebrate with the teammates, coaches and parents who have supported her throughout her career.
“It was exciting,” she said. “Just all the support from all my teammates and all the parents and the coaches, it means a lot to me.”
Gribble said that support reflects the relationships within the program and the players’ willingness to celebrate one another’s accomplishments.
The opening set was tied at 12 before East Jessamine began to pull away. The Jaguars’ play at the net, combined with miss-hits by the Lady Jackets helped East Jessamine take the set 25-18.
Woodford put together a stronger second set, with Lucy Culbertson and Scarlett Dabney scoring points at the net. Addie Bryant’s serving helped the Lady Jackets build a 15-11 lead, and the margin grew to 18-11 after an ace from Bryant.
East Jessamine picked up the next two points, but Dabney ended the brief run with a kill. Woodford continued to extend its lead, and Kenley Greer finished the set with a kill to earn a 25-14 win and even the match.
The Lady Jackets were unable to carry that momentum through the third set. Some of the same mistakes that hurt Woodford in the opener returned, and East Jessamine won 25-22 to take a two-sets-to-one lead.
The Jaguars built a 21-11 advantage in the fourth set before Woodford mounted a comeback after a spark off the bench from senior Layla Aubrey. The Lady Jackets cut the deficit to four points, but serves into the net and balls played long ended the rally. East Jessamine closed out the match with a 25-19 win.
For Gribble, maintaining a consistent level of play is a priority as Woodford approaches the postseason. The second-set win and fourth-set rally showed stretches of what the Lady Jackets can do, but sustaining that effort remains a focus in practice.
“I think one of our main things we’ve talked about a lot in practice is to not take sets off,” Gribble said.
She said the team is working to keep its energy, play and intensity steady throughout matches, particularly as the stakes increase late in the season. Rather than allowing those levels to drop between sets, the Lady Jackets want to keep building on the points and runs that go their way.
With 10 seniors on the team, Gribble said there is an urgency to make the most of the remaining season.
“We want to make sure that towards this end of the season, we are giving all we have at all moments of the game,” she said.
This article appears in October 22, 2026.