FARMVILLE, Va. – With the close of the first summer session for the Longwood women's basketball team under first-year head coach Rebecca Tillett, the Lancers have had an opportunity to grow under a new system and build chemistry with each other on and off the court.
 
On the court, Tillett had the opportunity to introduce her system and her philosophies to the team while players were able to continue their offseason training program.
 
However, it was off the court where the Lancers were able to build chemistry through various team-building and volunteer opportunities throughout the session.
 
"During our summer session, the coaches made it clear how important it is to have strong relationships with each other," said rising junior Dayna Rouse. "Obviously, since we're living in the same area and are attending the same workouts, we already spend a lot of time together. But by eating together three times a day, having a taco/game night, hiking and volunteering, we've been able to continue learning about one another and grow as a team.
 
Longwood volunteered on three occasions over the six-week period at the non-profit Farmville Area Food Services (FACES) Food Pantry in the Farmville community, helping to unload food trucks, as well as bagging food and produce.
 
FACES is a non-profit organization that is supported entirely through local volunteers to provide food for those in need throughout the community. To learn more about FACES, please visit HERE.
 
In addition to giving back to the community, Longwood had the opportunity to take in some of the best scenery that Virginia has to offer by hiking more than 2.5 miles to the summit of Sharp Top in Bedford, Va.
 
"I thought we were really able to get to know each other a lot better because we spent so much time together," said rising redshirt-junior Kate Spradlin. "My favorite thing that we did was the hike because it was a new experience for a lot of people. It was fun to do something that was different and be outside."
 
The team also had a variety of game nights throughout the session, including a competitive game of Heads Up during a taco night, along with a competitive game of kickball.
 
For the 2018-19 season, Longwood welcomes back a strong nucleus of 12 student-athletes from the 2017-18 team including rising senior Kristina Antonenko, along with Rouse and Spradlin.
 
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