ROCKINGHAM — Representing the third selection of The Richmond Observer’s weekly feature series of the 2024-25 school year is a four-year varsity volleyball player.
Ava Edmondson, a senior on the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team, has been named the Official Richmond County Female Student-Athlete of the Week presented by Rockingham NC Self Storage.
As the Lady Raiders began Sandhills Athletic Conference play last week, Edmondson continued to be “the one who holds the team together,” according to head coach Ashleigh Larsen.
The lone four-year varsity starter on this year’s team, Edmondson earned her second career recognition. She was also selected during her junior season.
Athletic Profile
Year: Senior
Fall sport: Volleyball
Position: Setter
Varsity Experience: 4 seasons
“CLASSROOM CREDITS” WITH AVA EDMONDSON
With her senior year entering its second week in the classroom, Edmondson is busy at both Richmond and Richmond Community College.
As a dual-enrollment student, Edmondson attends classes multiple times a week at RichmondCC to earn college credits. This semester, she’s taking Biology 111 and Psychology 150.
At the high school, Edmondson is enrolled in Annual Production Honors and Economics and Personal Finance Honors, a graduation requirement for all seniors.
With a 4.27 weighted grade point average, Edmondson is involved with National Honor Society, Senior Senate and National Beta Club. She said her favorite class this semester is annual production because “I get to be creative and help record everything that happens this school year for the yearbook.”
“SET UP FOR SUCCESS” WITH AVA EDMONDSON
The Lady Raiders faced non-conference Montgomery Central and Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents Southern Lee and Pinecrest high schools last week.
Richmond notched back-to-back wins over Montgomery Central and Southern Lee by scores of 3-1 and 3-0, respectively. A tougher opponent in the Lady Patriots yielded a 3-0 loss.
As the team’s setter, Edmondson’s role isn’t as flashy as the hitters or defenders, but every play ultimately passes through her hands. She’s also embraced a key leadership role again this season.
Across the three matches, Edmondson recorded 74 assists (24.7 assists per match) with zero ball handling errors. Against Montgomery Central, she dished out a single-match season-high 36 assists, followed by 28 against Southern Lee and 10 at Pinecrest.
In addition to helping set up Richmond’s attack, Edmondson was also productive from the service line. She totaled 25 points on serves, including nine points against Pinecrest and eight points each in the wins over Montgomery Central and Southern Lee.
Tallying seven aces in the three matches, Edmondson recorded a .956 serve percentage.
Helping the back row, Edmondson had 29 digs last week. She had a dozen digs in both wins. Additionally, Edmondson had three kills and two blocks for Richmond.
On the season, Edmondson leads the Lady Raiders with a .951 serve percentage and 165 assists (20.6 per match).
Her 52 points serving and 17 aces are tied second on the team and her 69 digs (9.9 per match) put her alone in second place for Richmond. She’s also added nine kills.
The Lady Raiders (5-3, 1-1 SAC) host Hoke County High School Tuesday at 6 p.m.
“RAPID RESPONSE VIDEO” WITH AVA EDMONDSON
The Richmond Observer will publish its Official Richmond County Male Student-Athlete of the Week Wednesday.
Sports editor’s note: The writer of this article is Edmondson’s annual production teacher.
