ROCKINGHAM — It was a long afternoon of competition for the Richmond Senior High School tennis team on Tuesday.
The Lady Raiders played a doubleheader against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponent Union Pines High School.
The two teams made up a rainout from Hurricane Idalia, while also playing the regularly scheduled second meeting of the season.
Richmond suffered a pair of losses, falling 0-6 both times. Due to the sweep by the Lady Vikings in singles, doubles were not played.
“Since we hadn’t played Union Pines the first time, we didn’t really know what to expect,” head coach Jessica Covington said. “It took us some time to get adjusted to their style of play and unfortunately we weren’t able to get a win.
“I am proud of all the girls for continuing to fight, especially after such a long day with two full matches,” she added. “Every time we play a quality opponent, we are getting better.”
No. 1 senior Neely Turner lost to Tyne Ross 0-8 both times, while No. 2 junior Hanna Smith fell 2-8 and 6-8 against Abby Robertson.
In her two matches, No. 3 sophomore Jentry Denson came up short 0-8 each time against Madelyn Ragsdale. No. 4 junior Madi Grimes battled Bella Edwards but came up short 1-8 and 2-8.
No. 5 senior Ella Scott suffered consecutive losses to Ceillidh Clendenin in 2-8 fashion. No. 6 freshman Colbie Covington played two opponents, starting with a 4-8 loss to Kinsley Creel and ending with a 4-8 defeat to Lynn Yoxtheimer.
“All we can do is learn from these matches and put forth a strong effort to try and finish the season by winning out,” Covington closed.
The Lady Raiders (3-6, 3-6 SAC) will play once more this week. On Thursday, Richmond will travel to Lee County High School.
