SOUTHERN PINES — Starting its three match week on Tuesday, the Lady Raider tennis team suffered defeat at Pinecrest High School.
Facing the Lady Patriots for the second time this season in Sandhills Athletic Conference action, Richmond fell 9-0. It was the team’s second loss to first-place Pinecrest this fall.
“As always, Pinecrest proved to be a tough opponent,” head coach Jessica Covington said. “While we’re not happy with the loss, I think this match really showed us how much we’ve grown this season. That was apparent in our scores today.
“The girls are putting what we’ve worked on in practice into their matches. They’re moving their feet better and hitting the ball with more confidence. I hope we can take what we learned from today and put it to good use with two more matches this week.”
Richmond’s No. 6 and No. 2 singles players were the closest to almost earn a victory. In the No. 6 match, freshman Colbie Covington lost 4-8 to Eliza Hage, while No. 2 junior Hanna Smith dropped her match against Livia Pratt 3-8.
No. 3 sophomore Jentry Denson was the only other Lady Raider to win a game in her singles match. She came up short 1-8 while competing against Sophia Pandich.
No. 1 senior Neely Turner, No. 4 junior Madi Grimes and No. 5 senior Ella Scott all lost 0-8 to her respective opponent.
The doubles matches saw each of Richmond’s three pairings get on the board. The No. 3 team of Scott and Covington dropped their match against Dylan Macrae and Cameron Croner 3-8.
The No. 1 duo of Turner and Smith, along with the No. 2 team of Denson and Grimes, each lost 2-8.
The Lady Raiders (2-3, 2-3 SAC) play on the road at Southern Lee on Wednesday and return home to host Hoke County on Thursday.
Both conference matches will begin at 4 p.m.
