ROCKINGHAM – When Ashleigh Larsen was introduced as the Richmond Senior High School head volleyball coach in June, she was well aware that she had big shoes to fill during the 2018 season.
Having spent the previous six seasons as the Richmond junior varsity head coach, Larsen was no stranger to the ways of Lady Raider volleyball, but her first year at the helm proved to be without several players from 2017’s perfect regular season squad that went 22-0. But despite the transition between players and coaches, the Lady Raiders impressed with a third-place finish in the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings and made their way back to the 4A state playoffs.
Richmond only returned two starters in 2018, with senior outside hitter Savannah Lampley and junior libero Layne Maultsby leading a core of otherwise young players. Other returners to the team were senior middle hitter Savannah Chappell, and juniors Jadyn Johnson (outside hitter) and Allexis Swiney (right side hitter). A breath of fresh faces filled the floor for Larsen, including junior setter Carley Lambeth and sophomore middle hitter Georgia Grace Anderson.
Competing in 20 regular season matches and two postseason matches, Richmond compiled a 13-9 overall record, while posting a 10-4 mark in SAC play. The only losses to SAC opponents came to first and second place finishers Jack Britt and Pinecrest high schools, respectively. While the Lady Raiders didn’t manage to win their third-straight conference title or advance past the first round of the state playoffs like in recent years, Larsen took away from her first season much more than what the wins and loss columns showed, while also balancing the responsibilities of coaching the junior varsity team.
“It was definitely a learning and growing year for not only the girls, but me as well,” Larsen explained. “We had big shoes to fill after all the seniors had left on the court, and I had big shoes to fill after Shellie (Wimpey) had come off two big outstanding seasons as the coach. I had to adjust to getting girls ready to play at a new level, but still also had my old role to fulfill as well.
“This season was a challenge trying to manage both teams, but both the junior varsity and varsity girls were super helpful and understanding,” she continued. “I think coaching both, for this season at least, helped all the girls understand what I expect from them and where I’d like this program to go. I think the buy-in from the girls is what allowed that to work.”
Larsen noted she was pleased with how receptive her players were of the changes, and said their eagerness to learn new roles made the transition smoother. The tandem of Chappell and Lampley, the lone seniors, acted as Richmond’s captains, which helped motivate the other players.
Richmond jumped out to a 4-1 start on the season, picking up two big non-conference wins against Uwharrie Charter Academy, as well as Anson and Purnell Swett high schools. A dip in the win column happened in the next stretch of games, as the Lady Raiders dropped three of their next four matches (Jack Britt, Pinecrest and Lee County High School), the first of two such streaks on the season.
But the rough patches wouldn’t last long, as Richmond’s best play of the season came in the home stretch, resulting in six-straight wins, all of which came against SAC opponents. During that span, the Lady Raiders outscored their opponents 18-3, including three wins in straight sets.
Larsen’s team swept the two-game regular season series against the remaining five teams in the SAC, and the late-season push was enough to distance itself from fourth-place Lumberton High School. As the season wound down, Larsen started to see several players heat up developmentally.
“All the girls stepped up to fill the roles we had lost — and they adjusted to fill some different roles then they had before, and some continued to flourish in roles they had already been in,” Larsen said. “Savannah (Lampley) was a dominant offensive force, while Layne battled each game in the back row to dig us out of tough situations.
“Jadyn was shifted back to the outside position this year and she worked hard from start to finish to get better offensively and defensively,” the head coach continued. “She showed growth as the season progressed, and had an outstanding game at Pinecrest for our last (conference) game and I was proud to see her break out. Allexis continued to play on the right side and became one of our key blockers. As the season went on, she began to get more vocal and became more of a threat on our offensive end.”
Larsen expressed how Chappell and Anderson stepped in to take over in the middle of the court, both playing big roles defensively on the blocking end. Unfortunately for Chappell, her senior campaign was her only year of starting, which made her have to gain experience and confidence as the season went on. But Larsen said she was pleased with how she “worked hard and was always a leader for the whole team.”
Anderson was the only sophomore who saw regular playing time, and Larsen watched as she began developing and connecting more with Lambeth to get her offensive line going. For future seasons, Larsen expects Anderson to “grow and help the program.” Lambeth had spent the last two seasons with Larsen on the junior varsity team, and “worked hard to work with the hitters to get our offense rolling” as the team’s new setter.
While Larsen had hoped her team would complete the trifecta in winning its third-straight conference title, 2018 wasn’t Richmond’s year as Jack Britt stunned the Lady Raiders and a perennially solid Pinecrest team to take first place. Coming up short in the conference standings wasn’t what the Lady Raiders wanted, but in a year of development and transition, Larsen was pleased with her team’s efforts.
“Any coach’s goal is to be first,” Larsen said. “I’m satisfied that the girls gave me everything I asked for. They worked hard, they got better, they believed, and most importantly, they fought. I think we could have done better some games. Some mistakes cost us, but it was a building season. We had a big turnover of personnel in our lineup — it was definitely a year of adjustments and finding new people with the desire to win.”
The SAC conference tournament was cut in half this year because of play being extended from a nearly three-week hiatus from Hurricane Florence in September. Richmond made it in as the No. 3 seed, but fell to No. 2 Pinecrest in four sets, cementing an 0-3 record against the Lady Patriots. In the first round of the 4A playoffs last Tuesday, No. 21 Richmond went quietly in straight sets on the road at No. 12 Providence High School. Despite the two hiccups to end the season, Larsen saw a lot of pivotal moments throughout the fall that showed her team’s grit and determination to win.
One of those moments was in the season opener against Uwharrie Charter, a match that Larsen watched her players “battle through to their first victory.”
“I was so proud that day,” she shared. “It showed me their heart, desire and fight they had inside for the whole season. I enjoyed watching them come together again when we went to Uwharrie to battle in their gym a couple nights later.
“I enjoyed seeing the girls grow and push themselves and their teammates,” she added. “The whole season was a ‘moment’ for me. The girls united to buy into the program I’m trying to develop, and bought into one another. We definitely shot ourselves in the foot some games, but like I tell the girls before and every after game. I always believe they had the potential to win. Listening to the girls on the bench fire up the the girls on the court each game was awesome, too.”
Late last week, the SAC unveiled its all-conference team, and Richmond saw Lambeth, Lampley and Maultsby take home the honor. It was Lampley’s third-straight selection, while Lambeth and Maultsby were recognized for the first time in their careers. Looking to the future, and only losing two of her 11 varsity players to graduation, Larsen remains optimistic for 2019.
“It’s definitely hard to watch Savannah (Lampley) have a standout season then turn around and go,” Larsen concluded. “She was our ‘go to’ hitter, but I have plenty of girls who have been working relentlessly and will be returning next season. The girls are mainly all multi-sport athletes, so getting them in the offseason will be tough, but I can’t wait to get back on the court and get back to work. We’re humble, but hungry.”
