CAMERON — Not going down without a tough fight, the Lady Raider volleyball team’s season came to an end during the first round of the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament on Monday.
No. 6 Richmond traveled to No. 3 Union Pines High School and came up short in three sets, falling 3-0.
The Lady Raiders, who held leads in the first and third sets, wouldn’t go away quietly. Set scores were 16-25, 21-25 and 16-25.
Despite it not being the outcome she wanted for the team, head coach Ashleigh Larsen said there was some good to take away from the season-ending match.
“This was a big way to end the season knowing that we have so many returners coming back next year,” Larsen commented. “I hated not to get some of the seniors in tonight, but after watching the third set against Scotland (last week), I went with the lineup that played best.
“The girls came together tonight and didn’t hang their heads,” she added. “Remaining positive was a game changer and we really thought we were going to win tonight. I’m proud of the way we ended the season and I think it was a big statement to hang with Union Pines the way that we did.”
Trailing by a few points early in the first set, two kills from senior Allyiah Swiney spurred a 3-0 run by Richmond to tie the score at seven points. A one-handed bump by freshman Ava Edmondson kept Richmond close, but a 9-2 run by Union Pines made it an 18-10 deficit.
Junior Catherine Dennis recorded a tip at the net and added two blocks down the stretch, but Richmond couldn’t close the gap. The Lady Raiders’ final point came on a knock by Swiney into open space.
In the second set, an early tie was interrupted when Union Pines went on a 10-2 run to jump out to a 12-4 lead.
The Lady Raiders responded with a 6-1 stretch, which forced the Lady Vikings to call a timeout. During that span, Edmondson had a bump over the net, sophomore Christi Jacobs and Dennis had a kill, and sophomore Katie Way added an ace.
Richmond would pull within two points four times late in the set, and following a long volley that featured several digs on defense, the Lady Raiders got within a point, 22-21, when Swiney ended the rush with a push.
But a 3-0 run by Union Pines (18-4, 10-3 SAC) ended the second stanza.
Similar to the first set, Richmond took an early lead, this time on a hitting error and a kill from sophomore Jenna Gardner. A couple of plays later, a kill from Dennis knotted the set at three points.
A block from Way, a Gardner ace and a Lady Vikings’ error tied the set at seven points. The two teams would battle out to ties of 8, 10, 12 and 13 points.
Using a 12-3 run to close the set, Union Pines took the third frame and advanced to the second round of the SAC tournament.
“This season was a little bit of a rollercoaster,” Larsen said. “The girls worked hard each day at practice and unfortunately we couldn’t get things rolling because we lost personnel during certain weeks. If we could go back and have a season without so many things happening back-to-back, things may have been different.
“I’m proud of how no matter which lineup I put out on the floor, the girls competed to the best of their ability. I hate that this is how it ended.”
Monday’s match was the final competition for three seniors — Swiney, Saniah Durham and Kiersten Gibson.
“All three seniors have worked really hard all season and I’ll hate to see them go,” Larsen commented. “They’ve been big motivators this year and they’ve been with our program all four years.
“But it’s good to see a strong group of younger girls come back next season,” she closed. “I’m sad this season is over, but I know we’re all excited for next year. We got a glimpse of the group coming up and I think we can hang with the best.”
Richmond ended its season with a 4-16 overall record and a 3-10 mark against SAC opponents. The Lady Raiders defeated Purnell Swett, Southern Lee and Hoke County (twice).
Based on its current roster, Richmond will return 10 players for the 2022 campaign.
Below are season stat leaders through every match played expect for Monday’s SAC tournament game, according to MaxPreps:
Kills
Dennis (67)
Way (55)
Swiney (36)
Durham (15)
Aces
Edmondson (17)
Gardner, Swiney (9)
Dennis (8)
Way (6)
Blocks
Dennis (20)
Durham (6)
Way (5)
Gardner (4)
Digs
Allie Rodgers (148)
Swiney (104)
Gardner (99)
Joy Styles (79)
Assists
Edmondson (120)
Gardner (59)
The Richmond Observer will report on any Lady Raiders who make the 2021 All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team when it’s announced.
