ROCKINGHAM – It may not have been the most fundamentally sound way to make her coaching debut as the Lady Raiders head volleyball coach, but Ashleigh Larsen and her team notched their first win of the 2018 campaign Tuesday evening.
In the program’s season opener, the Lady Raiders hosted non-conference opponent Uwharrie Charter Academy (Asheboro, N.C.), which is coached by Lee Kennell. The Lady Eagles (0-1) soared out of the gates to put Richmond on its heels by taking the first two sets, but thanks to some smart coaching and adjustments by Larsen, the Lady Raiders roared back to win the final three win-or-go-home sets.
Taking the opening match 3-2, the set scores were 26-28, 21-25, 25-16, 25-19 and 15-11. Dating back to last season, it was the second straight match that the Lady Raiders (1-0) played five sets, as they fell to Lake Norman High School in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs. In the previous 25 matches during the 2017 season, Richmond only went to five sets one other time (Union Pines, a 3-2 victory on Sept. 6, 2017).
“That was a really stressful game for me,” Larsen smiled following her debut win. “But it was good to see the girls battle back and pick up the first win of the season. This was a great program to start the season against — those girls have good skills and played smart against us.
“I was really debating after the second set whether or not to change the lineup, but I had faith in the girls — and I wanted them to join together and step up,” she added. “And they did that in the last three sets.”
After working all summer to formulate her starting opening night lineup, Larsen sent seniors Savannah Chappell (middle hitter) and Savannah Lampley (outside hitter), juniors Jadyn Johnson (outside hitter), Carley Lambeth (setter) and Allexis Swiney (right side hitter) and sophomore Georgia Grace Anderson (middle hitter) on the court to start the match.
In the opening set, the Lady Raiders quickly found themselves down 13-10, but battled back with a 7-3 run of their own to take their first lead at 17-16, forcing Uwharrie Charter to call a timeout. After a series of unforced errors by Richmond, the Lady Eagles pulled ahead to win 28-26 in overtime.
It was Uwharrie Charter’s Gabbi Green and Molly Teel who gave the Lady Raiders the most trouble all night, as both players hit the ball really well in the opening two sets. In the second game, Richmond struggled early, letting the Lady Eagles out to a 12-3 lead.
But Richmond chipped its way back to make things close, as a 6-0 run that saw Chappell, Lampley and Swiney all net points brought the score to 19-15. A Lampley kill closed the gap to 23-21 a few minutes later, but an unforced error and a Uwharrie Charter tip closed it out 25-21.
“The big issue for us in the first couple of games was our miscommunication,” Larsen noted. “We were a little nervous, too. But in the last three sets, the girls turned it around by talking and playing smarter. They really started to become more aggressive, finding the open holes and serving to the passers who weren’t doing so hot. They did everything I asked them to do.”
Facing a loss if they dropped any of the next three sets, the tides turned for the Lady Raiders as they mustered a comeback, outscoring the Lady Eagles 65-46 in that span. Lampley started the third set off with one of her team-high nine kills, as Richmond got its first early-set lead. Aces by junior libero Layne Maultsby and Swiney, paired with an athletic overhead hit by Lambeth, gave Richmond a 9-5 lead and forced Kennell to call a timeout.
Out of the break, back-to-back points by Lampley and Johnson kept the momentum going for Richmond. A string of service and ball handling errors by Uwharrie Charter and another Maultsby ace gave the Lady Raiders a commanding 19-11 lead. Anderson capped off the third set by blocking a hit at the net, giving Richmond the 25-16 advantage.
The fourth set was much of the same from the Lady Raiders, as two big runs (8-4 and 12-6) gave them a 20-10 lead. Anderson had two aces while serving in the middle part of the set, while Lampley and Swiney added to the score with a handful of kills en route to a 25-19 win.
In the final set of the night, played to only 15 points per NCHSAA rules, Richmond looked to put things away early by getting out to a 5-0 lead in part to several Uwharrie Charter errors and net violations. Not going quietly, Greene and Teel started a charge that resulted in a 6-1 run by the Lady Eagles to tie the set at six.
But a 9-5 run started by Lambeth slapping a ball into no-man’s land ultimately led to the Lady Raiders icing the cake for their first victory of the season. Maultsby, Johnson and Anderson all contributed points in the final stretch, with Anderson capping off her debut with a kill in the middle of the net for the comeback win.
Head coach Ashleigh Larsen (center) rallies her team during Tuesday’s win.
“Early on, when I had Carley in the front row, that allowed (Uwharrie Charter) to get some good hits because Carley isn’t a blocker,” Larsen said. “They adjusted their lineup really well to take advantage of that in the first two games. But I told Savannah (Lampley) and Jadyn to back up and take away some of those deep balls. Our girls adjusted in the final three games, and they’re starting to get back in the volleyball swing of things.”
Leading the Lady Raiders on the stat sheet was Lampley, who racked up nine kills and seven digs. Johnson and Swiney each had seven kills, and one ad two digs respectively. Maultsby, who will be used as more of a hitter out of the back row this season, finished with six kills and 12 digs.
Lambeth ended the night with 27 assists from the setter position, while Anderson had four aces, four kills and “a handful of key blocks.”
“Georgia Grace was helpful on blocking,” Larsen said. “She has a lot to cover since she’s front row with Carley, and she stepped up and made some key blocks tonight.”
The Lady Raiders’ quest to retain the conference title for the third straight season continues Wednesday, as they’ll host non-conference opponent Anson High School. The varsity match will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the junior varsity match.
Note: The junior varsity Lady Raiders, also coached by Larsen, won their season opener against Uwharrie Charter in straight sets 25-22 and 25-10. Sophomore Kelly Hoffman had three kills, two digs and five aces, as fellow sophomore Jakerra Covington netted two aces and two kills. Jayla McDougald, also a sophomore, had three aces and three digs.
