Home Local Sports Lady Raiders edged in ‘super close’ match at Uwharrie Charter

Lady Raiders edged in ‘super close’ match at Uwharrie Charter

Junior Christi Jacobs attempts a kill during Thursday's loss at Uwharrie Charter Academy. (Deon Cranford)

ASHEBORO, N.C. — Despite winning the opening set of Thursday’s match, the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team came up just short.

Traveling to Uwharrie Charter Academy, the Lady Raiders suffered a 3-1 loss. Set scores in the non-conference match were 25-21, 20-25, 22-25 and 23-25.

As indicated by the four sets, head coach Ashleigh Larsen said the match was tightly contested.

“I thought the girls came out strong tonight,” Larsen said. “They were able to capitalize on last night’s win and we were able to come out and take the first set. Every set score was super close. Had we made a few more serves in and cleaned up the little things, I think we could have easily come out on top tonight.

“We let a run in the fourth get turned around for them to come back,” she added. “Their coach adjusted things well and their girls made a few more plays than we were able to. I’m pleased with our play despite the loss and excited to see what next week has in store.”

The first set saw six lead changes as Richmond took a 21-20 advantage, causing the Lady Eagles to call a timeout. Three points later with the score 23-21 in the Lady Raiders’ favor, another break was called.

Following a long volley, a push by junior middle hitter Katie Way to the back right corner secured the set win.

The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the second, but a run by Uwharrie Charter gave the home team a 13-12 lead.

Battling back and forth, the Lady Eagles ended on a 12-8 run to take the second frame.

Again, the third set was a close affair, seeing Richmond call a timeout down 19-18. Taking six of the next 10 points gave Uwharrie Charter a 2-1 set advantage.

Tied at 23 points in the fourth set, Richmond allowed a 2-0 run and wasn’t able to force a decisive fifth frame.

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Finishing its first week of the season with a 1-2 record, the Lady Raiders will gear up for another three-match week against the same three opponents.

Richmond will travel to Purnell Swett on Monday, followed by home matches against Uwharrie Charter (Tuesday) and Montgomery Central (Thursday). All varsity action will start around 6 p.m.

Note: No stats were available of Thursday’s match at the time of publication.

JV Lady Raiders cap perfect first week

The Richmond junior varsity volleyball team extended its early-season winning streak to three matches on Thursday.

Also playing Uwharrie Charter, the JV Lady Raiders earned a 2-0 win, the second straight night sweeping their opponent. Set scores were 25-22 and 25-17.

Set for three more matches next week, head coach Melissa Dennis’ squad will open play at Purnell Swett on Monday.

Note: Deon Cranford contributed scores and information to this article.



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.