ROCKINGHAM — The Lady Raider volleyball team lost a closely contested non-conference match against Purnell Swett High School in its first home game of the season on Tuesday.
Richmond fell in straight sets, but played the Lady Rams close, with both teams using runs to swing the momentum. Set scores were 19-25, 21-25 and 23-25.
“We could have played better, and we need to find that last little drive to win sets,” head coach Ashleigh Larsen said. “There were stretches tonight where we’d score five or six points in a row and the girls looked like they were meshing together, and then we’d get into a serve-receive and dig ourselves into hole.
“I told the girls we need to be able to shake off mistakes and move forward from them,” she added. “Purnell Swett never gave up on themselves and are a relentless and very scrappy team.”
Four early ties in the first set were broken open by a 7-0 run by the Lady Rams to take an 11-4 lead, making Larsen call a timeout.
With Richmond trailing 20-9, a kill from senior outside hitter Allyiah Swiney, one of her team-high eight kills, started a 7-2 run by the Lady Raiders. Sophomore middle hitter Katie Way, who had four kills, added one to make it 22-16.
Junior middle hitter Catherine Dennis added a push at the net for Richmond’s final point, but Purnell Swett took the first set on the next volley.
Sophomores Emma Altman (5) and Katie Way (15) attempt a block at the net against Alyssa Chmura (7) in the first set. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
The second set opened to a 5-5 tie, and an ace from senior right side hitter Saniah Durham started a 5-0 run to put Richmond ahead. The two teams battled to a 15-15 tie before the Lady Rams took a 23-16 lead.
Getting the ball back, Durham served five straight points which included back-to-back kills from Swiney and another from Way. Trailing by two points, 21-23, Richmond allowed the Lady Rams to earn the final two set points.
The third set was the closest frame of the match, seeing both teams trade points back and forth. The Lady Raiders’ efforts came up two points short, 23-25.
“I ran three different lineups, and I’m really looking for a second outside hitter who will be as aggressive as Allyiah,” Larsen explained. “I’m trying new things and let Christi (Jacobs) start. Quston (Leviner) played the second set and Kiersten (Gibson) played the third.
“Saniah has also worked really hard to play the right side and she’s doing a good job,” she added.
Richmond had 14 kills as a team, including two from Dennis. Swiney, Durham and Dennis all added one ace from the serving line.
“We got down on ourselves early tonight and that hurt us the rest of the game,” Way said. “We need to talk to each other, especially when we make an error or hit the ball into the net. Our confidence needs to stay up and we need to continue to cheer on our teammates.”
Richmond (0-2) will close out its opening week with a road match at non-conference Pine Forest High School (0-0) on Wednesday. Varsity will start around 6 p.m. following the junior varsity match.
“Pine Forest is competitive, so I’m hoping the girls can learn from their mistakes the past two nights and move forward,” Larsen closed. “Our biggest issue is communication, so hopefully we can build from that and end the week with a win.”
JV Lady Raiders enter win column
Ahead of the varsity match, the Richmond junior varsity volleyball team picked up its first win of the season. The JV Lady Raiders won in two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-11.
Head coach Melissa Dennis and the JV team will also play at Pine Forest on Wednesday, beginning at 5 p.m.
