ASHEBORO — In its season opener on Monday, the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team showed areas of promise despite not earning a win.
The Lady Raiders fell in straight sets, 0-3, to non-conference Uwharrie Charter Academy. Set scores were 17-25, 10-25 and 14-25.
Head coach Ashleigh Larsen explained that her team came out strong in the first set, but wasn’t able to maintain its intensity as it’s still finding its footing early on.
“I told the girls I was super impressed with how they came out in the first set,” Larsen said. “But we got back on our heels a little bit, and in the second and third sets we couldn’t get ourselves out of it when we made a mistake.
“There were minutes where they played great together and looked awesome, but we just need to find that last little drive to want it more. Two more games this week should give us a chance to do that.”
The first set featured seven ties between the two teams, battling out to a 10-10 start. Sophomore middle hitter Catherine Dennis, who led the Lady Raiders with seven kills, recorded a couple of points during that stretch.
Richmond trailed 18-15, but then the Lady Eagles closed the opening frame on a 7-2 run.
The Lady Raiders struggled in the second set, letting Uwharrie Charter go on streaks of 9-0 and 6-0. Larsen noted that the team’s communication is still something it’s working on.
“We do need to do a better job with communicating,” Larsen explained. “We have some quieter girls and the masks don’t help. I tell them I want to be able to hear them on the bench, and we got a reality check tonight with how important our communication is.”
Senior Saniah Durham serves the ball during Richmond’s season opener on Monday. (Kyle Pillar)
The third set was close for the first half, with senior outside hitter Allyiah Swiney delivering one of her three kills to make it a 10-8 deficit. But the Lady Eagles responded with an 8-0 run before a serving error ended it.
Junior Joy Styles served two points from the line, but Richmond’s comeback attempt came up short when Uwharrie Charter closed on a 5-1 run.
“Our rotation did work good together tonight even though we didn’t win,” Saniah Durham, a senior outside hitter, said. “This gave us a chance to work on some things we needed to.
“Tonight let us know what to do and not to do, and what we can expect the next time we play them,” she added. “A lot of (Uwharrie Charter’s) players were versatile, which will help us make adjustments and play other teams.”
Senior outside hitter Kiersten Gibson added two kills and sophomore middle hitter Katie Way had one. Dennis added a team-high four blocks at the net, Gibson had two, and Way, Durham and sophomore Jenna Gardner each had one.
Sophomore libero Allie Rodgers led the way with nine digs and also added an ace. Dennis and Durham also had one ace apiece.
“Between Catherine and Katie, I think they got a little worried early when (Uwharrie Charter) put the triple block on them,” Larsen said. “But they adjusted around it and played smart, and were able to find open holes.
“Tonight was a big eye opener, but we got our first-game jitters out,” Larsen closed. “That should hopefully lead to a more flourishing team throughout the rest of the week.”
The Lady Raiders (0-1) will look for their first win on Tuesday in their home opener against non-conference Purnell Swett High School. Varsity is set to begin around 6 p.m. following the conclusion of the junior varsity match.
JV Lady Raiders also fall in season opener
The Richmond junior varsity volleyball team and head coach Melissa Dennis were also on the road at Uwharrie Charter on Monday, losing in two sets. Scores were 15-25 and 18-25.
The JV Lady Raiders (0-1) will also play Purnell Swett on Tuesday, starting at 5 p.m.
