PEMBROKE — What head coach Ashleigh Larsen had been looking for this season she found during the Lady Raiders’ win over Purnell Swett High School on Monday.
Richmond capped its first day back at school with a 3-1 win over the Lady Rams, splitting the non-conference series.
In what proved to be a closely-contested match, the Lady Raiders overcame an early deficit to win the final three sets. Scores were 23-25, 25-17, 25-22 and 26-24.
The win over the Lady Rams ended a three-match slide to start the season for Richmond. Larsen noted that after losing to Purnell Swett in straight sets last week, her team made the necessary adjustments to earn the win.
“I told the girls this is what I’ve been looking for,” Larsen said. “I believe in them, they believe in themselves, and tonight they dug deep and found that fight. I was a little worried when we lost the first set, but the girls turned it around to win the next three sets.
“It was so good to finally see the girls come together. There was so much communication tonight, and it was a whole big momentum change for the team.”
Purnell Swett opened the first set on a 7-0 run, but the Lady Raiders rallied with an 10-1 stretch to take a two-point lead. The opening stanza saw nine ties, including a 6-0 run by Richmond to knot it at 18 points and then take a 20-18 lead.
The Lady Rams responded with a 7-3 run to take the win, closing on a 2-0 run after the set was tied at 23 points.
Both teams battled out to a 12-12 tie in the second set, with Richmond using tips from senior Allyiah Swiney and sophomore Emma Altman. Sophomore Jenna Gardner opened the second with her lone ace of the match.
Tied again at 17 points, the Lady Raiders closed the set on an 8-0 run with junior Catherine Dennis at the serving line. A Purnell Swett hitting error gave Richmond possession and over the next eight plays, Dennis served up two aces.
A handful of Lady Rams errors added to Richmond’s lead, and sophomore Katie Way ended the set with one of her five kills, finding the middle of the floor between two defenders.
“We really fed off each other’s energy, and that helped me with serving and the team getting points,” Dennis said. “Even coming off the first loss, we all held our heads high and that was a big thing.
“Winning the second set showed us that we can do this,” Dennis added. “It let us see we can be competitive and that we just have to push ourselves, which is what we did to win the third and fourth.”
The Lady Raiders stayed aggressive to start the third on a 10-4 run, including kills from Dennis, senior Saniah Durham, Swiney and Way. A push from sophomore Allie Rodgers and an Altman tip added to the early lead.
Durham, who finished with five kills, notched another from the left side to put the Lady Raiders up seven points, 13-6. Way added another kill to maintain a 19-13 lead, but a 6-1 run by the Lady Rams closed the gap to 20-19.
Swiney helped put the set win in motion with one of her team-high six kills, and went to the serving line. In what proved to be the longest volley of the night, Richmond earned another point when Purnell Swett hit the ball into the net.
Leading 22-20, Durham recorded another kill and Rodgers made an athletic one-handed dive to get the ball over the net and hit the line for another point. After two quick Lady Ram points, Dennis made a smart tip at the net to win the third.
Richmond used several runs in the fourth set to seal the deal, including a 6-1 run and a 4-0 stretch to take a 10-4 lead. Purnell Swett chipped away at its deficit and made a 6-1 run to knot the set at 20 points.
A hitting error gave Richmond a one-point lead and Altman went to the serving line. Two kills from Way and a rotational fault by the Lady Rams put Richmond ahead 24-20.
The home team rallied to knot the set at 24 points before a four-hit fault made it match point. Swiney served the ball and after the Lady Rams returned it, Way put an exclamation point on the night with her final kill.
“I thought we played good in the first set, but we had some minor things we needed to fix,” Way explained. “And we made those changes in the next three sets.
“The final play was really exciting, especially coming off a call we didn’t agree with. That motivated us to get the final point and the win.”
Through four matches this season, Larsen has continued to look for players to find their groove at their respective positions. Several players showed glimpses of that on Monday.
“Jenna has adjusted into her role as setter, and having Emma on the right side providing relief is a plus,” Larsen explained. “A lot of the girls seem to be getting more comfortable taking passes from Jenna.
“Saniah has really found her comfort zone and showed tonight she believed in herself a little more,” she added. “She has taken on that team leadership role and when she stepped up, the rest of the girls would follow. Saniah came out swinging and found some good spots on the floor.”
Swiney led the way with six kills, while Dennis, Durham and Way all had five. Dennis, Rodgers and junior Joy Styles each served two aces, and Altman, Gardner and Swiney all added one.
Rodgers had a season-high 20 digs in the back row and Swiney registered six digs. Styles, a defensive specialist, had four digs.
Richmond (1-3) will play another non-conference match this week, hosting Uwharrie Charter Academy (3-0) on Wednesday. The Lady Raiders will try to rebound from a season-opening loss to the Lady Eagles.
The match will begin around 6 p.m. following the junior varsity match.
JV Lady Raiders fall in two sets
After winning their last two matches, the JV Lady Raiders lost to Purnell Swett 0-2 on Monday. Sets scores for both sets were 12-25.
Now 2-2 on the season, the JV team will return to action on Wednesday at 5 p.m. against Uwharrie Charter Academy.
