ROCKINGHAM — A “relentless pursuit” to earn a win in its Sandhills Athletic Conference opener on Tuesday is what head coach Ashleigh Larsen said fueled the Lady Raider volleyball team.
Rallying after dropping the first set, Richmond went on to earn a 3-2 win over visiting Southern Lee High School. It was the first time the Lady Raiders played five sets in six matches this fall.
The Lady Raiders fell 19-25 in the first set, pulled ahead with wins in the second (25-20) and third (25-22) sets, dropped the fourth set 26-28 and shut the door with a 15-9 win in the decisive fifth set.
“We talk about it all the time, that idea of relentless pursuit,” Larsen said after the win. “They didn’t give up on each other and they played, they hustled for everything and they cleaned up some mistakes.
“We made (Southern Lee) make more mistakes than we did tonight, and I think that was the biggest plus.”
One thing that Larsen said was also a turning point was winning each set the Lady Raiders served in first. Richmond won the coin toss to start the fifth set and elected to serve, and saw freshman Ava Edmondson roll out to a 5-0 lead from the serving line.
Making her varsity debut, Edmondson forced five errors by Southern Lee’s hitters to open the fifth. The Lady Cavaliers (4-1, 0-1 SAC) got two points back, but junior middle hitter Catherine Dennis made a block at the net that forced a digging error to make it a 6-2 lead.
A couple of volleys later, junior defensive specialist Joy Styles made a diving play into the net, but senior outside hitter Allyiah Swiney was there to knock the ball over for another point.
Southern Lee called a timeout trailing 9-6, and out of the break, sophomore right side hitter Jenna Gardner served an ace. Swiney followed with a big kill from the left side to extend Richmond’s lead to 11-6.
Senior outside hitter Allyiah Swiney (1) delivers a kill during Richmond’s win on Tuesday. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Swiney served an ace for the 13th point, and Edmondson made a nice tip at the net that found the open floor to set up the match point. Two plays later, Southern Lee committed a hitting error that saw the ball land out of bounds to secure Richmond’s win.
“I wanted her to get some experience on JV, and she flourished a lot,” Larsen said of Edmondson, who plays setter. “I think we got things rolling a little bit, we moved Jenna to that right side so we still have her hands for the leap.
“I think we settled in and found a good home for her. I hope she steps up and continues on.”
Richmond held an 11-6 lead in the first set, but the two teams battled out to a 15-15 tie. Southern Lee closed the set on a 10-4 run to take a one-set lead.
With the second frame knotted at 11 points, an Edmondson push and an ace from sophomore libero Allie Rodgers put the Lady Raiders up two points. That started a 9-4 stretch that also featured a Swiney kill and a Dennis block.
Richmond’s final three points to tie the match at one set came from a Swiney ace and back-to-back Southern Lee errors.
The third set saw Richmond jump out to a 10-4 lead, but a 6-1 run by the Lady Cavs made it a one-point advantage. The two teams traded points to a 21-21 tie. Larsen called a timeout.
Sophomore middle hitter Katie Way sparked the set win with a big kill at the net, which was followed by two kills from Dennis. Another Southern Lee hitting error put the Lady Raiders up 2-1.
Freshman Ava Edmondson (7) sets the ball to sophomore middle hitter Katie Way (15) in the third set. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
The Lady Raiders held an 11-6 lead in the fourth set, but like the third, the two teams kept the score close. Trailing 22-19, kills from Way and Swiney, coupled with a Gardner ace, tied it up.
Way blocked a shot at the net and later tipped it over for a point to tie the set again at 24 points. Ties at 25 and 26 points were undone by a 2-0 run by the Lady Cavs to force the fifth.
Larsen tipped her cap to the home crowd on Tuesday, thanking the fans and the Richmond student section, the “Bleacher Creatures,” for helping create an intense atmosphere late in the match.
“I think (the fans) were a big presence,” Larsen explained. “They came in clutch for us in the fourth and fifth sets and I hope they continue to come and make things rowdy.”
Richmond (2-4, 1-0 SAC) will look for another conference win on Thursday, hosting Pinecrest High School (5-1).
Note: Official stats from Tuesday’s match will be added to this publication when they are made available.
VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Click on the links below to hear from Dennis, Swiney and Larsen following Tuesday’s win.
Catherine Dennis, junior middle hitter
Allyiah Swiney, senior outside hitter
JV Lady Raiders also win conference opener
Also opening SAC play on Tuesday was the junior varsity volleyball team, which rallied after losing the first set to defeat the Lady Cavaliers 2-1.
Set scores were 22-25, 25-21 and 15-6. The JV Lady Raiders evened their season record to 3-3 with the win.
Coach Melissa Dennis and the JV squad will also host Pinecrest on Thursday, starting at 5 p.m.
