ROCKINGHAM — Richmond Senior High School head volleyball coach Ashleigh Larsen wanted her team to stay away from the mid-match funk its found itself in during the first handful of matches this fall.
Her Lady Raiders responded Tuesday with their fourth-straight win to open the 2019 campaign, stinging the Lee County High School Lady Yellow Jackets in straight sets. Winning 3-0, set scores were 25-17, 25-18 and 25-14.
In each of the first three matches prior to the non-conference contest with Lee County, the Lady Raiders found themselves lose momentum in the middle of the match, seeing each game go four or five sets. A night after sweeping the season series against Montgomery Central High School in four sets, Richmond showcased its strongest outing of the young season.
“The girls’ mindset was the difference maker tonight,” Larsen commented. “They came out aggressive and stayed aggressive. We didn’t let Lee County bury us in a hole to start. The past couple games there was always a set in the middle where we got down on ourselves and instead we let them do it tonight.
“We were on top tonight and the girls remained positive,” she added. “After the second set, I told the girls we needed to break the curse right now and they did.”
Larsen credited the work of her middle hitters for making adjustments and finding ways to rack up the kills. Junior Georgia Grace Anderson finished the match with a team-high 12 kills while also picking up four blocks at the net. Fellow junior middle hitter Jakerra Covington used her left-handed swing to find the floor, notching a second-best nine kills, with five coming in the final set.
Richmond’s defense was also on point, seeing the back row work of senior libero Layne Maultsby tally a season-high 19 digs. Joining her with double-digit digs was senior outside hitter Jadyn Johnson, whose 14 digs were also a season best for her.
Maultsby and Johnson each added one kill in the win, seeing Maultsby push a ball over the net in the second set and Johnson’s come in the closing part of the third.
“Offensively, we had a big night with our middles,” Larsen explained. “Georgia Grace, Jakerra and Taylor (Chappell) all moved the ball around really well. Lee County started triple blocking Jakerra because they got so nervous and Georgia Grace was swinging around their blocks.
“Taylor and Carley (Lambeth) were huge for us from the serving line,” she added. “Jadyn and Madison had an off-night offensively, but they picked it up on defense.”
Clicking on all cylinders, the Lady Raiders’ serving capped the trifecta of good things going for Larsen’s squad. Richmond served a season-high 13 aces against the Lady Yellow Jackets, with senior setter Carley Lambeth leading the way with five. Junior right side hitter Taylor Chappell followed up her solid performance from the night before with four aces and three kills.
Lambeth, who also recorded 28 assists in the win, started the third set on an 8-0 run to help take the flight out of Lee County’s game. She picked up an ace and saw Covington slam home a kill and stuff a ball at the net during that span.
Down the stretch, the Lady Raiders jumped out to a 20-6 lead, and Covington shut the door with two kills, including the match winner.
“We played really good tonight and we knew we had to play harder because we had some other team’s coaches scouting us,” Covington explained. “We wanted to put on a show and let them know we’re bringing the competition this year. Coach told us to go out and be aggressive and get big hits, and that’s what we did.
“In the other games, there were times we were beating ourselves. Tonight we came out and told ourselves we’re a good team,” she added. “We put that into action and got bigger hits and better passes.”
The Lady Raiders (4-0) will look for win No. 5 on Thursday when they open Sandhills Athletic Conference play against Purnell Swett High School. It will be their third match in four nights, but Larsen is expecting the momentum of the last couple of matches to carry over.
“Had we gone four or five sets tonight, that would have made me a little more worried with conference play starting on Thursday,” Larsen explained. “But winning in three tonight gives them a little break and boosts their confidence. We’ll be ready for our next showdown.”
Play is expected to begin against the Lady Rams (1-3) around 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders drop match to Lee County
The Richmond junior varsity volleyball team saw its match against Lee County end in two sets, as the Lady Raiders dropped their second-straight match 2-0. Set scores were 22-25 and 23-25.
Sophomore Allyiah Swiney led the team in kills with four, and fellow sophomore Taylor Waitley knocked three of her own while adding two aces. Sophomore Kierston Gibson and freshman Catherine Dennis also had two aces apiece. The JV Lady Raiders are now 1-3 on the season and will open SAC play against Purnell Swett on Thursday at 5 p.m.
