ROCKINGHAM — Head volleyball coach Ashleigh Larsen pointed to more of the same costly mistakes as the reasons why Richmond was kept out of the win column Thursday.
Seeing their season-long slide reach three matches, the Lady Raiders also dropped their third consecutive Sandhills Athletic Conference match.
Hosting Union Pines High School, Richmond kept the scores close but lost 3-0. The Lady Raiders fell by set scores of 22-25, 19-25 and 26-28.
“Tonight was the same song and dance as it’s been every other night,” Larsen explained afterward. “We get the lead but don’t know how to capitalize on it and keep going.
“I think serves killed us again tonight,” she added. “Not serve-receive necessarily like (Tuesday), but we have to be able to serve better if we want to win games.”
The Lady Raiders trailed most of the first set but remained within a couple of points. Highlighting the scoring were a couple of kills from junior outside hitter J’Nasia Neal, along with one from sophomore middle hitter Riley McDonald.
An ace from sophomore hitter Kaylan Parsons pulled Richmond’s deficit to 17-15. Following a timeout with the score 22-17, a McDonald drive to the hardwood started a late rally attempt.
Capitalizing on a series of errors by Union Pines (7-2, 2-1 SAC), Richmond pulled within two points, 23-21, before taking a timeout. Union Pines ended it by taking two of the next three points.
Starting the second set on a 4-0 run, Richmond used a McDonald kill and an ace by sophomore libero Kenley Smith. But Union Pines answered with its own scoring stretch, and following a long volley, Neal tacked on a kill to make it a 7-5 lead.
The second stanza featured nine ties. Back-to-back lasers from McDonald at the service line gave Richmond a 10-9 advantage and a kill from sophomore middle hitter Madisen Jackson maintained a 13-11 lead.
A smart tip at the net by senior setter Ava Edmondson tied the set at 17 points and a Union Pines error two rallies later knotted the score 18-18. The Lady Vikings, however, closed the set on a 7-1 run.
Both teams battled back and forth in the third set, this time tying the score 15 times. A block from Jackson tied it at seven points and Smith delivered a kill from the back row to give Richmond a 12-11 lead.
Combining for a block were Edmondson and Jackson, which was followed by a Jackson kill which gave the Lady Raiders a 17-15 advantage.
Despite points from Jackson and senior hitter Sharonda Henderson later in the set, Richmond couldn’t preserve the lead. Union Pines rallied to tie the set at 24, 25 and 26 points and eliminate a set win for Richmond.
The Lady Raiders (5-5, 1-3 SAC) continue conference play on the road Tuesday at Lee County (5-2, 1-2 SAC). First serve will go up at 6 p.m.
JV volleyball strikes late for win
In its home match Thursday, the Richmond junior varsity volleyball team defeated Union Pines.
After splitting the first two sets, the JV Lady Raiders won it 2-1. Set scores were 25-20, 13-25 and 16-14.
A back-and-forth first set saw Richmond erase a four-point deficit early and continue to build a lead for the win.
Richmond led 5-1 in the second, but Union Pines went on a 24-8 scoring stretch to force the decisive third.
To start the final stanza, the JV Lady Raiders led 5-1. After Union Pines cut the deficit to one, Richmond battled out to a 12-9 lead to force a timeout.
Tied at 14 points, an error and an attack by sophomore Addison Butler resulted in the win.
“During the first set, the girls were picking up everything and playing great defense,” head coach Melissa Dennis said.
“We came out slow for the second set and weren’t able to get rolling. I’m proud of them for turning it around and making smart plays to get the win.”
The JV Lady Raiders (5-4, 2-2 SAC) play at Lee County Tuesday at 5 p.m.
