ROCKINGHAM — Ashleigh Larsen hasn’t been shy in letting people know how hard the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team has been working out this summer.
Larsen, who is entering her second season as the Lady Raiders’ head coach, and eighth with the program, has followed the mantra of “get after it” both in practice and on the team’s social media accounts. Her team has taken to the court and the weightroom this summer, battling through the dog days of summer in preparation for the 2019 campaign.
One thing Larsen is implementing this summer is working out in various environments, including the gym, the weightroom and the outdoor volleyball court at Hamlet Middle School. The different settings are exposing the Lady Raiders to a rigorous workout regimen that Larsen hopes will pay dividends in the coming months.
“We’re a little bit ahead of where we were last year,” Larsen explained. “The girls know more of what I expect of them, and we’ve been averaging about 20 girls a workout. Everyone has been working hard no matter where we’re practicing.”
On Mondays this summer, the volleyball team has done “beach workouts” at Hamlet. Larsen said the sandy playing surface builds the players’ leg and core muscles. She added that it’s something the girls aren’t used to, which makes the workout more challenging and exciting.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are spent in either Richmond or Ninth Grade Academy’s gymnasiums. The first hour of practice, Larsen said, is volleyball oriented, followed by an hour of conditioning or lifting weights.
“Switching things up has definitely helped,” Larsen said. “Getting in the weightroom this year is new, and this has made a big difference in the girls physically. They’re a lot stronger and a lot faster than last summer.”
Larsen lost just two seniors last season in Savannah Chappell and Savannah Lampley. Right now, she expects to have five seniors this season: Jasmine Ewing, Jadyn Johnson, Madison Jordan, Carley Lambeth and Layne Maultsby — all of whom have participated in most practices.
With the ebb and flow of summer break seeing players in all sports go on vacation, the consistency of players attending practice has been what Larsen expected it to be. Other returning players who have attended practices this year are rising juniors Georgia Grace Anderson, Taylor Chappell, Jakerra Covington, Emy Cooley and Jayla McDouglad, along with rising sophomore Kaitlyn Huff.
Larsen has also been impressed with the influx of rising ninth graders attending workouts, and she hopes to see around 40 players tryout for the varsity and junior varsity programs at the end of the month.
Joining the team for her first season as the junior varsity coach is Melissa Dennis, who teaches at Washington Street Elementary School. Larsen served double duty a season ago, coaching both teams, and added that Dennis has been a nice addition to the program.
“Coach Dennis has been a big help and she’s brought in a lot of new ideas,” Larsen said. “Having two bodies in here to help work with everybody has been a big plus.”
Aside from getting physically stronger and faster, the goal of the team’s summer workouts is to get better fundamentally and improve volleyball IQ.
“We’re trying to get better with volleyball terminology, especially with the younger girls,” the head coach explained. “That includes learning certain positions and developing their basic skills. The goal is to make our program better as a whole.”
The Lady Raiders are on their second of two NCHSAA dead weeks, and official tryouts for all Richmond sports will begin on Thursday, Aug.1. Following that, Larsen and company will compete in a jamboree at Lee County High School on Saturday, Aug. 10, before opening the season against Anson High School on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
