ROCKINGHAM — Volleyball, like all high school sports, is a game where momentum and energy carry a team until the buzz subsides.
That was the case for the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team on Tuesday, which suffered a close defeat to Uwharrie Charter Academy.
Battling back and forth with the Lady Eagles, the Lady Raiders came up short 3-1. Set scores were 25-20, 26-24, 25-27 and 16-25.
In the six sets Richmond has dropped in its two matches against Uwharrie Charter this season, five of them were decided by five or fewer points.
Taking advantage of a late mistake in the second set, the Lady Raiders rallied to even the match 1-1. They carried that momentum late into the third set, but an extended break in action resulted in a shift of energy.
With Richmond leading 24-23 in the third, time was called by the officials following an apparent discrepancy in Uwharrie Charter’s serving rotation. After nearly 10 minutes of discussion, the necessary changes were made and play resumed.
But the momentum went away for Richmond, as the Lady Eagles closed on a 4-1 run.
“We had a lot of momentum rolling in the second and third sets,” Larsen explained. “Catherine (Dennis) just had the big block late in the third, and then there was the delay. It put both teams in a damper and we got set back on our heels.
“We did well recovering from it, but our serving hurt us again tonight,” she continued. “The girls turned things around and did better on the things we struggled with last week, so that was good to see.”
Seven ties in the first set saw the teams battle out to a 9-9 score, which featured aces from sophomore Ava Edmondson and junior Jenna Gardner. Another ace from Edmondson, one of her team-high four, started a 4-1 stretch that made it a 15-14 deficit.
With the Lady Eagles holding a small lead, senior middle hitter Catherine Dennis swatted one of her team-high 12 kills to keep Richmond alive. But a 4-2 roll by the visitors ended the first.
Leading 10-6 in the second, Richmond surrendered the lead on a 7-1 spurt. Larsen called a timeout, which saw the Lady Raiders answer with a 5-3 run. Senior outside hitter Quston Leviner knocked two of her seven kills in that span.
Dennis added one of her team-leading six blocks, and an out-of-rotation call against the Lady Eagles kept the set within a point.
Junior outside hitter Christi Jacobs tied the frame at 18 points with a tip over the net, but Richmond called another timeout trailing 23-19.
Out of the break, a kill from junior middle hitter Katie Way and Dennis on back-to-back volleys, coupled with a Leviner kill made it a 24-22 hole. Gardner went to the serving line and started a 4-0 run that earned the set victory.
Dennis got two of those points, the first on a kill following a block she set on a hitter. She made a push into open space to tie the set, and an error and another Dennis kill secured the win.
The momentum carried over into the third for Richmond, which jumped out to several six-point leads, including 13-6. Several players had kills to open it up, including two of Way’s five kills and two more from Leviner.
Gardner added a point on a dig that sailed over the net and found the floor, Edmondson served up an ace and Dennis added a block and a kill.
But a 4-0 run by Uwharrie Charter tied the set at 17 points, which then led to three more ties. Senior Joy Styles dished out an ace and Dennis’ block gave Richmond a 24-22 lead ahead of the delay.
The Lady Eagles took the fourth set and the match, using a 12-3 stretch to open it up.
Larsen noted the Lady Raiders made adjustments after hitting into an aggressive Uwharrie Charter block in the first set, and that the defense kept the team in all four sets.
“I went with a different lineup and rotated everybody back,” Larsen said. “Jenna was our starting server and that gave us a big advantage. Uwharrie Charter stacked their front line really heavy, but our girls started making smarter hits around the blocks.
“The girls did a great job in the back row tonight,” she closed. “They made a lot of great digs tonight and Allie, Joy, Jenna and Christi were all over the court. Defense wins this game a lot, we just need to get our offense going a little more.”
Rodgers (16), Styles (12) and Gardner (10) all finished with double-digit digs. Jacobs added eight digs, one kill and two aces. Gardner also chipped in two perfect serves.
Richmond (2-3) is set for another rematch at home on Thursday against non-conference Montgomery Central High School (2-1). Varsity play is set to begin at 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders suffer first loss
Ahead of Tuesday’s varsity match, the Richmond junior varsity volleyball team lost its first match of the season.
After starting with four straight wins to open the campaign, the JV Lady Raiders lost in straight sets, 2-0, to Uwharrie Charter Academy. Set scores were 20-25 and 17-25.
Now 4-1, the JV team will host Montgomery Central on Thursday at 5 p.m.
