HOPE MILLS — Attempting to upset one of the highest ranked teams in the state, the No. 29 Richmond volleyball team made an honest effort during the opening round of the NCHSAA 4A East state playoffs on Saturday.
Returning to the postseason for the second season in a row, the Lady Raiders made things interesting several times on the road at No. 4 Gray’s Creek High School.
Despite a valiant effort by the team, Richmond fell to the Lady Bears 3-0 by set scores of 18-25, 13-25 and 21-25.
Not to be deterred as the underdog team, head coach Ashleigh Larsen said the Lady Raiders responded well to a quick-moving Lady Bears attack on the net.
She added that impressive play along the back line thwarted would-be points and created scoring opportunities for Richmond.
“I told the girls at the end that they played really, really well,” Larsen said. “They showed up today and made a point that we wouldn’t go away easily. I was impressed by the way we were able to stop (Gray’s Creek’s) big hitters and we made some great digs. I really thought we could change the momentum if we’d won the third set.
“Unfortunately, there were a few too many miscues on our part that shut us down,” she added. “Like one or two serve-receives we couldn’t break and got too tired. But scheduling teams like Uwharrie Charter, Pinecrest and Union Pines helped us prepare for their quickness.”
In the first set, Richmond remained within a couple of points in the early going. Taking three of four points, a kill from senior outside hitter MaKailah Jackson and two kills from senior middle hitter Katie Way pulled Richmond with two points, 5-7.
But an 8-3 stretch by Gray’s Creek (22-2) opened its lead. The Lady Raiders capitalized on two hitting errors and senior outside hitter Christi Jacobs tacked on a kill.
Larsen called a pair of timeouts with Richmond down 8-15 and 9-20. The Lady Bears crept ahead to their largest lead of the set, 11 points, before a five-point rush by Richmond made it a closer score.
With senior defensive specialist Jenna Gardner at the serving line, a carry, three hitting errors and the ball being hit four times by Gray’s Creek made it a 17-23 deficit.
Way added Richmond’s final point after the Lady Bears called a timeout, bumping the ball from an awkward angle over the net to find open space. But a kill by Taylor Baggett gave the home team a one-set lead.
Richmond struggled to find its footing in the second stanza, allowing Gray’s Creek to open on an 11-4 run before calling a timeout. Those four points were courtesy of a service error, kills by Jacobs and freshman middle hitter Riley McDonald and a double touch violation.
The Lady Raiders rallied to take four of the next six points thanks to a Way kill, a back row kill from senior outside hitter Keyoni Nichols and consecutive aces from Gardner.
Answering with a 7-0 run, the Lady Bears regained momentum and led 20-8. That 12-point deficit was Richmond’s largest of the match, which used a push from Jacobs to stop the bleeding.
Two hitting errors, a kill from junior setter Ava Edmondson and an ace by freshman defensive specialist Kenley Smith accounted for Richmond’s final four points. An ace by Gray’s Creek made it a 2-0 set advantage.
The Lady Raiders’ best performance of the day came in the third set, which featured four different leads for the visitors. Digging in their heels, the Lady Raiders also played to 15 ties in the third and never trailed by two points until the final four volleys.
Three kills from McDonald in the first five points put Richmond ahead with a pair of one-point leads. A short swing by the home team made it 4-5, but Nichols dished out an ace to knot the score.
A kill from Jackson tied the score at six points, a service error made it 7-7 and a hitting error by Baggett tied the set at eight-all.
Edmondson pulled Richmond within a point a few plays later and senior libero Allie Rodger lasered an ace over the net to reset the score 12-12. Another Gray’s Creek miscue and a Way kill tied it at 13 and 14 points, respectively.
Back-to-back errors by Gray’s Creek gave Richmond a 16-15 lead, which resulted in a timeout by the home team. Out of the break, McDonald delivered another hard-hit ball to the floor to give the Lady Raiders an 18-16 advantage.
But a 4-0 stretch regained the lead for the Lady Bears, causing a Richmond timeout. A McDonald block and two straight perfect serves from Smith shifted the score to 21-20 in favor of the Lady Raiders.
That would be the last lead held by Richmond, which allowed five consecutive points to end the match.
Although Saturday’s playoff game didn’t end the way she or the team wanted, Larsen said the 2023 season wasn’t anything to be disappointed about.
“This season’s success was a testament to our eight seniors,” Larsen said. “It’s going to be tough losing them because they worked really hard in the offseason to prepare for what they needed to do to help the team.
“Our win over Scotland on senior night was a big win for us,” she closed. “We also took some other really good teams to four or five sets, and I’m really proud of what all of the girls accomplished this season.”
The Lady Raider volleyball team finished its season with an 11-12 overall record, two wins better than a season ago.
Against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents, Richmond went 8-6 (including the SAC tournament) and placed fourth in the standings.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Saturday’s playoff match soon.
