ROCKINGHAM — Adding a win to its record in the opening round of the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament, the Richmond volleyball team bettered its postseason chances on Monday.
The No. 4 Lady Raiders completed the season trifecta against Hoke County, defeating the No. 5 Lady Bucks in straight sets.
Notching their second sweep of Hoke County this season, Richmond rolled to a 3-0 victory.
Thanks to timely serving in all three sets, and a series of big runs, scores were 25-14, 25-23 and 25-12.
The first set featured four early ties, the last one coming at 4-4. Junior setter Ava Edmonson gave Richmond a one-point lead, which turned into a 5-1 stretch by the home team and a lead it wouldn’t surrender.
Adding the other four points were seniors Katie Way and Christi Jacobs. Way had a block and a kill, while Jacobs found the floor for two kills in between.
Kills from freshman Riley McDonald and senior MaKailah Jackson kept Richmond’s lead at four points. But Hoke County (8-13, 4-9 SAC) rallied to cut its deficit to 14-13.
Following a net violation by the Lady Bucks, senior Keyoni Nichols went to the serving line and rattled off eight straight points, which started an 11-1 run to close the first set.
The eight consecutive points were recorded via a Jackson kill, three aces from Nichols and three errors by Hoke County. Way added a kill later and senior Jenna Gardner gave the Lady Raiders a one-set advantage with an ace.
Hoke County responded by jumping ahead 12-4 to start the second stanza, with two of Richmond’s points coming from McDonald kills. Head coach Ashleigh Larsen called a timeout, the first of two in the set.
Another ace from Nichols two volleys out of the break began a 6-1 stretch that pulled Richmond within three points. A Gardner ace and a kill from Jacobs helped cut the deficit.
Another timeout was called with Richmond down 10-17. Trailing 11-19, Richmond used a hitting error by Hoke County to start the comeback. A pair of McDonald kills pulled the home team within six points.
Instrumental again, Nichols made a tip at the net to make it a 17-22 hole. That was the beginning of a 9-2 roll that ended with a Way kill to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With Nichols at the line, several Lady Bucks’ errors were added to by kills from Jackson and Edmondson. Nichols served another ace and Way pushed the ball along the net for a point. An error and Way’s kill ended it.
The first set mirrored the first one for the Lady Raiders, who used the serving of freshman Kenley Smith to take a 7-1 lead. During that span, Smith dished out four aces, while a McDonald kill and two errors padded the lead.
Attacks from McDonald and Way, coupled with an ace from Nichols and three Hoke County miscues, extended the lead to 13-3. That led to a timeout called by the Lady Bucks.
The rest of the set was closer, seeing Richmond outscore Hoke County 12-9. Jackson had a pair of kills from the outside and McDonald notched another in the middle.
Senior Allie Rodgers recorded aces for two of the final three points to keep the clean sheet intact and end the match.
The No. 4 Lady Raiders (11-10, 8-5 SAC) will travel to No. 1 Pinecrest (17-17, 12-0 SAC) for the semifinal round of the SAC tournament on Tuesday.
Pinecrest had a first-round bye and has defeated Richmond twice this season. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: The Richmond junior varsity team’s season ended last Thursday with a 12-8 overall record and a 6-6 mark against SAC teams.
