ROCKINGHAM — A large group of volleyball players competed on their home court for the final time during the regular season on Thursday.
The Lady Raider volleyball program celebrated its eight senior players on senior night ahead of warmups and its match against Scotland High School.
This year’s seniors included Jenna Gardner, Kady Harris, Addyson Hollingsworth, MaKailah Jackson, Christi Jacobs, Keyoni Nichols, Allie Rodgers and Katie Way, many of whom have been four-year members of the program.
Introduced by Richmond super fan James “Biggie” Lyerly, players were escorted by family members and greeted by head coach Ashleigh Larsen, assistant coach Melissa Dennis and their underclassman teammates.
Among the information shared about each senior was her favorite volleyball memory and her plans for after high school.
Larsen, who has been this group of seniors’ head coach during their entire career, said she was impressed with the sticktoitiveness of the eight players over the past four years.
“It shows great dedication by this class to end its four-year career with eight seniors,” Larsen said. “Their class was a large one rolling in and these eight stuck it out and continued to improve every year.
“I knew walking into this season that it would call for a large rollover for next year, but I was and still am excited to be on this journey with them. I’ve watched many of them grow into wonderful young ladies and I am excited to see what their future holds.
“We for sure will miss all of their excessive laughter and corny jokes. I am definitely grateful for their leadership they have provided this season.”
The Richmond Observer will publish results from Thursday’s match soon.
Below are photos from Thursday’s volleyball senior night taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar.
