SANFORD — Bouncing back from a disappointing five-set loss the night before, the Lady Raider volleyball team was all business on Thursday.
Playing their penultimate match of the regular season, the Lady Raiders shutout Lee County High School on the road.
Adding another season sweep to their record, the Lady Raiders won by set scores of 25-15, 26-24 and 25-22.
In Sandhills Athletic Conference play this season, Richmond has won 22 of its 40 sets played, while last-place Lee County has won just four of its 34 sets.
Head coach Ashleigh Larsen said the Lady Yellow Jackets (5-13, 0-10 SAC) brought the fight, but that the Lady Raiders responded well.
“It was senior night for Lee County, which was a big night for them,” Larsen said. “They didn’t let down their guard. We were able to make adjustments and make some hits tonight.
“There were a few times we got down in a hole, but the girls came back with aggression and pushed through. There were a lot of big swings from everyone up front, including Katie Way, Riley McDonald, MaKailah Jackson and Christi Jacobs. The girls did well adjusting to blocks to find the floor.
“We also had really good defense tonight,” Larsen added. “Whether there were hits or tips, we were able to make plays. KG Smith, Allie Rodgers, Jenna Gardner and really anyone who played tonight did their part. Ava Edmondson dispersed the ball well and it was good to see everyone work together and take what I said last night and put it in play.”
The Lady Raiders (9-10, 6-5 SAC), who are in fourth place in the SAC standings, will host third-place Scotland High School (12-6, 7-3 SAC) for senior night next Thursday.
The team will recognize its eight seniors ahead of the match, which will start at 6 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders also rebound
The Richmond junior varsity volleyball team got back in the win column on Thursday.
On the road at Lee County, the JV Lady Raiders won in straight sets 2-0. Scores were 25-13 and 25-20.
“The girls went out with a lot of energy,” head coach Melissa Dennis said. “And they seemed to have fun tonight.
“Our defense was able to adjust to the other team and we had some great serves tonight.”
Closing out its season next Thursday, the JV team (11-8, 5-6 SAC) will welcome in Scotland at 5 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Mica Way contributed to this article. No stats were available at the time of publication.
