RAEFORD — Over the past two seasons, a team that has proven tough to beat for the Richmond Senior volleyball team has been its conference opponent from Raeford.
The Lady Raiders’ perfect start in Mid-South Conference play came to an end Tuesday on the road at Hoke County High School.
Going to four sets, the Lady Raiders lost 3-1. Although they fell short, the Lady Raiders were competitive in every set.
Final scores were 17-25, 24-26, 25-16 and 23-25.
Head coach Ashleigh Larsen noted that some “pregame slumps” didn’t help the team, which she took responsibility for, and that Richmond came out “flat” in the first set.
“We did not capitalize on a lot of Hoke’s errors, especially in the first set,” Larsen explained. “Hoke had five or six service aces and we just couldn’t build our momentum.
“In the second set, we got into a groove of things and lost a close one. In the third set we came out swinging and it was good to get one back. The fourth set was a battle to the end, we just couldn’t get the last couple of points to force a fifth set.
“Moving forward, we just have to fine-tune some things that we’ve been pretty good at that didn’t go our way tonight,” she closed. “We served aggressively and didn’t miss as many as we normally do, and defensively we held our own.”
Larsen said she was “proud” of the Lady Raiders for not giving up and getting a big win in the third set to keep the chance at winning alive.
The Lady Raiders (8-4, 2-1 MSC) will return home Thursday for another conference match against Overhills High School (2-6, 0-2 MSC). First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders earn win
Going to three sets Tuesday, the Richmond junior varsity volleyball team overcame an early deficit to improve its overall record.
Also on the road at Hoke County, the JV Lady Raiders defeated the JV Lady Bucks 2-1. Scores were 20-25, 25-18 and 25-21.
“We had a lot of miscommunication in the first set,” head coach Melissa Dennis explained. “But in the second and third sets, the girls really worked well together. They kept pushing and never gave up, which led to the win.”
The JV Lady Raiders (6-6, 2-1 MSC) also host Overhills Thursday and will start at 5 p.m.
