ROCKINGHAM — History was made in a lot of ways on Richmond Senior High School’s campus Thursday.
Among them was the Lady Raider volleyball team notching a victory in the school’s new auxiliary gymnasium, which was officially opened last week after a multi-year building process.
Other milestones included the debut of Raider Stadium’s Daktronics jumbotron, as well as the first open house in the school’s 54-year history to welcome all students grades nine through twelve.
A smaller venue than the original gym, the new auxiliary gym made the perfect atmosphere for Richmond to win its fourth straight match.
Taking care of business against Purnell Swett High School, the Lady Raiders won 3-0. It was the second time in as many nights they kept an opponent scoreless.
Bringing out the brooms, Richmond cruised behind set scores of 25-15, 25-20 and 25-15. The team completed the non-conference season sweep of Purnell Swett, which was the same opponent that the current winning streak started.
Head coach Ashleigh Larsen called Thursday “a really good team win” and noted how the Lady Raiders were motivated by the historic occasion.
“The girls were excited to have the opportunity to be the first team to play in the new gym,” Larsen said. “We played with a lot of energy and this was a big win for our program and hopefully it’s the first of many in our new facility.
“Purnell Swett was very scrappy and didn’t give up easily. They made us work and the girls dug deep to be able to be aggressive at the net. Riley (McDonald) had a good night, and J’Nasia (Neal), Ka’mora (Watkins) and Kaylan (Parsons) all had some great swings.
“The back row covered a lot of the court and Kalynn (McCormick) did a good job getting a hand on it,” she added. “KG (Smith) had a really good night defensively with a lot of digs and she served really well for the second night in a row.”
The varsity volleyball team prepares for its first match in the new auxiliary gym Thursday.
Photo credit RCS.
Larsen added that going three-for-three this week should boost the team’s confidence for what she called “two big games” next week.
Improving to 4-1 this season, the Lady Raiders will return to the court Tuesday for a non-conference meeting with an old conference foe.
Richmond will host Scotland High School (2-1) beginning at 6:30 p.m.
JV Lady Raiders back in win column
Prior to the varsity team’s sweep Thursday, the Richmond junior varsity volleyball team became the first-ever victor in the new gym.
The JV Lady Raiders snapped an early-season skid by earning a 2-0 sweep against the JV Lady Rams. Scores were 25-20 and 25-16.
“I played with the lineup today and that shook up some of the girls early on,” head coach Melissa Dennis said. “Once they got in a groove, you couldn’t stop them.
“Our defense was great tonight and the girls easily made adjustments when necessary. They played really well and their energy was off the charts. It feels good to get a win in the new gym.”
The JV Lady Raiders (2-3) will also host Scotland Tuesday. First serve is at 5 p.m.
