LUMBERTON, N.C. – The Lady Raider varsity volleyball team knew exactly what it needed to take away from Thursday’s match on the road at Sandhills Athletic Conference opponent Lumberton High School.
And Richmond did just that, as it picked up a much-needed SAC win with authority, hooking the Lady Pirates in straight sets 3-0.
Wrapping up its third match in as many nights, the Lady Raiders powered back after a loss the night before against Lee County High School. With the shutout win, it’s the team’s second of the week, and fourth of the season, as it also blanked Hoke County High School at home Tuesday.
With the weight of a possible third-straight Sandhills Athletic Conference title hanging in the balance entering Thursday’s match, the Lady Raiders got some much-appreciated cushioning with a win to climb up the SAC standings to a second-place tie with Scotland High School. Both teams now boast a 3-2 record in SAC play, but Richmond’s overall record of 6-4 is better than Scotland’s (3-5).
Much like Tuesday’s win over SAC bottom feeder Hoke County, the Lady Raiders amassed enough firepower at the net to cruise past the Lady Pirates by set scores of: 25-23, 25-23 and 25-20.
“I told the girls that our defense was great (Wednesday night) against Lee County and that I’d appreciate them going out swinging tonight,” head coach Ashleigh Larsen said. “And they went out there and did what I asked them to do.
“I put a new lineup out there to shake things up and Emy (Cooley) and Taylor (Chappell) really stepped things up,” she explained. “Allexis (Swiney) did fine in the middle, and the girls played well in the front and the back tonight, which is what we’ve been missing the last couple of nights.”
Swiney, a junior, normally plays the right outside hitter position, but Larsen switched her to a middle hitter against Lumberton -- and it worked. On the night, Swiney tallied a personal season-high nine kills, while also picking up six digs, three blocks and an ace from the serving line.
What looked to be a promising start for head coach Tre Britt’s team, which began with a 9-3 Lumberton run in the first set, quickly diminished thanks to a couple of runs by the Lady Raiders. A block and a kill in back-to-back sequences by sophomore Georgia Grace Anderson started a 4-1 Richmond rally, that then turned into another 5-0 run that saw kills by senior outside hitter Savannah Lampley and Swiney (2), and an ace by junior setter Carley Lambeth. The ace gave Richmond its first lead of the set 13-12.
Following a Lumberton timeout, both teams would trade points, which resulted in a 21-21 tie courtesy of Anderson slapping her only ace of the night. Richmond closed the set on a 4-2 run that saw Lambeth get a tip at the net, followed by a strong Lampley kill into the back row to end it.
In the second frame, neither the Lady Raiders nor the Lady Pirates managed to gain a substantial lead. Lampley, who had seven of her 10 total kills in the second set, had a strong run in the first half, as she hit two early kills to make it 11-9 in favor of Richmond. On the next series, Lampley held tough on back-to-back kill attempts by Lumberton, hitting the deck to save the ball from hitting the ground.
After another Lady Pirate timeout, this one also not having its desired effect, Richmond caught fire and closed things out with a 9-7 run to take a 2-0 lead. Two kills in a row by Lampley gave Richmond its largest lead of the night in any set, up seven points, 23-16. Junior outside hitter Jadyn Johnson joined the mix in the final moments to assist on another Lampley kill before drilling the set-winning drive down the line.
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Pirates got off to a small 2-0 lead to start the third set, but that was thwarted when a Swiney kill, her first of five in the final frame, started a six-point Richmond roll. Lumberton wouldn’t go quietly, as it rallied to take a 12-10 lead, forcing Larsen to call her first timeout of the match.
The break proved effective for the Lady Raiders as they overcame the deficit and closed a 10-8 run to notch the score a 20 points apiece, courtesy of another Swiney kill. Lumberton made it interesting by regaining a 23-21 lead, but squandered late, as Swiney knocked her final kill and picked up a big-time block at the net to end the match.
“There was nothing really different about tonight’s match compared to the other ones we’ve lost,” Larsen admitted. “We just managed to put it together tonight -- and Lumberton was the team that got down on itself instead of us -- they’re a quality team and fought hard.
“We really needed to take these two (conference) wins this week, and we did that,” she added. “It’s good to be back on a positive vibe going into two more conference matches next week. I hope this sails us through the rest of the season. I’m glad we got the W tonight.”
Stats from Thursday’s win include 31 team kills (Lampley, 10; Swiney 9; Anderson, 6), and 65 team digs (Lambeth, 16; Johnson 14, Lampley, 13; and junior libero Layne Maultsby, 12). Cooley and Lambeth each had a team-high three aces, while the latter also dished out 31 assists and added four kills.
Swiney’s three blocks were a team-high, as Anderson added two of her own along the tape.
Nearly halfway through their 2018 regular season schedule, the Lady Raiders will take the weekend to prepare for another three-match week. Richmond will get some reprieve in its tough schedule by traveling to Seventy First High School (3-4, 2-3 SAC) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Richmond will then host the Lady Yellow Jackets to close out the non-conference season series Wednesday (5:30 p.m.), before squaring off against Scotland at home for the first time in this year’s campaign (Thursday, 6 p.m.).
Note: The Richmond junior varsity team defeated Lumberton in straight sets 25-20 and 25-18. Sophomore Kelly Hoffman had six kills and two aces, while sophomore Jakerra Covington and freshman Allyiah Swiney each had five kills.
