MOCKSVILLE — A strong sense of confidence heading into the postseason Saturday didn’t go as planned for the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team.
The unfortunate first-round playoff slump continued for the Lady Raiders, who made a quiet exit in the opening round of the NCHSAA 7A West bracket.
Hoping to break through that obstacle and advance to the second round for the first time since 2017, No. 17 Richmond was blanked in straight sets 3-0 by No. 16 Davie County High School (11-10).
Experiencing a couple of hiccups with its starting lineup, including dealing with illness, Richmond didn’t back down and kept the match close. Final set scores were 20-25, 15-25 and 22-25.
“This was just a really unfortunate series,” head coach Ashleigh Larsen said. “We had an off-track week with sickness and other factors that may have contributed to us not being 100%.
“But I am proud of all the girls for the season they put together and for always giving it their all. They really battled (Saturday) until the very end.”
Saturday’s match was also the final competition for Richmond’s three seniors — Carleigh Gibson, J’Nasia Neal and Ka’mora Watkins.
“It’s sad for the road to end here and sad to lose our three seniors,” Larsen shared. “We have three big roles to fill next year. J’Nasia, Carleigh and Ka’mora have been big factors in our program since they arrived.”
The Lady Raiders finished the season with a 12-9 overall record (including the playoffs) and went 5-5 in Mid-South Conference play to finish in fourth place.
The Richmond Observer will publish the All-MSC volleyball team, and Richmond’s selections, when it’s released.
