FAYETTEVILLE — Off to its best start through 10 matches since 2019, the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team also achieved another milestone Tuesday.
Notching their seventh win of the season, matching last year’s win total, the Lady Raiders also secured Richmond’s first-ever varsity victory within the new Mid-South Conference.
On the road at Pine Forest High School, Richmond kept the Lady Trojans winless with a 3-1 victory.
The Lady Raiders opened the match with a 25-15 win in the first set before Pine Forest knotted it up in the second with a score of 18-25.
Richmond won an exciting third set in extra points 27-25, before cruising away in the decisive fourth set 25-16.
Improving to 7-3 overall, head coach Ashleigh Larsen and Richmond put together their best stretch of opening 10 matches since going 9-1 six seasons ago. Larsen attributed the win to strong play across the board on offense, defense and setting.
“It was good to start conference off with a win,” Larsen said. “We had some internal errors in the second set that cost us from winning in three, but I’m proud of the girls for turning it around.
“Lillian (Hill) did a really great job of setting and distributing the ball tonight to help create an effective offense across the net. Kaylan (Parsons) also found her swing tonight and bolstered our offensive attack.
“Defensively, we played well,” she continued. “Despite their record, Pine Forest had some pretty good hitters. I thought our girls did a good job getting blocks on them and maneuvering the ball, which I attest to some of our non-conference games.”
The Lady Raiders (7-3, 1-0 MSC) have another conference match Thursday. It will be home against Jack Britt High School (3-6, 0-1 MSC) and begin at 6:30 p.m.
JV volleyball also wins opener
Going three sets in Tuesday’s Mid-South Conference opener, the Richmond junior varsity volleyball team also punched its ticket to victory.
Claiming the school’s first win at either level against an MSC opponent, the JV Lady Raiders earned a 2-1 win.
Richmond took the first set 25-23 before dropping the second set 21-25. Rallying in the third, the JV Lady Raiders closed the door 25-15.
“Defensively, we looked really great tonight,” head coach Melissa Dennis said. “The first two sets we struggled on the net to find the floor.
“During the third set, the girls really started to get into a rhythm. It feels great to get a win for the first conference game.”
The JV Lady Raiders (5-5, 1-0 MSC) host Jack Britt Thursday at 5 p.m.
Sports editor’s note: Head coaches Ashleigh Larsen and Melissa Dennis contributed to this article.
