ROCKINGHAM — Strong play in the middle sets Thursday put the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team on the doorstep of another conference win, but the Lady Raiders couldn’t hold off a comeback.
Back on their home court, the Lady Raiders lost a five-set heartbreaker to Overhills High School. Richmond led by a set through three stanzas, but dropped the fourth and fifth set to fall 3-2.
After losing the first set 18-25, Richmond rallied to win the second and third sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-21.
Overhills answered with a 25-16 win in the fourth and used a run in the fifth set to win 15-11.
Another slow start in the first set, similar to Tuesday’s outing, saw Richmond trail by eight points twice by scores of 19-11 and 22-14. A kill by senior Ka’Mora Watkins started a four-point push by the Lady Raiders, which featured an ace from junior Lillian Hill and a kill by junior Kaylan Parsons.
Pulling within four points, 22-18, Richmond let the Lady Jaguars take the first set with a 3-0 run.
Playing with more energy in the second set, junior Riley McDonald drove home three kills to give Richmond an early 7-3 lead. Parsons had a push into open space and senior J’Nasia Neal added an ace.
Later in the set, three hitting errors by Overhills and two more McDonald kills increased the Lady Raiders’ lead to 19-11. Stopping a three-point run, junior Madisen Jackson delivered a kill in the middle and Hill served up another ace.
Overhills (3-7, 1-3 MSC) pulled within four points, 22-18, but the set ended with an error, a McDonald block and an ace from junior Kenley Smith.
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The third set started with both teams trading points, leading to six different ties. A bump over the net by Neal made it 9-9, which ignited a 7-0 run that put Richmond ahead for good in the set.
Adding to that pivotal stretch of points were two kills from McDonald, another from Parsons and a hit from the back row by junior Kalynn McCormick that found the hardwood.
Keeping the Lady Raiders comfortably ahead, Watkins had a kill and an ace to make it 22-16. Another late push by the Lady Jaguars pulled them within four points, but a service error gave Richmond the set point and a 2-1 lead.
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Unable to put the match away in the fourth set, Richmond trailed from the opening point. Similar to the first set, Overhills led by as many as eight points 21-13. Using an ace from McDonald and a tip by Hill, Richmond tried to rally but it was too late.
With the decisive fifth set tied 3-3 early on, Richmond took a 6-3 lead thanks to a McDonald kill, a bump over the net by junior Ava Edwards and an ace from Neal. The Lady Jaguars, however, answered with three straight points to tie it.
Richmond pulled back ahead 8-7, but a 6-0 stretch by the visitors flipped the script. Head coach Ashleigh Larsen called a timeout down 8-13, which resulted in Richmond’s next two points on the next two volleys. Watkins had a kill and Overhills committed an error.
The Lady Jaguars made a service error to give Richmond its final point, but won a long rally to end the match.
Now 8-5 overall, and 2-2 against MSC opponents, the Lady Raiders will have off until they host non-conference Montgomery Central High School Monday at 6:30 p.m.
JV volleyball team swept
The Richmond junior varsity volleyball team also wasn’t able to get a win against Overhills Thursday.
Hosting the JV Lady Jaguars, the JV Lady Raiders lost in straight sets 2-0. Scores were 19-25 and 19-25.
The JV Lady Raiders (6-7, 2-2 MSC) host Montgomery Central Monday at 5 p.m.
