ROCKINGHAM — Ashleigh Larsen and the Lady Raider volleyball team knew their match against first-place Pinecrest High School was going to be a tough test.
And despite getting swept by the Lady Patriots (9-0) for the second time this season, Richmond (4-5) put forth a strong effort on its home court Tuesday.
The Lady Raiders fell by set scores of 19-25, 10-25 and 18-25. Larsen said she was impressed by her team’s efforts in the first and third frames, but a slow second set is something she hopes to see the Lady Raiders fix.
“In the first and third sets, I saw the team I was looking for,” Larsen noted. “I asked them what does playing Scotland do to get them fired up to play, and tonight there were glimpses of that aggressive team I know that we are.
“The girls came out and made smart decisions in the first,” she added. “We were able to get hands on some of Pinecrest’s big swings, we had some good serves and some great digs. It was in the second set that I saw the team I didn’t want to see.”
Richmond’s defense was busy Tuesday, seeing the team collect 49 digs. Senior libero Emy Cooley had a team-high 13 digs, while senior Kelly Hoffman and junior Allyiah Swiney each contributed 11. Senior Taylor Chappell added seven digs.
Trailing by as many as six points in the first set, Richmond rallied to tie the opening stanza at 13 points. Helping chip away at the deficit were aces from Swiney and senior Georgia Grace Anderson, a kill from Hoffman and a block by senior Jakerra Covington.
Following another tie at 14 points, Pinecrest used an 11-5 run to take the set. Kills by Anderson and Covington, who each ended the night with three kills, kept Richmond in the mix.
“We did good to start and played up to their level, maybe even better,” Swiney explained. “We made a couple mistakes and let too many balls hit the floor. We proved that we can hang with a good team.
“As long as we fix the mistakes and get better with our serves, I think we’ll be fine.”
The Lady Patriots got off to an 11-4 lead in the second set, and used a 14-3 run to go up two sets on Richmond.
In the third frame, Richmond took its largest lead of the night, 11-5. Covington started the set with a block in the middle, and a smart push from Anderson and a Hoffman kill extended the Lady Raiders’ lead.
Kills from Anderson, Covington and Chappell kept Richmond up by two points, 15-13, but Pinecrest managed to knot the set at 15 points. A 10-3 stretch by the Lady Patriots ended the match.
Senior setter Shelly Hoffman had seven assists, while Anderson and Chappell each recorded one. Anderson led Richmond with two aces.
“We knew we had two important games this week, and you always want to cause an upset against the top team,” Larsen said. “But now we need to look to move up (the standings) when we play Jack Britt on Thursday.
“I want the girls to turn the hurt they felt tonight into the inner tiger I know they have in them,” she continued. “I know they can play fierce and now they need to be ready to win. All of us need to be in it 110 percent when we face Jack Britt.”
Richmond (4-5) will get another shot at redemption Thursday when the Lady Raiders travel to Jack Britt High School (5-4). The match between the fourth and fifth place teams will get underway shortly after the junior varsity contest.
