Early energy unable to help Lady Raiders against Pinecrest

ROCKINGHAM — An aggressive edge during the first set of Tuesday’s volleyball match couldn’t be sustained for Richmond Senior High School.

What was a promising start for the Lady Raiders fizzled out in a 3-0 loss to Pinecrest High School.

In the Sandhills Athletic Conference contest, Richmond came up short by scores of 21-25, 13-25 and 16-25.

Head coach Ashleigh Larsen said she was pleased with the team’s efforts in the early going but a disconnect between the first and second sets didn’t allow the Lady Raiders to fight back.

“The girls came out with their heads up high and were excited,” Larsen shared. “Things were working in our favor, and had we not had a few missed serves, I think the first set would’ve had a different outcome.

“Winning that set would’ve helped moving forward,” she continued. “We just have to find that consistency because we came out in the second set and we got in a hole. We don’t know what happens from set to set that kept them from playing like they were.”

Two kills from sophomore Riley McDonald early in the first set, coupled with a Pinecrest error made it 5-5. Junior J’Nasia Neal peppered the floor with two kills to keep it knotted at seven points.

A block by senior setter Ava Edmondson got fans on their feet, which was followed by another kill from McDonald to keep it tied 9-9. McDonald made a block on the next rally to give Richmond a one-point lead.

Both teams went back and forth to tie the match at 11, 12, 13 and 14 points. An ace from McDonald started a four-point run by Richmond that capitalized on three errors.

During that stretch, Pinecrest called a timeout but the Lady Raiders managed another point out of the break to lead 18-14, their largest lead of the match.

A run by Pinecrest tied it at 19 points, and unfortunately for Richmond, the Lady Patriots closed on a 6-2 stretch.

To begin the second stanza, Pinecrest took an 8-1 lead. Unable to recover, the Lady Raiders used a three-point span to cut their deficit to five points 10-5.

But Richmond quickly fell behind by double digits and stayed there. McDonald, Neal and sophomore Madisen Jackson each contributed points at the net but it was too little, too late.

The third set started on a 4-0 run for Richmond, which was aided by a block from junior Ka’mora Watkins and a McDonald attack.

A few volleys later, McDonald tied it 7-7 and a Pinecrest error made it 8-8. But a 5-0 run put Pinecrest ahead for good.

Down the stretch, Jackson, McDonald, Neal and Watkins chipped away at the lead. The Lady Patriots (12-6, 7-0 SAC) led by as many as 10 points and sealed the victory despite Richmond splitting the points evenly over the final 10 rallies.

“Overall, minus the little spells in between, we played a whole lot better,” Larsen closed. “Hopefully this is trending us in the right direction for our next match.”

Richmond (6-10, 2-6 SAC) plays at Hoke County High School (12-3, 5-3 SAC) Thursday. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m.

JV Lady Raiders also lose

The Richmond junior varsity volleyball team also couldn’t get the job done Tuesday against Pinecrest.

Suffering a loss in straight sets, Richmond lost 2-0. Scores were 15-25 and 15-25.

The JV team (7-8, 4-4 SAC) also travels to Hoke County Thursday. Play will start at 5 p.m.

Sports editor’s note: Official statistics were not available at the time of publication.