‘Team effort’ results in five-set win over Pine Forest

ROCKINGHAM — Early momentum during Wednesday’s non-conference volleyball match, paired with a late surge of energy, got the Lady Raiders back in the win column.

Capping its first week of the season with its second home match, and third match in as many nights, the Richmond Senior High School volleyball team avoided a late collapse.

Welcoming in Pine Forest High School, the Lady Raiders won the match 3-2. Taking the first two sets 25-20 and 25-19, Richmond thwarted the Lady Trojans’ comeback attempt with a 15-12 win in the decisive fifth set.

Facing a two-set deficit, Pine Forest rallied to win the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-16, respectively. Richmond held leads during both stanzas.

“I told the girls I was quite impressed with their play, especially coming off a loss last night and playing their third match in three days,” head coach Ashleigh Larsen said. “They seem to be getting more comfortable in this lineup since we were missing Leianna (Brooks) again due to illness.

“Everything went our way in the first two sets,” she added. “We were making good passes, there were a lot of great sets and we had good judgment on where to push the ball. In the third and fourth sets we go down on ourselves and that’s something we need to work on avoiding.”

In the opening set, Richmond and Pine Forest battled out to eight ties. A block by sophomore middle hitter Riley McDonald gave Richmond a 14-13 lead, starting a 12-7 run that would end in a one-set advantage.

After the block, senior defensive specialist Abby Wellman served four straight points, which included a kill apiece from McDonald and junior outside hitter J’Nasia Neal.

Pine Forest used a 5-1 run to pull within a point, 19-18, and Larsen called a timeout. That pause yielded a four-point run by Richmond, including two kills from Neal and another by sophomore outside hitter Madisen Jackson.

A hitting error by the Lady Trojans following a serve by sophomore defensive specialist Kalynn McCormick pushed Richmond ahead 23-18. A timeout by the visitors did no good, as a Neal kill and hitting error ended the set.

An early 6-6 tie in the second stanza was opened up thanks to a 6-1 run by Richmond. A kill from Jackson started it, which was followed by a pair of errors. Neal forced a Pine Forest timeout when she rattled off three consecutive aces to make it 12-7.

Leading by as many as seven points in the second, Richmond stayed ahead thanks to two kills from McDonald and a block by sophomore outside hitter Kaylan Parsons. A Neal kill helped keep Richmond ahead 19-17 despite a run by Pine Forest.

McCormick kept the momentum rolling in Richmond’s favor, making a diving dig over the net that resulted in a hitting error. Jackson ended the set when her strike bounced off the hands of two defenders at the net.

After Pine Forest fought back to tie the match 2-2, sophomore libero Kenley Smith used her serving to set the tone in the fifth set. Larsen said Smith’s serving, coupled with a combined effort by the whole team, helped secure the win.

The match point was recorded when senior setter Ava Edmonsdon, who had numerous assists in each set, fired an ace over the net.

“Luckily in the fifth set, the girls picked their heads back up and powered through to get the win,” Larsen closedd. “KG (Smith) led the way with her serves, but everyone at some point had their time to shine and did great.

“Riley (McDonald) got on a roll, J’Nasia (Neal) had a great game, Madisen (Jackson) and Kaylan (Parsons) made good decisions. Ava continued to make great sets. It was a great team effort and the back row definitely kept us in it.”

The Lady Raiders (2-1) return to the court Tuesday and continue non-conference action on the road at Montgomery Central High School (0-1). The varsity match will start at 6 p.m.

JV Lady Raiders suffer first loss

Forcing a decisive third set in its home match against Pine Forest Monday, the Lady Raider junior varsity volleyball team couldn’t keep its perfect start to the season intact.

Richmond lost 2-1 behind set scores of 11-25, 27-25 and 14-16.

After keeping the match alive by going to the third frame, the JV Lady Raiders led by as many as four points, 8-4. That forced a Pine Forest timeout.

The JV Lady Trojans answered with a 6-1 run to take a 10-9 lead. Both teams traded points to tie four more times. The final tie 14-14 was courtesy of an ace by Lillian Hill.

However, Pine Forest won the match thanks to two Richmond errors.

“The first game we got stuck in a few serve-receives and missed some important serves,” head coach Melissa Dennis said. “But in the second game they came back and fought hard. We came up short in the end, but they worked together as a team and stayed positive.”

The JV Lady Raiders (1-1) will also play at Montgomery Central Tuesday. First serve is set for 5 p.m.

Sports editor’s note: The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Wednesday’s home victory soon.