Net play key as Richmond falls 3-0 to rival Scotland

ROCKINGHAM — On a night where the direction a ball bounced could have influenced the outcome of a given set, net play was pivotal, but didn’t go Richmond’s way in a 3-0 loss to rival Scotland.

Senior Emy Cooley said she felt like the Lady Raiders (3-4) had their ups and downs Tuesday night.

“We had better coverage but had a couple mistakes here and there with positioning ourselves to the ball,” Cooley said. “We were aggressive offensively and defensively, and though we let a lot of balls drop that we should have played, I feel like we worked hard and did a good job defending Scotland’s hits.”

Senior Jakerra Covington said she and Georgia Grace Anderson came into game expecting to have some big blocks put up against them at the net. So, she said their mindset was to use their hands to tip balls around Scotland’s blockers.

“I was so fired up and I completely forgot about the tipping and I was just swinging tonight,” said Covington, who finished with five kills, including four in the third set. “I wanted to do everything I could to bring my team to a victory.”

Head coach Ashleigh Larsen singled out the play of senior Taylor Chappell, saying that it was the best game she’s seen her play all season. Chappell finished with three aces to go along with four digs. Larsen applied that same praise to the team as a whole, as well.

“Each of them had their moments where they had a big get at the net or a big dig,” Larsen said. “It was just good to see them all come together. I think we made an improvement from our win on (Dec. 3).”

The match was much closer than the score would indicate. The added motivation of being such a heated rivalry was a factor, as well. Last year, Richmond won the regular season finale and upset Scotland in the semifinal of the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament.

“Just something about when we play Scotland, whether it’s home or away, it gets a little more pumped up,” Larsen said. “I’d probably attest some of the extra aggressiveness tonight to that.”

Cooley added that the Lady Raiders have another shot at Scotland this season and she’s looking forward to Richmond’s return visit for the season finale on Jan. 7.

The two teams largely exchanged points to start the game after Scotland got off on an early 4-0 run. Most points either ended quickly on attacks or errors or ended up producing long rallies.

After being tied 13-13, a brief run allowed the Lady Scots to put some distance between them and the Lady Raiders. Richmond came close, but was unable to get over the hump and close the gap any closer than two points, and the Lady Scots took the first set 25-17.

Like the first, the second set opened up close and stayed that way. Each time it looked as though one team would assert control, the other responded with a scoring run or by winning a long rally to seize back momentum. Until late in the set when the Lady Scots were able to capitalize on a series of Richmond errors to take the second set 25-17.

The unforced errors piled on early in the third set for Scotland as the Lady Raiders tried to ride the home crowd’s noise and support to inspire a comeback.

Each time the set was tied — 13-13, 17-17 and 19-19 — the Lady Scots were able to win the pivotal points to break the tie and pull ahead. The Lady Raiders were able to save the first match point, but Scotland finished off the set 25-21 and the 3-0 win on the next point.

“I think the girls made Richmond proud, at least for how they played,” Larsen said. “The outcome — maybe not so much, but they gave it all they got and that’s all we can ask.”

JV extends winning streak to four

The Lady Raiders junior varsity squad extended its winning streak for four with a 2-0 win over rival Scotland.

After exchanging the first few points, Richmond opened things up with a 9-3 lead that forced a Scotland timeout. Several unforced errors cost the JV Lady Scots points early on, but still they hung around throughout the first set. The JV Lady Raiders did just enough to keep them at arm’s length, however.

With the score 20-14, Richmond was able to close out the first set on a 5-0 run on the serve of freshman Jenna Gardner to take the early 1-0 lead.

After Scotland jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second set, the JV Lady Raiders countered with a 4-0 run on the serve of freshman Katie Way and the set only tightened from there. The second set was epitomized by five ties in the middle and latter stages of the set.

Tied 21-21, the JV Lady Raiders closed out the set and clinched match with a 4-0 run, led by sophomore Joy Styles.