RAEFORD — It may have taken all five sets to do so, but the Richmond Senior volleyball team was able to down Hoke County and end its regular season with an unblemished record in SEC play.
The Lady Raiders fell behind 2-1 after the first three sets, but rallied back to win the fourth (25-15) and dominated the fifth (15-1) in order to grab the 3-2 victory.
Altman Griffin (21) and Brianna Baysek (11) combined for 32 kills to lead the charge against Hoke. Griffin also had 14 digs and three aces, while Baysek added three blocks. Savannah Lampley registered a team-high 19 digs.
“The girls work hard in practice, they’ve learned how to adjust in games and they’ve been playing like a team,” coach Shellie Wimpey said. “They are very excited but humbled.”
With Tuesday’s road win, Richmond finished the regular season 14-5-3 overall and 10-0 in the conference.
“I didn’t really think about it. I was just trying to take it game by game,” Wimpey said when speaking on going undefeated in the conference. “At the beginning of the season, I knew we had a lot to work on. But I knew if we could get those things right we could be really good.”
The Lady Raiders’ final regular-season victory in Raeford came after a shutout effort last Friday, Oct. 14 at Pinecrest — giving Richmond two wins (in one season) over the team they hadn’t beat since 2009.
A four-set triumph at home last month broke the near seven-year drought, but Friday’s 3-0 victory was the icing on the cake.
“It felt awesome for me and the girls,” Wimpey said. “That (first) win helped the girls realize that they were good. And if they compete, play as a team and do the things we have worked in practice, that they could beat anyone and win the conference.”
Richmond now has to wait until next Tuesday, Oct. 25 to find out who it will face in the opening round of the state playoffs. In the meantime, the team will work on its pasing and blocking — as Wimpey believes setting up their hitters and meeting opponents at the net will be beneficial.
She also said that it’s important for the girls to understand that they don’t have to win every match in three sets.
“It’s always nice to, but as long as the outcome is a win, it doesn’t matter how many sets we play,” she explained. “Just stay focused in each set and if you lose one, come back and win the next one. Don’t get down.”
The Lady Raiders will host the first-round match next Wednesday, Oct. 26.
“They know that now it’s win or go home,” she added.
Reach sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr. at 910-817-2673 and follow the sports section on Twitter @RCDailySports.
Richmond Senior’s Altman Griffin reaches up to return a hit during Tuesday’s match at Hoke County. The Lady Raiders would grab a 3-2 victory and finish the regular season undefeated in conference.