In the season opener for both teams, William Campbell and Randolph-Henry went four sets before the visiting Lady Statesmen took the game 3-1.
The Lady Generals (0-1) were caught off guard as Randolph-Henry broke up a 3-3 deadlock in the first set by putting together a 7-0 run that keyed a 25-15 win in the opener.
William Campbell took advantage of the Lady Statesmen miscues in the second set by opening with a 6-2 surge. Randolph-Henry fought back to tie the set at 17.
The Lady Generals and the visitors went back and forth, with Randolph Henry holding a 24-21 edge. The Lady Generals answered with five straight points to win 26-24.
Randolph-Henry took set three 25-11 and set four 25-17 to pick up the win.
Mary Toms recorded 14 assists, five aces and a kill and Kelsey Sligh had six kills and four aces on the night, while Kendall Haga added six kills, five aces, three assists, two digs and one block for William Campbell.
Julianna Ranson had four kills, four digs and two aces; Gina Lawhorn had three kills and one ace; Alexandra Terry had three digs; Rachel Hanson had two kills, two assists, two digs and an ace; Holly Neighbors had three kills and two assists; and Jordan Elder had one kill.
“We didn’t play well. It was not our best performance,” Coach Sunshine Martin said. “We lost one of our starters earlier this season, so we were having to start out the year with a new rotation and will have to work through it. A positive thing to take from this is Randolph-Henry is not a weak team. There were moments where we hung with them and even won a set.”
Martin added that the team will try to get better with each match, and with a young team, which has one senior, five juniors, six sophomores and a freshman, there is always room for growth.
William Campbell played host to Brookville Monday night and will host Rustburg Wednesday. The Lady Generals go on the road after Labor Day, with a Sept. 4 game at Rustburg and a Sept. 5 game at Brookville.