With a group as dominant as the Nansemond River High School girls’ volleyball team has been this year, sometimes the coach must help provide challenges.

King’s Fork High School also helped out a bit in that regard on Thursday, but the Lady Warriors ultimately got the home win on senior night, 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-15.

As Nansemond River head coach Nicole Johnson has done in the past, she instituted more changes in the lineup on Thursday. In recognition of senior night, she ran an all-senior lineup for the first two games.

“Nothing about what we did tonight was normal,” Johnson said.

The group still included key players like middle blocker/hitter Tatyana Thomas, outside hitters Rachel Kent and Victoria Newbill and libero Maddy-Grace Lavender.

However, it excluded other standouts like junior middle blocker/setter Morgan Lowers and sophomore setter Camryn Holt. Holt has been dealing with a back injury, prompting Johnson to pull her for the night shortly after putting her in.

The effect of those changes on the game was turbulent, at times. The Lady Warriors played from behind for much of the first game, before coming back late and winning.

The second game they basically led throughout, though they allowed King’s Fork to get close. By Game Three, Nansemond River’s lineup had begun to look familiar, with Lowers entering the game, but the Lady Bulldogs were undaunted. After five lead changes and a tie at 23, they won their first game of the night.

“I feel like they played well,” KF head coach Sarah Porter said of her team. She knows they may see the Lady Warriors again in the conference tournament. “In comparison to the last time we played them, we played a lot better.”

Johnson used a different mixture of experienced and young players in the fourth game, which proved effective.

“That last game, I knew we had it,” she said. “I was just thinking about practice plans and playoffs.”

The occasion of senior night, with parents and friends on hand, was a motivator for Nansemond River’s seniors. “I really wanted to make it count,” said middle blocker Jasmine Ballard, who had three kills and a block.

“I love them,” Johnson said of her seniors. “It’ll be hard to see them go.”

Thomas led the Lady Warriors with 10 kills and eight blocks to go with three aces, Lavender had 17 digs and two aces, and Newbill added six kills and three aces. Lowers contributed eight kills and 12 assists.

For King’s Fork, sophomore LaTonia Thomas had nine kills, one block and two aces; senior Erin Banks had eight kills, nine assists and four digs; and senior Roneka Spady had 12 digs.

The Lady Bulldogs end the regular season 9-8 overall, 7-3 in the conference. Nansemond River (14-2, 9-0) concludes its regular season on Tuesday, traveling to Phoebus High School for a make-up match.