Not even the 2015 Cedar Ridge volleyball team that was one win away from the 3A State Championship match started 3-0.
But this year’s Red Wolves team has.
On Monday night, Cedar Ridge continued its impressive start to the 2019 season with a 3-1 win at the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham. The Red Wolves prevailed 25-22, 19-25, 25-17 and 25-15.
Since going 24-4 in 2015 and losing to Asheboro in the Eastern Regional Championship match, the Red Wolves (3-0) haven’t won more than eight games in a season the past three years. If they defeat Durham School of the Arts on Tuesday night, they’ll already be halfway to that total this year.
As is the case with so many successful teams from Hillsborough over the past few years, the Red Wolves have had an instant impact from freshman. Going into Monday night’s match in Durham, freshman Cameron Lloyd led the team with 26 kills, with classmate Julie Altieri right behind her with 19. Fellow rookie Cameron Lanier is fourth on the list with 17.
Altieri also leads the team with 14 aces and 40 assists, while Lloyd had 33 digs in the opening two matches.
“Julie is just a really dynamic player,” said Cedar Ridge coach Anna Seethaler. “She is all-around a good player. She’s supportive. She’s a team player. She’s fine with coming on and off the court at any given player and tries to bring the best to the team.”
Lloyd, Altieri, Lanier and East Chapel Hill transfer Layne Foster are the new faces from a team that went 7-15 last season. Seethaler, in her second year, has had to blend the new faces with veterans like juniors ShiLi Quade and co-Captain Marlee Rokouskas.
“Sometimes I just hope that they can pull the weight,” Seethaler said. “They’re able to step up and step into those roles and trust either. They can focus on the unity on the team.”
In the 3-0 win over Eastern Alamance to open the season, Lanier set Cedar Ridge with 12 kills while Lloyd added eleven. Senior Tori Dalehite had five aces.
The following night, Cedar Ridge defeated Durham School of the Arts 3-1. Lloyd had 15 kills while Foster had 13. Altieri had ten kills, 14 aces, 12 digs and a block.
The Orange volleyball team played its third true road match of the season on Monday night and came away from Creedmoor with a 3-0 win over South Granville. Dating back to last year, the Lady Panthers have defeated the Vikings three straight times.
Orange won on scores of 25-16, 26-24 and 25-16 to improve to 2-3.
Over the weekend, Orange played three matches in the Peak City Classic at Apex Friendship High School. The Lady Panthers lost to Apex Friendship and to Jordan, but ended the afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Jack Britt.
Against the Buccaneers, Orange won the final three sets on scores of 25-18, 25-18 and 25-17. The Lady Panthers lost the season-opener to Person in Roxboro last week. Orange will face Person again on Wednesday, this time in Hillsborough.
Orange’s co-captains are Emma Clements, Kaitlyn Werden and Brooke Fryar. Morgan Ray, Devyn Norman and Chloe Riley, who were all standouts on the junior varsity squad last year, have played regularly to start this season.