Following her team’s most successful season since 2015, Cedar Ridge volleyball coach Anna Seethaler has been named the Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year.
In addition, Cedar Ridge junior Marlee Rakouskas and freshman Cameron Lloyd were named to the All-Big 8 Conference team this week.
Orange, who finished 16-8, had seniors Kaitlyn Werden and Brooke Fryar named to the All-Big 8 team.
Seethaler took a Cedar Ridge team that posted a 7-15 record in 2018 and led them to an 18-6 season, despite losing promising middle hitter Lydia Wood during the summer after she transferred. Cedar Ridge stormed out to a 6-0 start. After they suffered their first setback at Jordan on September 9, the Red Wolves stunned Chapel Hill the following night in Hillsborough. It was the Tigers’ first and only loss of the season.
Chapel Hill won the 3A State Championship over West Henderson in Raleigh two weeks ago.
As if that wasn’t enough, Cedar Ridge defeated Orange in five sets at Panther Gymnasium 48 hours later. It was the first time Cedar Ridge win at Orange since 2015.
“Ours was a team that showed up for each other. We worked as a unit, as a team, as a family,” Seethaler said after the season-ending loss to Gray’s Creek in the 3A State Playoffs. “Throughout the season the parents, grandparents, friends, administrators and players all showed up and worked together to make some really incredible things happen. There were challenges and upsets and annoyances, like any other family. But everyone just kept showing up through all of it.”
From the time the season unofficially started with a scrimmage at Burlington’s (non-air conditioned) Fairchild Community Center in early August, Seethaler was set to play three freshmen in her regular rotation. Indeed, Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier started right away and immediately posted impressive numbers.
“For me, actions speak louder than words,” Seethaler said. “Even though I was hopeful and open gyms were looking good AND I kept hearing ‘we’d have a great team this year’, I didn’t really know what we were capable of until we actually competed throughout the season. About half way through the season I looked back at where we came from, even from last year and thought ‘Well dang. We’ve won more games halfway through this season than we won the entire season last year, I’d say we are doing pretty good.’”
Lloyd was the only freshman in the Big 8 Conference who finished in the top five in kills, aces and digs. She registered 342 kills, 68 aces and 237 digs. On September 17 against Northern Durham, Lloyd had a triple-double with 17 kills, 12 aces and ten digs.
During Cedar Ridge’s team banquet last week, Lloyd was named the Team MVP.
Rakouskas, a junior libero, had 224 digs and 472 service receptions. She had a season-high 20 digs and 37 service receptions in a 3-2 win over Northwood on October 1.
The Orange volleyball team won more games than any other Lady Panther squad this decade. Fryar, who signed with Gardner-Webb last week, was a senior libero who led the team with 276 digs and 338 service receptions. She was third on the team with 52 assists.
“I owe (Orange) Coach (Kelly) Young a lot,” Fryar said. “She’s coached me since I was a freshman. Now I’m a senior. She just really helped out my game.”
Werden led Orange with 36 aces and 290 assists. She was second on the squad with 121 digs. In a victory over Northern Durham on September 26, Werden had 18 assists and 13 digs.
Cedar Ridge’s Altieri and Emma Downing were named honorable mention All-Big 8.
Orange sophomore Lottie Scully and senior Elizabeth Vosburg were also named honorable mention.