The state championship captured by the Cedar Ridge volleyball team last fall has led to a new reality for the Red Wolves in 2022. They are no longer the underdog team that took everyone by surprise in 2018 when a group of freshmen defeated defending 3A State Champion Chapel Hill. Instead, they’re now the hunted. If there was ever any question of that, it was answered in the season opener on August 17 when J.H. Rose defeated the Red Wolves 3-1 in Greenville. It was a rematch of last year’s 3A Eastern Regional Championship match that the Red Wolves won in Hillsborough. Since then, Cedar Ridge has gone 3-0, including a win over D.H. Conley in Greenville on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves defeated Carrboro 3-0 at Jaguars Gymnasium on scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-17. Senior Julie Altieri, the all-time school leader in assists, had another strong floor game for the Red Wolves. In the third set, senior Melissa Benkowitz had five kills and an ace. So far this season, Cedar Ridge has had just one home game. They’ve had two trips to Greenville, a bus ride to Carrboro. On Saturday, they will journey to Garner to face defending 4A State Champion, Green Level, at Garner High School. Cedar Ridge is 3-1 after wins over Apex Friendship, Carrboro and D.H. Conley.