It was a day that started at 9:20AM. It didn’t end 11:20PM.
In all, the Orange women’s tennis team drove to Kill Devil Hills for a journey that added up to 480 miles roundtrip. Once it was all said and done, the lasting feeling was satisfaction, along with the urgent need for a leg stretch.
Behind four singles wins, the Orange women’s tennis team defeated First Flight 5-2 to win in the opening round of the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs. Orange extended its school-record with 19 wins in a season. For the first time ever, the Lady Panthers tennis team has won matches in the state dual team playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
Orange, the co-champions of the Central Carolina Conference, defeated the co-champions of the Northeast Coastal Conference. The Nighthawks (10-2) shared the title with Holmes, a 2A team, with a 7-1 mark.
“It was a good match,” said Orange women’s tennis coach Justin Webb just after he parked the team bus at Orange High Tennis Courts late Wednesday night. “I thought both teams competed extremely hard. It was really interesting conditions.”
Orange advances to the Round of 16, where they will face Fike in Wilson next Tuesday. The Golden Demons, the Quad County Conference champions, defeated Croatan in the opening round on Tuesday.
Last season, Orange knocked off Fike for its first-ever win in the state dual team playoffs.
Webb and his players knew that the fall chill that’s permeated the Triangle this week would extend all the way to the east. When they finally got off the bus following a four-hour ride, they were greeted with wind gusts of 20 miles per hour that were imposing and constantly changing, but expected considering they were along the coast.
“It was very cold and windy,” Webb said. “It’s was pretty difficult conditions, but both teams had to deal with it. First Flight was very scrappy. They didn’t get us much. They were a very tough team and definitely didn’t make it easy on us. I’m sure the wind is something they’re used to, but we’re not.”
Even though Orange is a senior-laden team, the postseason was new for many of them. Of the seven starters who saw action on Wednesday, only two played in last year’s playoff victory over Fike.
“They were excited,” Webb said. “I felt when they were warming up and throughout the whole trip, they were excited about going to the beach. But they had a mission and a goal, and that was to win. I think they believed that if we were going to travel four hours, we’re doing to compete and we’re going to make it worth it.”
Orange never trailed in the match after senior Sydney Rogers extended her singles winning streak with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Chloe Rose at #4 singles. Rogers, the placekicker for the Orange football team, is 15-0 this season.
Senior Isabel Jones, a teammate of Rogers on the Orange women’s soccer team, put the Lady Panthers ahead 2-0 after a three-set victory over Stella Matzgannis, one of two singles matches to go the limit. Jones prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 (10-point tiebreaker). Lady Panthers’ junior Makayla Davis defeated sophomore Olivia Lillington 6-3, 6-3 at #3 singles, giving Orange a 3-0 lead. Davis has 23 wins overall in 2022.
In the final match of singles play, Orange sophomore Shannon Sollars defeated Heather Snyder, one of two senior starters for the Nighthawks, 7-5, 6-2. Sollars, who qualified for the 3A Mideast Regionals in doubles play with her older sister Erin, has won 13 singles matches in 2022.
The only doubles match to be completed clinched the match for Orange. Senior Katelyn Van Mater, who is a three-sport athlete, teamed with Jones to defeat Maura Trivette and Matzgannis 8-6.
Sophomore Annalise Snyder won the #1 singles match for First Flight. In the other three set match, Trivette held off Orange senior Madelyn Horn 6-4, 0-6, 12-10.
The victory added to a growing list of unprecedented accomplishments continues to grow. After winning its first conference championship in tennis earlier this month, Orange will try to reach the state quarterfinals next week.
The only women’s tennis team to ever reach the 3A State Quarterfinals in Hillsborough high history is the 2016 Cedar Ridge Red Wolves.