Cedar Ridge volleyball’s famed senior class has claimed its seventh championship, but the Red Wolves’ youth played an instrumental factor in its latest title.
Of course, there were the usual suspects for Cedar Ridge, like Cameron Lloyd, Melissa Benkowitz and Cameron Lanier, all of whom racked up kills in a 3-1 win over Orange in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament Championship match at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Wednesday night. There were also two freshmen, Claire Hargett and Mia Marty, who found themselves in prominent positions in the Red Wolves 39th consecutive win over a conference opponent.
Cedar Ridge extended several of its school records against Orange, but not every streak survived.
Orange won the third set 25-17, ending Cedar Ridge’s streak of 62 consecutive victorious sets. To put that in perspective, Cedar Ridge (21-1) lost the final set of its season opener against J.H. Rose on August 18, then won via sweep in its other 19 regular season matches, plus its first tilt of the postseason against Walter Williams in the CCC Tournament semifinals.
The Red Wolves recovered to comfortably take the fourth set 25-17 to claim its second consecutive CCC Tournament title. It was Cedar Ridge’s seventh straight win over its crosstown rivals.
But after 21 consecutive wins, the Red Wolves did face adversity before they venture into the 3A State Tournament to defend their state championship. They played both games in the conference tournament without leading setter Julie Altieri, the all-time school leader in assists and aces.
So what did head coach Fiona Cunningham tell the team after they lost a set for the first time in over two months?
“Things I don’t want to repeat,” Cunningham said. “Orange did phenomenal that set. That was the team that they knew they could be. And we knew they could be that good and we got to see that. I told my girls that Orange was playing great. I also told them that we needed to play smarter and that we needed not to give away the game.”
Marty, who spent this season on Cedar Ridge’s undefeated junior varsity squad, had 14 assists in only her second varsity game. Without Altieri, the Red Wolves went with a setter-by- committee. Grace Young, usually the Red Wolves libero, started at setter and finished with 12 assists. Junior Graylinn Serge served as libero.
Lloyd, who has surpassed 1,000 kills for her career, finished with 12 kills. Hargett, a regular rotation player during her freshman year, tied her season-high with ten kills, matching the output she had against Walter Williams on September 14.
Orange (18-10) senior Allie Wilkerson had nine kills while her younger sister Ava Wilkerson finished with five kills and five blocks. Senior Caitlin Carden had 20 assists, one ace and one kill.
Ava Wilkerson, a 6-2 freshman, sparked Orange’s 10-0 spurt in the third set with a block on an attack by Cedar Ridge’s Addie Reid. On the next point, Orange senior Erin Jordan-Cornell had another block to put the Lady Panthers ahead 16-11, sending the visiting bench into jubilation and forcing Cunningham to call a timeout.
Ava Wilkerson and Jordan-Cornell each had back-to-back kills to continue the momentum. Junior Ella Wimsatt, who leads the Lady Panthers in kills, spiked home a point for Orange’s 23rd point. The Red Wolves sent the subsequent two attacks into the net, ending its streak of 62 victorious sets.
The two previous sets weren’t nearly as dramatic. In the opening frame, Cedar Ridge quickly pulled away after they jumped out to an 8-3 lead. Senior Cameron Lanier had consecutive aces to put the Red Wolves ahead 15-6. Lanier would spike home set point off an assist from Marty.
Cedar Ridge claimed the second set 25-10. After an attack by senior Anaya Carter, the Red Wolves reeled off ten of the next 13 points. During that spree, Benkowitz had two aces, a kill and a block to put the Red Wolves ahead 17-8. Three kills by Lloyd helped Cedar Ridge finished the set on a 8-1 run.
After dropping the third set, Cedar Ridge started the fourth set scoring nine of the first 12 points. After an opening kill by Reid, Carter had a block and a kill on back-to-back plays. Hargett scored match point off an assist from Young.