For any volleyball team with state championship aspirations, the season comes down to three Saturdays in the fall.
The first one is when the state playoffs start. The final one is the day of the state championship.
Cedar Ridge is now at the second one. Again.
With the return of senior setter Julie Altieri, the all-time school leader in assists and aces, #2 seeded Cedar Ridge never trailed in eliminating #7 First Flight 3-0 on scores of 25-10, 25-6 and 25-17 on Thursday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium.
Cedar Ridge (24-1), the defending 3A State Champions, will host Wilson Hunt in the state quarterfinals on Saturday. Hunt, seeded #3, defeated West Carteret 3-1 on Thursday.
Altieri, who has missed the first four postseason games for Cedar Ridge, immediately made her presence felt by serving up four aces during a 7-0 Red Wolf run to open the game and quickly remove any thoughts of an upset by the Nighthawks (16-8).
“It’s great to have Julie back,” said Cedar Ridge coach Fiona Cunningham said. “Her leadership on the floor, her confidence and her defense are just huge for us. It was great to see her playing again. She’s absolutely one of our best servers and she got us off to a great start.”
The super-charged emotion of Tuesday’s state playoff match against crosstown rival Orange yielded to yet another Cedar Ridge sweep on Thursday that was so dominant, the crowd was in a hush for much of the night. Even members of the Wolfpack, Cedar Ridge’s vaunted student section, watched the final points with palms supporting their heads.
First Flight was limited to a season-low 38 points. Camden County held the Nighthawks to 39 points on October 4.
“I think we were a little more level headed tonight,” Cunningham said. “We were more confident. On Tuesday, we knew how high the emotions were against Orange and that played into it.”
Cedar Ridge’s depth was on full display as seven players registered kills. Once again, senior Cameron Lloyd led the Red Wolves with eight kills. Cameron Lanier, who is second on Cedar Ridge’s all-time kills list (behind Lloyd), finished with seven kills, two aces and a block. Junior Addie Reid had her best performance of the postseason with five kills and two blocks.
“We’ve been pushing our setters to get our middle blockers a little more involved in the play,” Cunningham said. “Tonight, our passing was really able to be on and we were able to see big swings from all of our middles.”
Altieri added another 15 assists and four aces to her school records, while junior Rachel Alverson finished with 14 assists. The Red Wolves have won 27 straight home matches. After dropping the season-opener to J.H. Rose in Greenville, they’ve won 72 of its last 73 sets. It was their 23rd sweep of the year.
The Red Wolves upped its lead to 19-5 in the opening set after an unassisted kill by Reid, which led to a timeout from First Flight coach Anna Zappulla, who wore a smile of encouragement mixed with resignation as her team came to the bench. Lanier spiked down set point off an assist from Altieri.
The second set was even more lopsided. After freshman Claire Hargett, who finished with four kills, slammed down another point, the Red Wolves led 13-2. Hargett had three of her four kills in the middle portion of the 2nd set. An ace from junior Graylinn Serge pushed the lead to 18-4. Kills by Lloyd and Reid closed the frame with the Red Wolves winning 25-6.
The Nighthawks were able to notch the only ties of the entire match to open the third set, but the Red Wolves quickly pulled away after an 8-2 run that was triggered by three kills and an ace from Lanier. Reid scored match point off an assist from Altieri.
Cedar Ridge’s senior class now has a lifetime record of 82-10. They’re 41-3 at home. As the wins have piled up, there’s also a sense of reality creeping in that Saturday’s match against Hunt could be the final home game for the seniors who have won seven championships.
Cunningham doesn’t want that as a distraction when the Warriors come to town.
“We’re really hoping to stay calm and not focus on that part,” Cunningham said.