It’s an emotional week for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team.
In all likelihood, it will be the final home games for the senior class that is the last connection to the 2021 3A State Championship squad. There will be a Central Carolina Conference semifinal match on Tuesday against Person inside Red Wolves Gymnasium with an outside chance of hosting the tournament title tilt.
In all likelihood, there will be one, final, state playoff match on Saturday at Red Wolves Gymnasium.
Together, Graylinn Serge, Rachel Alverson, Addie Reid, Natasha Buchler-Fosado, Ellie Woolson, Caroline Park, Cecilia Kenan, and Alexandra Hood have been a part of championship teams. Serge, Reid and Buchler-Fosado walked together under the spotlight of Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh for the 3A State Championship match against North Iredell, a memory that still clear in their minds.
They have also witnessed milestones. Cameron Lloyd, now at Bucknell College, recorded 1.062 kills, a school record. In her sophomore year, Lloyd became the first Red Wolf in school history with 500 kills.
Her teammate, Cameron Lanier, joined the 500 kill club in the state championship match against Iredell, though no one noticed at the time with a state title on the line and all. Setter Julie Altieri, another member of the Class of 2023, became the first Cedar Ridge player with 1,000 assists.
Now, Altieri has company.
Rachel Alverson, who has been at the varsity level for two years, reached 1,000 career assists in Cedar Ridge’s 3-0 win over Walter Williams in the opening round of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night. The Red Wolves (13-8), the 2nd seed out of the CCC, will host Person on Tuesday night in the semifinals. The Rockets defeated Eastern Alamance 3-1 on Monday in Roxboro.
Alverson, who has 721 assists on the season, appears to have broken the single-season ecord, held by Altieri. In 2022, Altieri is registered with 717 assists, according to MaxPreps.com.
Altieri is now a freshman setter, already starting, for the Division III Salisbury University Seagulls of the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference.
The Red Wolves, who have won the previous two CCC Tournaments, never trailed against Williams in securing its fifth straight conference tournament win stretching back to 2021. Sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 12 kills and five digs. Alverson ended the night with 28 assists, five digs and one kill. Reid finished with six kills and one block. Serge had 13 digs and four kills.
Williams ends the year 3-13.
From the time Alverson set up Kayla Stoll for a kill on the opening point, the Red Wolves were never seriously challenged. Serge had an ace while Hargett notched consecutive kills to send the Red Wolves off to a 8-0 lead in the first set. The Red Wolves reeled off nine consecutive points to take a 19-4 lead, which included four aces from Park and three more kills from Reid. Woolson had a block on set point to conclude the frame 25-12, and that was the most competitive frame of the night.
Cedar Ridge scored the first six points of the second set, with Hargett scoring the first three off a block and two kills. The big run of the second set was eight straight points, three of which came off kills by Hargett, who now leads the team with 253 kills. The Red Wolves scored the final seven points of the set, with Kenan racking up an ace on set point to win 25-5.
Woolson had consecutive kills to open the third set. Woolson also had a block to increase the Red Wolves lead to 7-1, leading to a Bulldogs timeout. Hargett registered two aces during a 6-0 run. Hood ended the match with an ace as Cedar Ridge took the third set 25-9.
There will be volleyball action on both ends of Hillsborough on Tuesday night. In addition to Cedar Ridge’s match against Person, top-seeded Orange will host Western Alamance. The Warriors defeated Southern Alamance on Monday to advance to the semifinals.