Month: October 2023

In a volleyball season that has been predictable locally, Cedar Ridge went into this week searching for something that previous teams had found.

A special senior moment.

In 2021, Phoenix Smith, Justice Wilborn, and Ava Lowry were members of a state championship squad that defeated North Iredell at Reynolds Coliseum. They were members of the first female team in school history to win a state championship.

Last year, Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Grace Young, Anaya Carter and Melissa Benkowitz won 62 consecutive sets en route to a Central Carolina Conference regular season and tournament championship.

This year’s group of seniors had not found its senior moment.

Until Wednesday night.

In a stunning upset, Cedar Ridge shocked crosstown rival Orange 3-1 to win the CCC Tournament championship. Sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 23 kills and 14 digs, while senior setter Rachel Alverson had 46 assists and 15 digs as Cedar Ridge ended Orange’s 20-match winning streak.

Orange (22-4) suffered its first loss since August 19 and its first at home this season. The Lady Panthers won both matches in the regular season against Cedar Ridge, never allowing the Red Wolves to take more than 21 points in any of the previous six sets.

Just three weeks ago, Orange defeated the Red Wolves 25-19, 25-19 and 25-11 to sew up the CCC regular season title.

“I knew this has been possible all year,” said Cedar Ridge coach Latacha De Oliveira. “They just had to believe it. Today they believed it and today they showed it. Claire set the tone for us. Claire found holes, no matter how many people tried to block her. She found the holes, she put the ball down and came up with some big swings. I think Addie (Reid) did the same thing. That’s what we needed.”

Orange senior Ella Wimsatt had 15 kills and 20 digs for Orange.

The Lady Panthers won 35 of 36 sets during an undefeated run through the CCC regular season championship, but struggled to find a rhythm offensively on Wednesday night.

“I think that each team has evolved throughout the season,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “Cedar Ridge really came out with a lot of drive and desire to win tonight. They came out and had a really good match. We came out and played hard as well. Some of our X’s and O’s weren’t really following through today.”

It’s the third straight year that Cedar Ridge (15-8) has won the CCC Tournament. The Red Wolves have won either a conference regular season or tournament championship each of the past four years.

Less than two weeks ago, Cedar Ridge lost to Western Alamance and Cary Crowns. It was the first time since 2019 that the Red Wolves dropped consecutive matches.

“I think since then they’ve just brought into their game,” De Oliveria said. “They were tired of losing and started believing in themselves. We’ve had a good week. It started with a solid performance on Monday. It continued yesterday and they came in today believing it was our turn.”

Nothing about the environment inside Panther Gymnasium hinted the biggest upset in local volleyball this year was brewing. Orange’s student section didn’t start filling up until late in the first set. Even the once daunting Cedar Ridge student group, which traveled in mass regardless of location as a constant source of amusement or irritation depending on your perspective, had a pedestrian turnout.

They sure missed a stellar presentation from their team.

From the moment Wimsatt knocked over two chairs along the Orange bench trying to chase down an attack by Kayla Stoll on the first point, it was clear that this would be no easy night at the office for anyone. There were six ties in the opening set, but Orange maintained the lead until Hargett served up an ace to trigger a 6-1 Red Wolf run. Hargett, who had five kills and three digs in the opening set, delivered another ace following an Orange timeout to increase Cedar Ridge’s lead to 17-13. The Red Wolves finished the set with the final four points, closing with a thunderous strike by Addie Reid.

It was the first time since September 20 against Falls Lake, a span of eight matches, that Orange dropped the opening set.

Heverly inserted freshman Sawyer White as a setter in the second set, repositioning sophomore Katie Silcott to an outside hitter.

“We wanted to get our right side hitter involved,” Heverly said. “We wanted to broaden our hitting options.”

Orange used superior blocking to take the second set. Neither team could get beyond a two-point lead until White came through with a huge block of an attack by Reid to put Orange ahead 19-16, which greased the wheels for the Panthers best sequence of the night. Wimsatt and Mariah Poole followed with kills, and Silcott evened the match with an ace on set point.

Cedar Ridge responded with a 6-3 run to start the third, which led to Orange playing catch up the whole way. Hargett and Serge each had five kills in the frame, while Cecilia Kenan stroked an ace to put the Red Wolves ahead 11-5. Orange’s patented rally from a bad start never materialized as the Red Wolves’ increased its lead in front of a stunned Panthers student section, which eventually rose as one as the urgency of the situation increased with every Cedar Ridge point. Hargett had a kill to put the Cedar Ridge lead at 20-11. Orange chained together three straight points to trim the gap to 23-16, but it was too late. Alverson delivered a flash kill off a dig by Natasha Buchler-Fosado, and Serge scored set point to a loud road from the Cedar Ridge contingent.

Trailing two-sets-to-one, Heverly used the full three minutes between sets talking to her team in the huddle, but Cedar Ridge roared out of the gate with a 6-1 run to start the fourth, ending with consecutive kills by Stoll. Hargett saved her best for last, racking up seven kills in the fourth set. Orange did rally with three straight points, including an ace by White and a kill by Wimatt, to tie the set 9-9. Cedar Ridge responded with four straight points and never trailed again.

Cedar Ridge reeled off five straight points to increase its lead to 19-11, which included a key block from Reid on an attack by Ava Wilkerson, and two more kills from Hargett.

Orange scored six straight points to make a late charge and cut the Red Wolves lead to 22-18 after a block by Wilkerson. Hargett scored a key strike on a swing that caught the back left corner. On match point, Serge’s strike from the far post rebounded off Aubrey Jordan and went into the stands, setting off a huge celebration as the Red Wolves mobbed each other along the left side of the floor.

Orange, who will still be the #2 overall seed in the East Region for the state playoffs, will look ahead to Saturday and a matchup with Swansboro in the opening round.

“I really do believe that losing a match or losing a set can build character,” Heverly said. “If you’re going to lose, this is the one to lose so that we can rebuild and get ready for a nice run in the state playoffs.”

While the odds are against another deep Cedar Ridge state playoff run, the seniors relished in their championship moment on a memorable night on their archrival’s floor.

“We talked about what we needed to do to beat them and we knew that we needed to change our offense,” De Oliveria said. “In the prior two games against Orange, we haven’t been able to execute as well. We knew we had to keep them out of systems, but in order for us to win we knew we had to be offensively aggressive. Tonight, that’s exactly what happened.”

It may sound strange to some that Cedar RIdge volleyball pulled a major upset considering the Red Wolves won a state championship just two years ago. But the Red Wolves became the first Central Carolina Conference team to beat Orange this season on Wednesday night, and it happened in the Central Carolina Conference tournament championship game. The Red Wolves defeated Orange 3-1 on scores of 25-18, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20. Sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 23 kills and 14 digs. Senior Rachel Alverson had 46 assists and 15 digs as Cedar Ridge ended Orange’s 20-match winning streak. Graylinn Serge registered 12 kills and 25 digs as the Red Wolves won the CCC Tournament for the third year in a row. It’s the fourth straight year where Cedar Ridge has won a regular season or conference tournament championship and its fourth win at Orange in the last five trips. It brings a great measure of satisfaction to seniors like Alverson, Serge, Addie Reid, Natasha Buschler-Fosado, Eliana Miller, Cecilia Kenna, Caroline Park, Ellie Woodson and Alexandra Hood, who had a true Senior moment against its arch rival on Wednesday. Cedar Ridge will open play in the 3A State Playoffs at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Saturday. Opponent and time will be announced on Thursday.

Cedar Ridge’s Graylinn Serge, Rachel Alverson & Claire Hargett discuss volleyball upset over Orange

It may sound strange to some that Cedar RIdge volleyball pulled a major upset considering the Red Wolves won a state championship just two years ago. But the Red Wolves became the first Central Carolina Conference team to beat Orange this season on Wednesday night, and it happened in the Central Carolina Conference tournament championship game.

The seniors on the Orange volleyball team have accomplished something that no team in 18 years has done–win a conference championship. Last week, Orange celebrated senior night with a sweep of Walter Williams. The Lady Panthers have set a school record by winning 20 consecutive matches. Senior Ella Wimsatt has been instrumental in Orange’s most successful season in a generation She leads the team with 340 kills going into the Central Carolina Conference Tournament. She is second on the squad with 279 digs. Libero Sadye Porter returned to the team in August and has been an invaluable defensive presence. She leads the team with 364 digs and also has 38 aces, third on the team. Josie Crawford has been a regular rotation player for new head coach Hope Heverly. Crawford has 128 digs and is another valuable defensive presence. Blessiny Deronette has also played regularly in her first year on the varsity squad. Orange is looking at being a #1 seed for the 3A State Tournament that begins on Saturday. If the Lady Panthers take the top seed, it will be for the first time in school history. Coming up tonight, Orange will face Cedar Ridge for the CCC Tournament championship at Panther Gymnasium.

Orange’s Ella Wimsatt, Sadye Porter, Josie Crawford & Blessiny Derronette discuss Senior night

The seniors on the Orange volleyball team have accomplished something that no team in 18 years has done–win a conference championship. Last week, Orange celebrated senior night with a sweep of Walter Williams. The Lady Panthers have set a school record by winning 20 consecutive matches.

If it wasn’t clear that Hillsborough is the Volleyball Capital of the Central Carolina Conference, it is now.

For the second straight year, Orange and Cedar Ridge will face off in the CCC Tournament championship game tonight at Orange High.

Orange and Cedar Ridge competed in opposite ends of town on Tuesday night in their respective semifinal matches, both teams sweeping their opposition.

Orange defeated Western Alamance on scores of 25-14, 25-8, 25-15. For the third time this season, Cedar Ridge defeated Person 25-11, 25-22, 25-18.

Orange, the CCC regular season champion, won its 20th consecutive match to improve to 21-3. Senior Ella Wimsatt finished with 12 kills and 31 digs. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan registered 14 kills while middle blocker Ava Wilkerson had 13 kills. Sophomore setter Katie Silcott, who surpassed 1,000 career assists last week in a match against Walter Williams, finished with a double-double of 31 assists and 14 digs.

Orange used a 6-0 run to pull away in the opening set. After Wilkerson scored off an assist from Silcott to even the set 4-4, junior Abby Silinski served up two aces while Wilkerson scored on a block, leading to a Warrior timeout after Orange increased its lead to 9-4. The Lady Panthers scored nine of the last ten points to close out the frame, ending with Wimsatt’s kill off a set by Silcott on set point.

In the third set, Western Alamance (12-8) jumped out to a 12-5 lead following consecutive kills from Haley Clayton and another from Avery Wilson. After an Orange timeout, the Lady Panthers reeled off eight of the next nine points. Trailing 12-6, Wilmsatt earned a huge point on a kill to conclude a long rally where senior Josie Crawford made three crucial digs. Back-to-back points by Jordan and Wimsatt evened the set at 13-13. Orange finished the match on a 13-2 run, which included three kills each from Wilkerson and Jordan.

It was Orange’s third win over the Warriors this season.

At Red Wolves Gymnasium, Cedar Ridge sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 14 kills and ten digs against the Rockets. Senior Graylinn Serge had 12 kills and 19 digs. Senior Rachel Alverson, who also surpassed 1,000 career assists against Williams on Monday, finished with 35 assists and ten digs.

Leading 10-5 in the opening set, Cedar Ridge pulled away with a 9-0 run. Serge had three straight kills in the spree, while Alverson had a rare kill assisted by Natasha Buchler-Fosado. Hargett scored set point off a feed from Alverson.

The most competitive set was the second, where Person led 11-9 at one point. Cedar Ridge responded with six straight points to take a 15-11 lead, which included an ace from Alverson and two kills each from Serge and sophomore Kayla Stoll. Person (12-9) responded with consecutive kills from senior Summer Moore to trim the Red Wolf lead to 19-16. A return by Cedar Ridge that went wide reduced their lead to 21-20, but Serge scored a big kill followed by an ace from Alverson to increase the lead to 23-20. Hargett scored set point on a strong swing near the far post.

Cedar Ridge started the third set with a 9-3 spurt, starting with a kill from Ellie Woolson. Buchler-Fosado had an ace while Hargett spiked down back-to-back points, leading to a Person timeout. The Rockets got their deficit down to 15-7 after a point by Moore, but never seriously challenged in the final set.

Cedar Ridge and Orange have played in all three CCC Tournaments dating back to 2021. The Red Wolves defeated the Lady Panthers in the semifinals of the 2021 tournament. Last year, Cedar Ridge defeated Orange in the championship match 3-1 on scores of 25-12, 25-10, 17-25 and 25-17. The set that Orange won last year ended Cedar Ridge’s string of 62 consecutive sets won.

Orange has won both matchups against the Red Wolves this season. Orange won its first conference championship in volleyball since 2005.

This afternoon, Cedar Ridge will host its first state championship match in the women’s tennis team state championships in seven years. It’s tough to imagine a more appealing first round matchup than the one they got.

The Red Wolves, seeded #14, will face crosstown rival Orange this afternoon in the opening round at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

The brackets, released on Monday, mark the first time the tournament has expanded to 64 teams. In previous years, it has been a 32-team tournament.

Cedar Ridge (13-5) earned a home match for the opening round after finishing second to Walter Williams in the Central Carolina Conference.

The winner of Orange-Cedar Ridge will face either Rocky Mount, seeded #3, or South Central, the #30 seed. That match will take place on Monday with the higher seeded team hosting.

The last time the Red Wolves played a state playoff match in Hillsborough, it was when they won the Big 8 Conference championship in 2016. They reached the state quarterfinals after wins over Swansboro and Walter Williams under then-head coach Lennie Corbett.

Orange (13-5) reached the state dual team tournament for the third straight year, a first in school history. Coached by Justin Webb, the Lady Panthers defeated First Flight in the opening round in 2022. In 2021, they defeated Fike in the first round.

Cedar Ridge swept the season series from Orange. On September 5, the Red Wolves defeated Orange 6-3. On September 27, the Red Wolves knocked off the Lady Panthers 6-3 in a match that drew a large crowd that grew somewhat salty as the night went on.

One way or the other, it will be the final home match for Cedar Ridge tennis coach Steve Mayhew, who will step down at the conclusion of this season. As a student, Mayhew played at Orange High and became the coach of the Red Wolves men’s and women’s teams in 2019 after Corbett stepped down.

Mayhew has been around long enough to see both of his children earn Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year honors. His son Josh earned the honor three times. Now, his daughter Cameron has a trophy of her own.

Last week during the Central Carolina Conference championships, Mayhew was named the CCC Player of the Year after a dominant season in singles and doubles play. Mayhew finished undefeated in conference matches as a singles player and registered a 13-2 singles record overall. In doubles play, Mayhew and partner Adeline Cummings went 8-4. They were the only team to defeat Orange’s Erinn and Shannon Sollars this year. On September 5, Mayhew and Cummings defeated the Sollars 8-5. Mayhew and Cummings won the rematch 8-4 on September 27.

Overall, Mayhew has a career-high 21 wins this season as the Red Wolves have had its best season in seven years.

Mayhew will be the top seed from the CCC in this weekend’s Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center.

The Red Wolves will also have a doubles team represented in the Mideast Regionals. Senior Catherine Ballenger and junior Ella Caltabiano qualified after winning two matches at the Burlington Tennis Center last Wednesday. Caltabiano and Ballenger received a bye into the second round, where they defeated Gracie Hartle and Grace Gabrielli of Walter Williams.

Caltabiano and Ballenger have been the #2 doubles team for Cedar Ridge this season. Their only losses in conference play have been against Williams’ team of Lindley Oler and Lauren Turner.

Mayhew’s brother, Josh, became the first Cedar Ridge men’s tennis player to reach the 3A State singles final. Mayhew led the Cedar Ridge men’s team to the 2022 CCC Championship, just the second conference title in men’s tennis in school history. Mayhew reached the Mideast Regional final three times and is the most successful men’s player in school history. He now plays at Belmont-Abbey College.

Following a regular season where they went 13-2, Orange’s most accomplished doubles team in history will try to qualify for the states doubles championship this weekend.

This time, Erinn and Shannon Sollars won’t be the only doubles team from Orange represented in the Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Last Wednesday in the Central Carolina Conference Tennis Tournament, Makayla Davis and Molly Kruse qualified for regionals with two victories.

The CCC Tournament, unlike past conference tournaments that Orange has been a part of, doesn’t crown an individual and doubles champion. The event simply takes the four finishers in singles and doubles and places them in the Mideast Regional, which starts this Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Orange’s Erinn and Shannon Sollars qualified for regionals for the second consecutive year. The top seed in the conference tournament, the Sollars sisters received a bye into the second round. In their only match of the day, the Sollars defeated Brianna Dale and Kensley Gasaway of Western Alamance 6-0, 6-0.

Davis and Kruse, who compiled an 11-1 record in the regular season, won two matches at the conference championships to qualify for the Mideast Regionals. In the opening round, Davis and Kruse defeated Paicey Cameron & Faith Moore of Southern Alamance 6-0, 6-1. In the second match,. Davis & Kruse punched their ticket to the regionals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Reagan Williams and Sarah McLaughlin of Western Alamance.

Davis is a senior who was Orange’s regular #3 singles player this season for a squad that made the 3A State Dual Team Tennis Tournament for the third straight year. Kruse is in her first year as a starter after being a regular contributor for the Orange women’s soccer team last spring.

In 2022, the Sollars sisters reached the 3A State Tournament and defeated Ellie Holtzman and Berkeley Geyer of Hickory in the opening round 6-0, 6-2 and reached the quarterfinals. In 2021, Erinn Sollars and Jera Hargove qualified for the 3A State Championships and defeated Dabney Osborne and Emily Mitchum of J.H. Rose 6-4, 6-2.

Hargrove now plays at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

The 3A State Tournament will be held at the Burlington Tennis Center on October 27 & 28.

Men’s Cross Country: In a possible preview of the 3A State Cross Country Championships next month, Gabriel Schmid finished second overall in the NC Runners Elite Cross Country Invitational at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex.

Out of 17 teams, Orange finished second in the team standings. Croatan, a 3A squad that will likely be a top challenger for the Panthers in the state championships, finished first with 69 points Orange finished second with 78 points.

Schmid came in with a time of 16:02.18. The individual winner was Dawson Reeves of Christ School, a private school of of Arden, at 16:00.16. Alden Cathey of Orange finished 18th at 17:08.38. Orange’s Myler Jerman came in 22nd (17:14.21) while sophomore Lucas Van Mater was 23rd (17:14.86). Peter Musser came in 25th (17:17.50).

Edgar Ibarra of Cedar Ridge was the top Red Wolves runner, finishing 71st at 18:28.92. Nathan Walters, Henry Alexander, Grayson Wisenfeld, Michael O’Melia, Jacob Olmstead, Elie Ndahiriwe and William Neuman also ran for the Red Wolves.

The Central Carolina Conference men’s cross country championships will be held today (Wednesday) in Burlington.

Women’s Cross Country: Cedar Ridge’s Naomi Dyreng was the top female runner from a Hillsborough school at the NC Runners Elite Cross Country championships last Saturday. Dyreng finished 13th overall at 20:08.36. Cedar Ridge junior Abigail Klaitman was 22nd at 20:56.30. The Red Wolves’ Kate Finnegan, a freshman, finished 53rd at 23:44.29. The Red Wolves Anna Peterson was 65th (25:04.98) Out of ten teams in the field, Cedar Ridge finished sixth with 158 points.

North Lincoln finished with the team championship with 41 points. Allie Zealand of Pacers Homeschool finished first overall in the women’s race with a time of 17:48.47.

In possibly the most important men’s soccer match in Cedar Ridge history, Red Wolf sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas wouldn’t let his team lose on Monday night. Galunas made numerous saves that kept Western Alamance without a goal in a scoreless tie at Primm Stadium in Elon. The win gives Cedar Ridge a slight upper-hand in its bid to win its first conference championship ever in men’s soccer. Galunas denied Western Alamance’s Luis Guerrero when he deflected a shot that rolled across the goal line. With 3:35 remaining, a deep throw in for the Red Wolves nearly ended the match in regulation. Konner Johnson sent the ball into the box, where Brian Villanueva-Herrera completed a turn from ten yards and fired, but was turned away by Galunas. The rebound went to Guerrero, who sent a rocket that Galunas somehow blocked to keep things level. Galunas earned his fifth clean sheet of the season. Cedar Ridge needs two more wins to win the CCC championship. They will host Walter Williams on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium.

Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Erik Galunas discusses clean sheet against Western Alamance

In possibly the most important men’s soccer match in Cedar Ridge history, Red Wolf sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas wouldn’t let his team lose on Monday night. Galunas made numerous saves that kept Western Alamance without a goal in a scoreless tie at Primm Stadium in Elon.