It’s a ride that the truly great teams in Orange and Cedar Ridge history have taken.
The trip to Pullen Road in Raleigh. It’s a route that the 2017 Orange softball team rode when they swept a two-game series from Piedmont to win the 3A State Championship at Dail Park.
One Saturday afternoon in 2021, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team turned onto Pullen Road after sweeping J.H. Rose to win the Eastern Regional championship four days earlier. Two hours later, they emerged with their own state championship, beating North Iredell in four sets.
When it was time for the Orange volleyball team to make its trip to Raleigh on Saturday, they were accompanied by an escort from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as they rode down the road that bears the high school’s name.
Two weeks after the Rolling Stones released its first album of new studio material in 18 years, the Orange volleyball players got to feel a little like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for a few days. They were treated like celebrities after they defeated Carrboro to win the 3A Eastern Regional Championship.
That’s because the state championship match isn’t just one game, regardless of the sport.
It’s an experience.
In fact, the principal of Efland-Cheeks Elementary School, Kelly Parks, extended an invitation to the Orange volleyball team to meet with their students before they clinched the regional championship.
“The win just made it sweeter,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly.
As Orange arrived on Friday, they were showered with posters designed by students. They signed autographs and listened to chants of “Go, Orange, Go” from the pupils.
“It was so cute because the students acted like we were celebrities,” said senior Ella Wimsatt. “They asked for our autographs. It’s a good feeling to feel wanted by your community.”
For Heverly, it was a return to Raleigh. She made the same trip to Reynolds Coliseum as a player in 2004, the only other time Orange volleyball reached the state championship match. They were swept by Mooresville.
“It didn’t look as big as it did when I was 18,” Heverly said. “But it did bring back some memories. The players should feel very proud. This is a tremendous accomplishment to reach. Not everyone can say they reach this point. So to have the opportunity to play here, and then to coach here with such an amazing team, I feel truly lucky.”
This Orange volleyball team will go down in history as an elite one, but there was a difference between them and their predecessors in softball and volleyball.
The 2017 softball team always had reaching the state championship series in mind six years ago. The mission started the previous year, when they were knocked out in the third round by C.B. Aycock when Mia and Montana Davidson played alongside each other.
Likewise, the 2021 Cedar Ridge volleyball team knew their mission was Reynolds Coliseum or bust when they swept defending 3A State Champions D.H. Conley in Greenville in the first week of the 2021 season.
Even after they won the Central Carolina Conference regular season championship with a 12-0 record, the Orange volleyball players weren’t sure what was ahead in the state playoffs because it was all uncharted waters.
“Honestly, I knew we would have a pretty good team,” Porter said. “But I never imagined playing in a state championship. Other than girls at Cedar Ridge, I don’t know anyone who has played in a state championship before. So it’s really an unreal feeling. And I feel very grateful to be a part of this team.”
It was especially unusual for a team that played three sophomores and a freshman in its rotation for the final three weeks of the year, including Aubrey Jordan, who was second on the team in kills.
“I remember being little and hearing people talk about state championships,” Jordan said. “But as a sophomore, I never expected to be here. It’s incredible.”
This season, Heverly returned to high school coaching nine years after she left Person High. When she replaced Kelly Young in April, she knew her team’s potential. But she couldn’t imagine what the ride would look like.
“We definitely wouldn’t have been here without our coach,” Wimsatt said. “I couldn’t be happier with this team. I don’t think most teams go into their season thinking they were going to reach a state championship. I think we did a good job pushing through this season.”
While the storybook ended of winning a state championship didn’t come to fruition at Reynolds, it wasn’t a losing experience.
A certain rock star might say that Orange didn’t get what they wanted, but they got what they needed.
“I’m walking out with my head held high,” Porter said. “It sucks that we lost, but I gave it my all. Our team gave it our all.”