As with any special season, it’s easy for a coach to reflect.
Hope Heverly’s first season as Orange volleyball coach resulted in the second regional championship in team history. They faced Kings Mountain for the 3A State Championship inside Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh and were three points away from taking it all, dropping the fifth set 15-12.
It was a season beyond anyone’s expectations. Before last year, Orange hadn’t won a conference title since 2005. Along the way, the Lady Panthers defeated defending Eastern Regional champion J.H. Rose, then triumphed over Carrboro for the regional championship in a classic match on Halloween night in front of a raucous crowd at Orange Gymnasium that ended with the students rushing the floor after match point.
But Heverly wouldn’t be a competitor if she didn’t look back at Orange’s state title match with curiosity.
“I’ve thought about what if we changed this or that,” Heverly said with a chuckle. “But I’ve been really excited about this year.
Orange’s run to the state championship match brought the community together. Heverly wondered if that would be reflected with increased interest when tryouts started last week.
She got her answer when nearly 40 players showed up, including a large freshman class.
As Orange’s players ventured to their travel teams last winter, Heverly kept track of them.
“I’m really excited about where this program is moving forward,” Heverly said. “To be at the level where we want this program to be, it takes more effort than what we show from August-to-October. It’s takes work in the offseason and they’ve put in that work.”
Heverly’s second Orange team will have a Big 12 recruit in its ranks. Junior middle blocker Ava Wilkerson committed to UCF last week. Wilkerson, a 6-foot-4 junior, led the team with 79 blocks for an Orange team that went undefeated to the Central Conference regular season championship in 2023. Wilkerson has played varsity each of her first two seasons and was third on the team with 293 kills last year.
“She’s really grown in many ways,” Heverly said. “Not only has she grown in terms of skill level, but also her maturity level. Her leadership abilities have really sprouted. I’m excited to see how she will lead this team.”
Orange lost outside hitter Ella Wimsatt and libero Sadye Porter to graduation. Wimsatt led the team with 456 kills in 2023 and was the Central Conference Player of the Year. Porter was a defensive wonder, pacing the squad with 521 digs after missing her junior season.
“Ella was a one of a kind athlete,” Heverly said. “She brought an attitude where she would go all out. She didn’t have to tell the team that. She would show that on the court and the team would follow.”
However, Orange brings back most of its firepower. 6-foot-1 outside hitter Aubrey Jordan is back for her junior season after racking up 385 kills in 2023. Setter Katie Silcott, another rising junior, returns after setting the single-season school record with 1,037 assists. Sophomore Sawyer White, who was inserted into the starting lineup late last season, alternated with Silcott as setter for much of the postseason. White finished with 236 assists and 22 kills.
Regular rotation players Mariah Poole (middle blocker), Karleigh Johnson and Abby Silinski (who finished with 62 aces) also return from a squad that finished 27-5 overall. Junior Addison Guentensberger is expected to get time as libero to replace Porter.
It’s a team that has high expectations and Heverly has put together a schedule that reflects that. Following the season-opener against Roxboro Community School next Tuesday in Hillsborough, Orange will host perennial power D.H. Conley from Greenville on Wednesday.
“Last year, the team worked hard and earned a lot of things,” Heverly said. “They caught a lot of schools’ attention. We will come and we will be prepared as much as we can after a week-and-a-half of practice. I’m not shying from any tough competition. You only get better by playing the best.”
Heverly will schedule tough opponents and will gladly tell you how optimistic she is about her second Orange team. Just don’t expect her to make any predictions about a potential return to Raleigh for another state championship appearance this fall.
“We’re not comparing anything to last year,” Heverly said. “We’ve got to make this team our own team for the 2024 season. We know we had a great year last year. Now we’re going forward.”