The early season grind for Orange volleyball was worth it.
Panthers head coach Hope Heverly scheduled eight noncoference matches this season. Of those, seven were against teams that wound up winning their respective conference championships this year (a trip to Chapel Hill was canceled because of Hurricane Helene).
Orange lost six of those matches and went into Central Conference play 2-4. Yet Coach Hope Heverly wasn’t discouraged because the plan was it would make them tougher for October, when championships are decided.
On Thursday night, Orange ended Cedar Ridge’s stranglehold on the Central Conference Tournament championship by beating the Red Wolves 3-2 at Red Wolf Gymnasium. In the second straight five-set match between the two crosstown rivals, the Lady Panthers captured the crown on scores of 25-15, 23-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-10.
Orange junior Ava Wilkerson had a career-high 27 kills, while outside hitter Aubrey Jordan finished with 12 kills. Cedar Ridge junior Claire Hargett led the Red Wolves in kills.
It was a match with more than just a tournament championship and bragging rights on the line. The victory provided Orange with the top-seed from the Central Conference for the 3A State Tournament, which starts Tuesday. Orange and Cedar Ridge tied for the Central regular season championship with identical 10-2 league records.
Orange and Cedar Ridge have met in the Central Conference Tournament championship three straight years. The Red Wolves, who won at Orange last year 3-1 to hand the Lady Panthers its only loss to a league opponent, was going for its fourth consecutive tournament title.
“I know the drive that our girls long and all season long they’ve shown that they’re a really good comeback team,” Heverly said. “We don’t give up until that last point. I’d say our biggest strength is in game changeups. I can switch defense and I can switch where they’re hitting without me calling a timeout. We knew we had to make a couple of adjustments and the girls went out there and made the adjustments. They have the energy.”
It was the second straight night where Orange battled back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to win. In the semifinals on Wednesday night, the Lady Panthers defeated Western Alamance by winning the fourth set 25-22, then taking the fifth 15-8.
In the final set, Cedar Ridge (16-6) led the final set 6-3 following an ace from Emory Willians and kills by Hargett and Ellamarie Perel. Orange’s bigger bodies began to control at the net, propelling Orange to five consecutive points. Wilkerson, who leads the team with 322 kills, spiked down three straight kills to even the set at 6-6. Junior Katie Silcott laid down a soft attack that almost balanced on the net before it rolled over and fell to the floor so softly, it wouldn’t have dented a pillow. Another kill by Wilkerson broadened Orange’s lead to 8-6 before Hargett ended the run with a spike.
An ace from Sydnee Tappere tied the set at 8-8, but Wilkerson slammed home a free ball that hung over the net, which put Orange ahead for good. Silcott delivered an ace and later scored a huge block to put Orange ahead 14-10. Jordan spiked home match point off a feed from Abby Silinski.
Orange controlled the first set, overcoming an early 6-3 deficit and went on a 22-9 run to win the frame 25-15. Sophomore Sawyer White, who finished with four kills, five aces, three blocks, 16 digs and 20 assists. Orange registered nine blocks, including one from Mariah Poole that put the Lady Panthers ahead 12-8. An ace from Wilkerson led to nine set points, which Orange clinched when a return by Hargett went long.
The second set was tied six times, but Cedar Ridge fought back from an 8-5 deficit to even the match. An ace by Williams put the Red Wolves ahead 23-22, but the subsequent serve went long. Hargett slammed down a kill, and Sydnee Tapper’s delivered an ace on set point.
Hargett delivered another kill in the third set to put the Red Wolves ahead 11-10, which triggered a 7-1 run. Cedar Ridge built a 20-13 lead and wrapped up the set following a kill from Mia Marty off an assist from Ellioe Miller.
In the fourth set, Orange went on a 7-1 run to take a 13-8 lead behind consecutive aces from Silinski. Poole and Jordan each had unassisted kills as Orange forced a fifth set by winning 25-19.
Orange now ventures into the state playoffs as the defending 3A Eastern Regional champions. Last year, they were the top-seed from the Eastern Regional going into the state tournament, but didn’t expect to be playing at Reynolds Coliseum for all the marbles. Yet that’s where they wound up.
Heverly’s expectations for this year are loftier.
“I have high expectations,” Heverly said. “The girls have already seen the top teams from the state in the regular season. So they know what it takes to hang and stay with those types of teams. They’ve shown the drive and desire they have. So I’m excited to see where we can go the next two weeks.”