There was nothing unusual about Orange facing Cedar Ridge in the state playoffs on Saturday afternoon. The two teams have played 13 times since 2021, five in the postseason if you count conference tournaments.
The Lady Panthers had won the previous two meetings with the Red Wolves, but unlike those matches, this time Orange was convincingly the better team.
Junior setter Katie Silcott finished with ten kills, 24 assists and ten digs for her second career triple-double as Orange advanced to the state quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over the Red Wolves on scores of 19-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-18. Junior Ava Wilkerson added 19 kills as Orange (18-8) advanced to face J.H. Rose in the state quarterfinals.
Cedar Ridge junior Claire Hargett tied her career-high with 25 kills as the Red Wolves, who tied Orange for the regular season championship, ends the year 18-7.
Cedar Ridge had won two straight matches inside Panthers Gymnasium, including a sweep on September 3. In the rematch on September 25, Orange trailed by two sets before they rallied back to win in five sets. On October 17, Orange won 3-2 in the Central Conference Tournament championship match.
On Saturday, Orange’s attacking depth wore down the Red Wolves. Five different players registered at least five kills. Hargett’s 25 kills came on a whopping 76 attacks. Junior Kayla Stoll finished with eleven kills, but no one else for the Red Wolves had more than three.
Freshman Aubry Hodges had two kills and three blocks for Orange, who won on its own home court against the Red Wolves for the first time since September 28, 2023.
“The girls really step up in really big moments,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “All of them do. Hodges makes really big blocks. It seems that every time we need a big block, Hodges gives us that. She’s doing a really good job of where the ball is and impacting the game.”
Afterwards, tears were evident on the faces on some of the players from Cedar Ridge, who claimed a share of the regular season championship in a conference that turned out to be the deepest in the state. Four of the final eight teams from the 3A East Region were from the Central Conference, with Person beating league rival Southern Alamance on Saturday to join Orange in the quarterfinals.
“We got a little frazzled,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Latacha De Oliveira. “We started playing not to lose instead of playing to win. I think our confidence got shaken a little bit. I think they got in a rhythm and that got us out of sorts a little bit.”
Cedar Ridge controlled the first set behind the stellar play of Hargett and excellent defense from junior libero Sydnee Tapper, who had nine digs in the first game. The Red Wolves went on a 7-3 run following a block by Mia Marty, which put the Red Wolves ahead for the rest of the set. Hargett followed with consecutive kills assisted by Marty. Following a block by senior Charlotte Lowry and a kill by Hargett, Heverly called a timeout. Stoll scored the Red Wolves’ final two points of the set, including match point on a overhead strike from the right sideline that went off the hands of Silcott at the net and out of bounds.
The second set turned on a tight call with Orange leading 14-12. Ellamarie Perel delivered a nosediving attack that Orange libero Abby Silinki dove to get under. The Orange bench though the ball went off Silinski’s hand, but the officials ruled it hit the floor, reducing the Panther lead to 14-13. The decision incensed the Orange student section, who grew more animated. Whether it was the intensity from the crowd or a jolt injected into the players, Orange finished the set on a 9-3 run, starting with a kill from Wilkerson. On set point junior Aubrey Jordan delivered a kill assisted by Sawyer White, who finished with nine digs, 20 assists, six kills and two blocks.
Orange’s depth began to settle in the third set. Orange peeled off seven straight points, starting with a tap by White for a kill that put the Lady Panthers ahead 15-11. White delivered consecutive aces to extend the Lady Panthers lead to 21-11. The Red Wolves made a late run with Stoll scoring on three straight kills, but Hargett’s face was as red as her blood-colored uniform as the frame wore on. Hargett still delivered another kill to whittle Orange’s lead to 23-18, but an attack by the Red Wolves went long. Once again, Jordan scored on set point to put Orange ahead two-sets-to-one.
Orange had five different players register kills in the fifth set, which included a block by junior Mariah Poole to put Orange ahead 11-7. Hargett finished with six kills in the third set, including one that reduced Orange’s lead to 13-11. Orange steadily pulled ahead following five kills from Wilkerson. White set up Silcott to trigger a 6-2 Panther run to end the match. Wilkerson scored from the near pole on match point.
It wouldn’t be a playoff run by a Hillsborough team without running into J.H. Rose at some point. The Lady Panthers will travel to Greenville to face the Rampants on Tuesday (tonight).
Cedar Ridge defeated Rose for the 3A Eastern Regional championship. In 2022, Rose defeated the Red Wolves in a rematch. Last year, Orange defeated Rose in the state quarterfinals on its way to the state championship match.