Cedar Ridge Volleyball

CHAPEL HILL–Even before last Thursday, it had already been a successful season for Stanback volleyball.

The Bulldogs finished 10-3 in the regular season and claimed the Orange Person Athletic Conference Northern Division championship. To make it even sweeter, the Bulldogs defeated crosstown rival Orange Middle to clinch the division title.

Last week, the Bulldogs went to Chapel Hill looking to add some gravy to its season, but the Smith Cyclones came away with its first-ever conference championship in volleyball.

Smith’s Machi Umenlawiri finished with five kills, 14 digs and two aces while Ally Lamb came away with 14 digs and six kills as the Cyclones defeated the Bulldogs in two sets on scores of 25-19, 25-19 in the OPAC Championship match last Thursday. Smith ended the year 8-4.

Stanback’s Lorelei Lowry finished with seven aces for the Bulldogs, who brought a strong contingent from Hillsborough in trying to avenge an earlier loss in the regular season to the Cyclones.

In each set, Umelnlawiri powered Smith to a strong run off her serve to pull the Cyclones ahead. Stanback racked up four straight points off the serve of Lowry to take a 4-2 lead. Kaitlyn Dixon scored a kill that put the Bulldogs ahead 7-4, leading to a Smith timeout. Smith’s Ainsley Stanley served an ace to start a 10-2 Cyclones run that carried them to the set victory. Umenlawiri served up seven consecutive points, including two aces. Lamb had two kills in the run, each assisted by Lenah Diggs. Stanback’s Naviyah Bowes ended the run with a kill assisted by Kaitlyn Dixon, but the Cyclones still led 14-9.

The Bulldogs chipped away at the Smith lead with Leena Frej delivering an ace and a kill from Kaitlyn Lee that reduced the Stanback deficit to 17-14. Lowry delivered two straight aces to cut the Cyclone advantage to 18-17. Umenlawiri delivered consecutive kills to send the Smith fans into a frenzy, stomping the wooden bleachers with each point. Lamb scored set point on a dunk at the net off a ball lofted to the net.

Lowry opened the second set with an ace, followed by a kill from Dixon assisted by Allie Gallina. The final set belonged to Lamb, who delivered an ace to even the set at 2-2. With the score even 7-7, the Cyclones went on a 7-0 run powered by three kills from Lamb.

The Bulldogs reeled off four straight points, including two more aces from Lowry to cut the Cyclone lead to 15-12. Lamb and Umenlawiri had consecutive kills to make it 17-14, which was as close as the Bulldogs would get to taking the lead. Smith’s Caroline Caldwell served an ace, followed by a kill by Lamb. On match point, a return by the Bulldogs went long.

Stanback assistant coach Izzy Shepherd was a member of Cedar Ridge’s 2021 3A State Championship team. During her junior year of November 2020, Cedar Ridge defeated Chapel Hill inside an empty Smith Middle School during the pandemic. It was the first of three straight conference championships for the Red Wolves, who played at Smith because Chapel Hill’s venerable gymnasium was being renovated.

Football: Orange Middle 32, Gravelly Hill 0: The Orange Middle School Chargers completed a perfect regular season with a victory over the Grizzlies. The game was called at halftime because of a lack of daylight.

Wilbert Torain scored a touchdown for the Chargers. So did quarterback Brayden Robbins, wide receiver Cam Royster and Asher Devore. The Chargers also came up with a safety.

Orange Middle’s Hayden Stone, Jaydan Gutierrez, Hayden Stone and Amare Bost each had strong games for the Chargers on defense.

Orange Middle will go for its second consecutive OPAC Championship when they face Northern Middle at Auman Stadium in Hillsborough. The game will take place on Wednesday afternoon at 5PM.

Orange Middle is 8-0.

Photo by Abigail Pfeiffenberger 

Orange Middle 28, Northern Roxboro 20: It was expected that the showdown between Orange Middle and Northern Roxboro on October 23 in Person County would be the biggest threat to the Chargers unbeaten streak to start the year.

Indeed, the Raiders and the Chargers were tied 20-20 with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. After the Raiders scored the game-tying touchdown, the Chargers got a huge kickoff return from Cam Royster, who was finally downed at the Norther 18-yard line. As dusk set on a field without lights, quarterback Brayden Robbins scored the game-winning touchdown, then added a two-point conversion. The Orange defense held up to secure the victory.

Royster, Wilbert To rain and Jakob Silinski also scored touchdowns for Orange Middle.

Orange Middle 36, Culbreth 6: The Chargers ensured that it would host the Orange-Person Athletic Conference Championship game on November 13 with a home victory over the Cougars in Hillsborough on Wednesday.

Wilbert Torain scored two touchdowns, one on offense and another on defense. Torain made an interception and returned it for a touchdown. Asher Devore, Brayden Robbins and Cam Royster also had touchdowns for the Chargers.

Orange Middle will host Gravelly Hill for 8th grade night next Wednesday for the regular season finale.

The Chargers will face Northern Roxboro for the OPAC Championship at Auman Stadium at Orange High School on November 13 at 5PM.

Volleyball: The Stanback Bulldogs have won the Northern Division championship in the OPAC. Stanback, coached by Izzy Sheppard, a member of Cedar Ridge volleyball’s 2021 3A State Championship team, went 10-2 during the regular season. They will face Smith Middle School for the OPAC Championship on November 7. Earlier this month, the Bulldogs defeated Orange Middle to win the division title.

Orange Middle fell to 9-2 after the loss.

Stanback’s junior varsity team won their division title, also finishing with a 10-2 record.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior volleyball outside hitter Kayla Stoll. This season, Stoll was second on the team in kills with 230 kills as the Red Wolves won a share of the Central Conference regular season championship. Stoll also played middle blocker and led the team with 46 blocks to help a Cedar Ridge team win three matches over Person, who reached the state quarterfinals. In the opening round of the state playoffs against Franklinton, Stoll had a career-high 15 kills as the Red Wolves won a match in the state playoffs for a fifth straight year. In the second round, Cedar Ridge swept Southern Nash in Bailey. Stoll finished with eleven kills. Kayla has been a member of the varsity for three years. This season, she was instrumental in replacing Addie Reid, who graduated last June and is now playing at North Carolina Central. Stoll had 13 kills in Cedar Ridge’s win at Person on August 27, the conference opener. She also had 12 kills against Orange in the Central Conference Tournament championship game. The Red Wolves wrapped up the season with a 18-7 record. For five straight years, Cedar Ridge has won either a conference regular season championship or a tournament championship.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Kayla Stoll

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior volleyball outside hitter Kayla Stoll. This season, Stoll was second on the team in kills with 230 kills as the Red Wolves won a share of the Central Conference regular season championship.

Photo from UNCPBraves.com 

Anaya Carter: Carter has transitioned to libero for the Division II UNC Pembroke Braves. Against Mount Olive on October 23, Carter finished with seven digs, two assists and two aces. Mt Olive won 3-1 on scores of 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20. Last Tuesday, Lander swept the Braves (27-25, 25-18, 25-14).  UNC Pembroke is 9-13 overall, 6-4 in Conference Carolinas.

Graylinn Serge: The former Cedar Ridge outside hitter made her college debut for UNC Greensboro on September 13 in a win over Norfolk State. Serge is playing as a libero for the Spartans. On October 19, Serge had nine digs in a win over Samford. She played four sets. She has also seen action against Chattanooga, Mercer and at Furman, where she nine digs in a loss to the Paladins. UNCG is 7-14 overall, 2-7 in the Southern Conference.

Cameron Lloyd: The Bucknell volleyball team’s 15-game winning streak came to an end on October 13 when Colgate defeated the Bison 3-1 at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, NY. Lloyd finished with seven kills, 12 digs, three blocks and one ace, but the Red Raiders prevailed on scores 15-25, 25-20, 25-14, 25-14. On October 12, Bucknell swept Loyola (Md.) on scores of 25-17, 25-16, 25-12 at Davis Gym in Lewisburg, PA. Lloyd tied for the team-high in kills with ten. She added seven digs and an ace. The win over the Greyhounds gave the Bison the nation’s longest winning streak, which ended the next day. Nonetheless, Bucknell is tied with Colgate for first place in the loss column of the Patriot League.  This weekend, the Bison will face Lehigh and Lafayette.

Cameron Lanier: Stony Brook swept a two-match set from Elon at Pritchard Gymnasium in Stony Brook, NY last week. On October 19, the Seawolves won 3-1 (25-12, 22-25, 25-16, 26-24). Lanier was second on the team with eight kills. She also had six digs. On October 20, Stony Brooks won 3-2 ( 24-26, 25-15, 25-21, 22-25, 15-4) Lanier had 12 kills. Elon falls to 11-10 overall, 5-5 in the Coastal Athletic Association. They will host Towson on Saturday to start a two-match series.

Lottie Scully: Binghamton University defeated NJIT at West Gym in Binghamton, NY on Sunday (25-15, 25-19, 25-16). Scully started as setter and had 37 assists. It was her eleventh performance with 30 assists or more this year. She also had six digs and one kill. On October 16, Colgate defeated Binghamton 3-1 in Hamilton, NY (25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-21). Scully finished with her fourth double-double of the season with 45 assists and 14 digs. She also had three kills. Binghamton is 13-9 overall, 2-2 in the America East Conference.

Ella Wimsatt: Division II Lenoir-Rhyne has won six in a row. Wimsatt played three sets in a sweep of Coker on October 15 at the DeLoach Center in Hartsville, SC. She finished with five kills and two digs. Currently, the Bears sit atop the South Atlantic Conference with a 10-1 record. They are 19-1 overall and will travel to Lander College on Saturday.

Julie Altieri: The Division III Salisbury Sea Gulls has won 12 in a row. Last Saturday, Salisbury defeated Stevens 3-0 at Canavan Arena in Hoboken, NJ. Altieri had 38 assists, six digs, one kill and one ace. Later in the day, Salisbury defeated William Patterson 3-1 on scores of 25-19, 25-27, 25-18, 25-20. Altieri had her fourth double-double of the season with 44 assists and 13 digs. She also totaled four kills.

Grace Young: Greensboro College defeated Southern Virginia at Hanes Gymnasium in Greensboro on Wednesday. Young finished with 16 digs and one ace. Last Saturday, Greensboro swept a tri-match at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, VA. The Pride defeated William Peace University 3-1. Young played in all four sets and finished with five digs and one ace. Later, Greensboro defeated Mary Baldwin 3-0. Young came away with six digs and one ace. Greensboro is 17-6 overall, 10-3 in the USA South.

Melissa Benkowitz: Franklin & Marshall defeated Ursinus 3-1 at the Mayser Center in Lanaster, PA on Wednesday. Benkowitz had 13 digs and one kill. Last Saturday, the Diplomats knocked off DeSales 3-0. Benkowitz had seven digs and one ace. Franklin & Marshall is 18-3, 6-0 in the Centennial Conference. On October 16, the Diplomats swept Gettysburg for a road win. Benkowitz finished with nine digs and one kill.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior volleyball outside hitter Ellamarie Perel. This year, Perel helped the Red Wolves win a share of the Central Conference regular season championship with a 10-2 league mark. Perel emerged as a strong outside hitter opposite Claire Hargett to help the Red Wolves sweep Orange on September 3 at Panther Gymnasium. Perel, the younger sister of former Cedar Ridge men’s basketball center Harrison Perel, had 141 kills this season. She had a season-high 14 kills in a 3-2 victory over Person on September 19 in Hillsborough. Last week in the Central Conference Tournament semifinals, Perel finished with eight kills as the Red Wolves defeated Person in another five-set match. In addition to playing volleyball, Perel is a member of the International Baccalaureate program at Cedar Ridge. She is also the starting goalkeeper for the Cedar Ridge women’s soccer team, which had its best season since 2005 last year. Perel was goalkeeper as the Red Wolves defeated Richlands 3-1 for its first home playoff win in 19 years. On Tuesday night, Perel delivered four aces and eleven straight winners overall as the Red Wolves swept Franklinton in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Cedar Ridge will face Southern Nash in the second round tonight.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Ellamarie Perel

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior volleyball outside hitter Ellamarie Perel. This year, Perel helped the Red Wolves win a share of the Central Conference regular season championship with a 10-2 league mark. Perel emerged as a strong outside hitter opposite Claire Hargett to help the Red Wolves sweep Orange on September 3 at Panther Gymnasium.

Ellamarie Perel isn’t necessarily a server for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team, but the postseason can bring out something new even with experienced players.

In the third set against Franklinton on Tuesday night, Perel served up eleven straight winners to turn a tight set into a runaway as the Red Wolves defeated the Red Rams 3-0 on scores of 25-19, 25-15 and 25-14 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Cedar Ridge, which received the #13 seed after tying Orange for the Central Conference regular season championship, advance to the second round to face Southern Nash on Thursday night. The Firebirds swept Southern Lee in the opening round.

It’s Cedar Ridge’s 14th state playoff win since the 2021 season and the fifth straight year where the Red Wolves have won a postseason match.

Cedar Ridge’s latest state playoff win hardly resembled its previous one, which was also against Franklinton at Lester Wilder Court. Last year, the Red Wolves won a thrilling five-set match where they trailed 7-4 in the fifth set, only to finish the match on a 9-1 run to advance to the third round.

Cedar Ridge led two-sets-to-nothing, but trailed in the third 8-6 before a return by Franklinton’s Tierrah Simmons sent an attack over the end line. Perel stepped up to serve and started a run of 12 straight Red Wolves points. Perel delivered five aces in that span, which vaulted the Red Wolves ahead 18-8. Senior Ellie Miller, in likely her final match on her home court, served consecutive aces in the match’s final two points.

Cedar Ridge junior Claire Hargett had 14 kills and nine digs. She has 392 kills this season and 810 for her career. Junior setter Mia Marty finished with 26 assists. Middle blocker Kayla Stoll finished with 12 kills.

The Red Wolves improve to 17-6. Franklinton ends the season 13-12 after finishing 2nd in the Big East Conference.

Orange 3, Triton 0: In the opening night of the 3A State Tournament, three of the 16 host. teams in the Eastern Regional lost. Orange quickly dashed any hopes by Triton of playing Cinderella.

Sophomore Sawyer White finished with eleven kills, eleven digs and eight assists as Orange defeated Triton 25-7, 25-12 and 25-10. The Lady Panthers won a state playoff match for the fourth straight year. Orange, seeded fifth overall, will host South Central in the second round on Thursday night in Hillsborough. The Falcons swept West Johnston on Thursday.

Orange rolled out to a 10-1 lead in the opening set. Mariah Poole had three blocks and a kill in the 1st set. White finished with four kills, seven digs and four assists. Ava Wilkerson, who leads Orange with 322 kills, finished with ten kills. It was her 17th match with double-digit kills this year. Poole had consecutive blocks that started a string of nine straight Orange points to finish the opening set. Aubrey Jordan spiked down set point off an assist from White.

Orange never trailed at any point in the match, nor were there any ties. The Lady Panthers started the second set with seven straight points, which included consecutive aces from Katie Silcott. White had two kills during the opening run. Orange finished the second set with an 8-2 run, keyed by an ace by Sawyer White and two more kills by Wilkerson. Silcott had two aces in the second set while Wilkerson added two blocks.

In the third set, Wilkerson had a block that sparked an 8-2 Orange run. Silcott and Aubry Hodges had consecutive blocks. Senior Peyton Sigmon got into the match late and scored an ace. Wilkerson scored match point.

Orange, the defending 3A Eastern Regional champions, has now won a season-best six straight matches. They won three matches over three days to take the Central Conference Tournament last week, beating Western Alamance and Cedar Ridge in five sets on Wednesday and Thursday, respectfully.

Cedar Ridge and Orange’s wins were the theme for a great opening night by Central Conference teams. Five of the league’s six teams won 1st round matches, including 27th-seeded Southern Alamance stunning Quad County Champion South Johnston in five sets. 22nd-seeded Northern Nash, who lost to Orange in the opening round last year, will actually host a 2nd round match against the Patriots after beating South Brunswick on Tuesday. Person, seeded 14th, won at Croatan in five sets.

Since 2019, Hillsborough has been Volleyball Town in central North Carolina.

Cedar Ridge added to its claim by claiming a share of its fourth Central Conference regular season crown in five years last week. Playing three matches over a span of three days to culminate the regular season, the Red Wolves easily disposed of Walter Williams 3-0 in Burlington to finish with a conference record of 10-2. Junior Claire Hargett finished with her first triple-double of her career, registering 15 kills, 10 aces and 16 digs.

Cedar Ridge will be the #1 seed in this week’s Central Conference Volleyball Tournament and receive a bye to the semifinal round. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves will face Person. If Cedar Ridge wins, they will host the championship match on Thursday.

Cedar Ridge, which enters the tournament 15-5 overall, started its preparation for the conference tournament a week early. They opened last week with a sweep of Granville Central on Monday. Following the sweep of Williams, the Red Wolves went to Person County and swept Roxboro Community School on scores of 25-17, 25-10 and 25-20.

“I think all games are planned strategically,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Latasha De Oliveira. “It was good for us to have some good touches and have these games ready to go for next week.”

In the regular season finale against Roxboro Community, Hargett finished with 17 kills to finish the season with a team-high 303. She also added 14 digs, finishing second on the team with 299. Only Sydnee Tapper, with 389, had more.

Hargett had double-doubles in 14 matches this year.

“Right now, we’re focused on playing our side of the net no matter who we face,” De Oliveira said. “I want to make sure we’re executing with the ball. I think we’ve been up-and-down with that a little bit. I want to focus on playing our game.”

Against the Bulldogs, Cedar Ridge only trailed once over three sets. They opened with a 6-2 run, triggered by an unassisted kill from Kayla Stoll. Mia Marty, who finished with 33 assists, eight digs and one kill, set up Hargett with two kills in the opening run. Cedar Ridge would stretch its lead to 22-14 following an ace from Tapper, who registered a team-high 19 digs. Junior Emory Williams closed out the set with an ace.

Cedar Ridge pulled out ahead in the second set with four straight points, starting with a kill from senior Charlotte Lowry. Hargett followed with consecutive kills to put the Red Wolves ahead 8-4. Cedar Ridge increased its lead to 13-5 thanks to consecutive aces from Hargett and a kill by Ellamarie Perel. Lowry and Stoll registered blocks in the second set. Cedar Ridge pushed its lead to 23-8 following a kill by Hargett. A kill by Stoll assisted from Marty put the Red Wolves ahead by two sets.

Hargett had six kills in the third set, which was the tightest of the match. Roxboro Community took its only lead of the match by scoring the opening point, which Cedar Ridge erased quickly enough with four consecutive points, including a block from Stoll. A kill from Lowry increased the Red Wolf lead to 14-9. The Bulldogs reduced its deficit to 17-15 before senior Alleah Fredrick scored on a spike assisted by Marty. Cedar Ridge ended the match by scoring the final three points, two of which came from Stoll. Hargett spiked down match point.

Cedar Ridge will look to win its fourth consecutive Central Conference Tournament this week. Last year, the Red Wolves actually entered the postseason as a dark horse after Orange swept the regular season championship. But Cedar Ridge upset the Panthers in four sets in Hillsborough in the tournament championship match.

Cedar Ridge won the 2021 and 2022 Central Conference Tournaments behind Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanioer, Julie Aliteri, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz and Anaya Carter, all of whom are now playing in college.