Cedar Ridge Women’s Tennis

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team wrapped up its season in the state dual team playoffs on Monday. During its senior night game against Walter Williams, each of the six seniors were honored by their underclassmen. Each underclassmen presented a poster to a senior, explaining to the honoree what they admired about them. All of the posters contained messages of congratulations signed by each player. It was the final match for Ella Caltabiano, who had played varsity for four years. In her final match at South Johnston, Caltabiano won over Alyssa Newton 2-6, 7-5, 11-9 in the ten-point tiebreaker. It was also the final time that Caltabiano and Adeline Cummings teamed together in doubles. Caltabiano and Cummings won over Newton and Olivia Meyers 8-3. Caltabiano and Cummings were named the top doubles team in the Central Conference this year. Caltabiano won 18 matches this season. It was the second straight year that Cedar Ridge advanced to the 3A State Playoffs. Lila Rhoades played #5 singles. Rhoades is also a member of the Cedar Ridge swimming team. It was also the final match for seniors Sydney Lund, Anna Grove and Lily Golden. Cedar Ridge ended the year 9-7 overall with a third-place finish in the Central Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Al Caltabiano.

Cedar ridge women’s tennis seniors Caltabiano, Cummings, Golden, Rhoades, Grove & Lund talk season

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team wrapped up its season in the state dual team playoffs on Monday. During its senior night game against Walter Williams, each of the six seniors were honored by their underclassmen. Each underclassmen presented a poster to a senior, explaining to the honoree what they admired about them.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior tennis player Ella Caltabiano. It’s the third time in her career that Caltabiano has been honored as Red Wolf of the Week. This season, Caltabiano helped Cedar Ridge reach the 3A State Dual Team playoffs. She qualified for the Mideast Regionals, playing against the best players in the state at the Burlington Tennis Center on Friday and Saturday. Caltabiano took over for Cameron Mayhew as Cedar Ridge’s #1 singles player this season and won seven matches. This year, Cedar Ridge’s players had to spend two-thirds of its season on the road while their home court was renovated. She started the year with a 6-0, 6-0 victory against Southern Alamance. Throughout the course of the year, Caltabiano was in three-set matches. Against Orange on September 18, Caltabiano defeated the Lady Panthers’ top singles player, Shannon Sollars 6-1, 1-6, 10-5 (10-point tiebreaker). In a win over Western Alamance on September 25, Caltabiano defeated Reagan Williams 4-6, 7-5, 10-7. In her final home match, Caltabiano defeated Gabby Canup of Southern Alamance 6-2, 6-0. Caltabiano and her doubles partner, Adeline Cummings, recorded a record of 6-4 together. Caltabiano has been a four-year varsity player. Next week, Cedar Ridge will face South Johnston in the opening round of the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Ella Caltabiano

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior tennis player Ella Caltabiano. It’s the third time in her career that Caltabiano has been honored as Red Wolf of the Week. This season, Caltabiano helped Cedar Ridge reach the 3A State Dual Team playoffs.

It has been a long wait for the Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team to play matches on its own campus this year. A renovation project at Red Wolf Tennis Courts cut into its season. However, Cedar Ridge has played inspired under first-year head coach Al Caltabiano. Last week, the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance and Eastern Alamance in Hillsborough. Junior Caroline Hall earned wins in two matches against the Warriors on Wednesday. Hall defeated Summer Kernodle at #6 singles 6-2, 6-2. Later, she joined teammate Madeline Galindo-Woodring to defeat Kernodle and Abigail Stimpson 8-4. On Monday, the Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance 7-2. Hall teamed with Galindo-Woodring to win at #3 doubles 8-1. This season, Hall has won 10 overall matches. Cedar Ridge stands to make the 3A State Playoffs for the third straight year. Currently, they are 7-4 overall, 6-3 in the Central Conference. The Red Wolves took crosstown rival Orange to the limit in a match on September 18. Orange prevailed 5-4, but three of the six singles matches went to third set, 10-point tiebreakers. One of those matches was at #6 singles, where Hall defeated Orange’s Casey Robinson 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 1o-4. Cedar Ridge will face Walter Williams in its final conference match in Hillsborough on Monday. The Red Wolves face Durham School of the Arts on Wednesday, then complete the regular season against East Chapel Hill on Thursday.

Cedar Ridge women’s tennis player Caroline Hall discusses 2024 season

It has been a long wait for the Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team to play matches on its own campus this year. A renovation project at Red Wolf Tennis Courts cut into its season. However, Cedar Ridge has played inspired under first-year head coach Al Caltabiano.

The third time wasn’t the charm for Orange against its archrival, but it was much, much closer.

In the end, the Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team came away with its first win in the state team tournament since 2016.

In a dual match that came down to the final doubles match, Raven Mowles-Airing and Annabeth Lundberg captured the #3 doubles battle against Violet Shaw and Ellie Wilson 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 7-3. Cedar Ridge won the overall match 5-4 against the Lady Panthers at Red Wolves Tennis Courts in the opening round of the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs.

Cedar Ridge, the #14 seed, advances to face Rocky Mount in the round of 32 on Monday.

Orange ends the season 13-6, the fifth time in six years that Orange has won at least ten dual matches in a season.

It is Cedar Ridge’s first win in the State Tournament since November 1, 2016, when they defeated Walter Williams 5-3 in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge swept the regular season series against Orange, winning on September 5 and September 27, each time by a score of 6-3. The final match, at Panthers Tennis Courts, was an intense affair where points were replayed because of various objections by coaches and players. It led to Orange coach Justin Webb and Cedar Ridge coach Steve Mayhew taking the unusual step of acting as judges, standing on opposite sides of the net, to preside over a doubles match. Afterwards, vibes from the Cedar Ridge victory spilled over onto social media, namely on Instagram.

With that experience likely in the back of their minds, Orange played with a purpose. Of the three doubles matches, two of them went to tiebreakers. Four of the nine matches overall had tiebreakers. The doubles team of Erinn and Shannon Sollars won at #1 doubles match over Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Mayhew and Adeline Cummings 7-6, winning the tiebreaker 7-5.

Mayhew and Cummings handed the Sollars sisters its only two losses of the regular season. On September 5, Mayhew & Cummings won 8-5. At Orange, Mayhew & Cummings prevailed 8-4.

Cedar Ridge won the other two doubles matches to advance to the second round. Junior Ella Caltabiano and Catherine Ballenger defeated Molly Kruse and Makayla Davis 8-6 at #2 doubles to even the dual match 4-4. The victory by Mowles-Airing and Lundberg set Cedar Ridge to the second round.

Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Mayhew won at #1 singles over Erinn Sollars 6-4, 6-1. Mayhew improved to 14-2 on the season.

Orange’s Shannon Sollars evened the match with a victory over Caltabiano 6-3, 6-0. Sollars, a junior who is now 15-1 on the season in singles play, will likely be the Lady Panthers #1 singles player in 2024.

Cummings gave the Red Wolves the advantage again when she defeated Davis 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, which proved to be a huge victory. It was the third matchup between Cummings and Davis this year. They had split their previous matchups, with Davis winning 10-7 on September 5. On September 27, Cummings won 6-0, 4-6, 11-9 (the third set was a 10-point tiebreaker).

Wilson, an Orange freshman, squared the match at #4 singles with a victory over Mowles-Airing 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Orange sophomore Molly Kruse defeated Ballenger 6-0, 6-1. Cedar Ridge’s Lundberg defeated Violet Shaw 6-4, 6-2 to gain a split in the singles matches.

The Red Wolves 14 dual match victories are the most they’ve had since the 2016 squad went 19-2, winning the Big 8 Conference Championship over teams like Chapel Hill and Northwood.

On Friday, the Mideast Regionals were held at the Burlington Tennis Center. Annie Lieberman of Terry Sanford, the #2 overall seed, defeated Mayhew 6-0, 6-3 in the opening round.

For Orange, Erin and Shannon Sollars narrowly missed qualifying for the 3A State Championships for the second straight year. In the opening round, the Sollars defeated Andrea Romero and Sophie McLean of Harnett Central 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round. In the quarterfinals, the Sollars faced a Central Carolina Conference rival. Lindley Oler and Lauren Turner of Walter Williams won a tight match, beating the Sollars 6-4, 7-6 (11-9).

The Sollars sisters reached the 3A State Tournament quarterfinals in 2022.

Makayla Davis and Molly Kruse also qualified for regionals, falling to Shea Bieniek and Anna Piland of Cape Fear in the opening round. Bieniek and Piland would go on to qualify for the state championships.

This afternoon, Cedar Ridge will host its first state championship match in the women’s tennis team state championships in seven years. It’s tough to imagine a more appealing first round matchup than the one they got.

The Red Wolves, seeded #14, will face crosstown rival Orange this afternoon in the opening round at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

The brackets, released on Monday, mark the first time the tournament has expanded to 64 teams. In previous years, it has been a 32-team tournament.

Cedar Ridge (13-5) earned a home match for the opening round after finishing second to Walter Williams in the Central Carolina Conference.

The winner of Orange-Cedar Ridge will face either Rocky Mount, seeded #3, or South Central, the #30 seed. That match will take place on Monday with the higher seeded team hosting.

The last time the Red Wolves played a state playoff match in Hillsborough, it was when they won the Big 8 Conference championship in 2016. They reached the state quarterfinals after wins over Swansboro and Walter Williams under then-head coach Lennie Corbett.

Orange (13-5) reached the state dual team tournament for the third straight year, a first in school history. Coached by Justin Webb, the Lady Panthers defeated First Flight in the opening round in 2022. In 2021, they defeated Fike in the first round.

Cedar Ridge swept the season series from Orange. On September 5, the Red Wolves defeated Orange 6-3. On September 27, the Red Wolves knocked off the Lady Panthers 6-3 in a match that drew a large crowd that grew somewhat salty as the night went on.

One way or the other, it will be the final home match for Cedar Ridge tennis coach Steve Mayhew, who will step down at the conclusion of this season. As a student, Mayhew played at Orange High and became the coach of the Red Wolves men’s and women’s teams in 2019 after Corbett stepped down.

Mayhew has been around long enough to see both of his children earn Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year honors. His son Josh earned the honor three times. Now, his daughter Cameron has a trophy of her own.

Last week during the Central Carolina Conference championships, Mayhew was named the CCC Player of the Year after a dominant season in singles and doubles play. Mayhew finished undefeated in conference matches as a singles player and registered a 13-2 singles record overall. In doubles play, Mayhew and partner Adeline Cummings went 8-4. They were the only team to defeat Orange’s Erinn and Shannon Sollars this year. On September 5, Mayhew and Cummings defeated the Sollars 8-5. Mayhew and Cummings won the rematch 8-4 on September 27.

Overall, Mayhew has a career-high 21 wins this season as the Red Wolves have had its best season in seven years.

Mayhew will be the top seed from the CCC in this weekend’s Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center.

The Red Wolves will also have a doubles team represented in the Mideast Regionals. Senior Catherine Ballenger and junior Ella Caltabiano qualified after winning two matches at the Burlington Tennis Center last Wednesday. Caltabiano and Ballenger received a bye into the second round, where they defeated Gracie Hartle and Grace Gabrielli of Walter Williams.

Caltabiano and Ballenger have been the #2 doubles team for Cedar Ridge this season. Their only losses in conference play have been against Williams’ team of Lindley Oler and Lauren Turner.

Mayhew’s brother, Josh, became the first Cedar Ridge men’s tennis player to reach the 3A State singles final. Mayhew led the Cedar Ridge men’s team to the 2022 CCC Championship, just the second conference title in men’s tennis in school history. Mayhew reached the Mideast Regional final three times and is the most successful men’s player in school history. He now plays at Belmont-Abbey College.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior women’s tennis player Ella Caltabiano. This season, Caltabiano has been the #2 singles player for head coach Steve Mayhew. She has collected a total of eleven victories for a Cedar Ridge team that currently is in 2nd place in the Central Carolina Conference. On September 11, Caltabiano won a three-set match over Western Alamance’s Reagan Williams en route to a Red Wolf victory. Caltabiano has been a member of Cedar Ridge’s varsity team since her freshman year, where she was also honored as Red Wolves of the Week after helping Cedar Ridge beat Northwood. Caltabiano has also teamed with Catherine Ballenger at #2 doubles, which has given the Red Wolves the upper-hand in many conference matches. Last week Caltabiano and Ballenger won at #2 doubles in Cedar Ridge’s 6-3 win over Orange, which swept the regular season series from the Lady Panthers. Caltabiano has helped the Red Wolves get in position to reach the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs for the first time since 2016. Caltabiano and the rest of the Red Wolves return to action later today (Monday) against Eastern Alamance at Red Wolves tennis courts. It’s the first of three matches this week for Cedar Ridge.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Ella Caltabiano

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior women’s tennis player Ella Caltabiano. This season, Caltabiano has been the #2 singles player for head coach Steve Mayhew. She has collected a total of eleven victories for a Cedar Ridge team that currently is in 2nd place in the Central Carolina Conference.

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team has swept the season series from its crosstown rival. On Wednesday night at Orange High Tennis Courts, the Red Wolves defeated Orange 6-3. The victory keeps Cedar Ridge’s hopes alive of playing in the 3A State Dual Tennis Tournament for the first time since 2016. Senior Cameron Mayhew came through with one of her finest performances of the year. She won her #1 singles match over Erinn Sollars 6-2, 6-1. Later in the night, Mayhew teamed with Adeline Cummings to clinch the match for Cedar Ridge. Mayhew and Cummings defeated Erin and Shannon Sollars 8-4. Cummings also won two matches on the night. In the #3 singles match, Cummings defeated Makayla Davis 6-0, 4-6, 11-9. Cedar Ridge senior Dupree Sorenson won at #6 singles over Kyla Mehl 6-2, 6-3 to give the Red Wolves a 4-2 edge in the six singles matches. Junior Ella Caltabiano and senior Catherine Ballenger won at #2 doubles over Davis and Molly Kruse 8-6. Cedar Ridge improves to 8-4 overall, 6-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. The Red Wolves will continue to pursue Walter Williams over the final two weeks of the regular season. Cedar Ridge will host Eastern Alamance on Monday in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge women’s tennis Cameron Mayhew & Adeline Cummings discuss win over Orange

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In Steve Mayhew’s playing days, it was called “Pine Valley.”

As a player under coach Nick Walker in the 1980s, the fledging tennis program at Orange High didn’t have a series of country club courts to play on like their brethren at nearby schools. But their court had flavor. Situated across a secondary road separating Stanford Middle School from the senior institution, Orange’s tennis court was shrouded by pine trees and enveloped by a cage. If it wasn’t for the lights that shined well off into the distance before closing at 9PM, it would be easy to miss.

This was once Mayhew’s playground, where he played alongside Russell Westbrook, who went on to be Orange’s cross country coach in 2016. After he graduated and developed in life, Mayhew passed his love of tennis to his children Josh and Cameron.

On Wednesday night, Mayhew came full circle. One final time before he retires next month, he returned to the courts he once played on to coach against the school he once played for. In his fourth and final season as Cedar Ridge women’s tennis coach, Mayhew went out a winner to keep the Red Wolves hopes for a birth in the 3A State Dual Team Tournament alive.

Cameron Mayhew and Adeline Cummings defeated Orange’s top doubles team of Erinn and Shannon Sollars for the clinching victory as the Red Wolves defeated Orange 6-3. The Sollars sisters, looking to avenge an earlier loss to Mayhew and Cummings, charged out to a 2-0 lead. Mayhew and Cummings won eight of the final ten games to secure the Red Wolves eighth win of the season by a score of 8-4.

Cedar Ridge (8-4, 6-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) remains in second place in the CCC, one game behind Watler Williams. The Red Wolves will face Williams to cap the regular season on October 9.

“We’re just trying to get better,” Mayhew said. “Our regular season isn’t over. We still have matches to play. So we’ll cross that path when we get there. But we’re just trying to get better, improve and just take one match at a time. But I like where we are right now. We’re really improving and getting better. That’s what you want.”

A light drizzle fell as the final match of the night concluded. Cedar Ridge’s Ella Caltabiano and Catherine Ballinger faced Orange’s Makayla Davis and Molly Kruse. Early on, Mayhew objected when he thought an Orange player crossed her racket over the plane of the net, which triggered an immediate protest from the player on a night that had already been chippy. This led to the unusual instance of Mayhew and Orange coach Justin Webb standing on opposite sides of the net to oversee the match. Usually, players act as their own linesmen to call balls in or out. Caltabiano and Ballenger would take the match 8-5 despite trailing early.

Cedar Ridge won four of the six singles matches. That included Mayhew winning at #1 doubles over Erinn Sollars. Mayhew, a senior, has now won 14 matches this season for the Red Wolves, including a 9-2 record in singles.

Cedar Ridge swept the regular season series from Orange for the first time since 2018.

Orange, the defending CCC Champions with Walter Williams, fell to 10-5, 5-4 in the CCC. It was the Lady Panthers third match in three days. On Tuesday, Orange rolled past J.F. Webb 9-0 in Hillsborough. Oakley Gaddy finished with two wins for Orange against the Warriors. Gaddy defeated Samantha Ragland at #6 singles 8-0. Gaddy teamed with Evelyn Gover at #2 doubles to win over Madison Ragland and Michaela Bryant 8-3.

Sophomore Adelyn Alvis also won two matches for Orange against the Warriors. Alvis defeated Bryant 8-0. Alvis teamed with sophomore Nora Plummer at #3 doubles to defeat Savannah Moody and Samantha Ragland 8-0.

Shannon Sollars won at #1 singles over Kallie Goldamez 8-0.

Cedar Ridge 6, Western Alamance 1: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team remained undefeated in the Central Carolina Conference with a victory over the Warriors at Red Wolves Tennis Courts on Monday. Annabeth Lundberg captured two matches for the Red Wolves. Lundberg defeated Abigail Simpson at #6 singles 6-1, 6-4. In the only doubles match of the day, Lundberg teamed with Raven Mowles-Airing to defeat Mia Sodano and Abigail Stimpson 6-4.

Senior Cameron Mayhew captured the #1 singles match over Amelia Weaver 6-1, 6-2. The closest match of the day was at #2 singles, where Red Wolves junior Ella Caltabiano defeated Reagan Williams in a match that had two tiebreakers. Caltabiano won the opening set 6-4, but Williams evened things with a 7-6 win in the second set. Williams won the tiebreaker 7-0. In the third set, Caltabiano won 7-6, taking the 10-point tiebreaker 10-8.

Cedar Ridge junior Adeline Cummings defeated Hensley Gasaway 6-1, 6-2 at #3 singles. Sarah McLaughlin won the only match of the day for the Warriors, beating Mowles-Airing 6-3, 6-2. Cedar Ridge senior Catherine Ballenger knocked off Soadno at #5 singles 6-3, 6-0 to clinch the match.

Walter Williams 7, Cedar Ridge 2: In a showdown of the only two undefeated teams in league play from the Central Carolina Conference, Walter Williams defeated the Red Wolves in Burlington.

Mayhew took the opening singles match for Cedar Ridge, beating sophomore Abigail Brown 6-3, 6-1. The Bulldogs took four of the remaining five singles matches, starting with Jaden Wilson beating Caltabiano 6-1, 6-1. Williams freshman Lindley Over knocked off Cummings 6-3, 6-2. Gracie Hartle defeated Mowles-Airing 7-5, 6-2.

Cedar Ridge’s Ballenger kept the Red Wolves alive with a three-set victory over Lauren Taylor, 6-3, 1-6, 10-7 (10-point tiebreaker). Williams Grace Gabrielli won over Cedar Ridge’s Lundberg 6-2, 6-3.

Williams put the match away in the opening doubles tilt when Brown and Wilson defeated Mayhew and Cummings 8-5. At #2 doubles, Oler and Lauren Turner defeated Ballenger and Caltabiano 8-3. Williams completed a sweep of the doubles matches when Hartle and Gabrielli knocked off Mowles-Airing and Lundberg 8-1.

Cedar Ridge had its four match winning streak come to an end. The Red Wolves are 5-3 overall, 3-1 in the CCC. Williams improves to 5-0 overall, 5-0 in league play,

Mayhew is now 7-1 in singles matches this year. Overall, she has won eleven matches, counting her 4-2 record with doubles partner Adeline Cummings. Last week, Cummings and Mayhew teamed to defeat Orange’s Erinn and Shannon Sollars. It was the first match that the Sollars sisters have lost this year.

Ballenger has captured eight wins for Cedar Ridge this year. She has a 5-3 singles record.

On Thursday night, Cedar Ridge defeated Seaforth High in Pittsboro. Results from the match weren’t available at press time. The Red Wolves are 6-3 overall. They will return to action on Wednesday with a road trip to Person. On Thursday, they will travel to East Chapel Hill.

Orange 7, Roxboro Community School 0: Orange freshman Ellie Wilson won a three-set match in her first singles match as the Lady Panthers rolled past the Bulldogs in Hillsborough on Tuesday.

Playing at #4 singles, Wilson defeated Elizabeth Ess 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 10-8 in a 10-point tiebreaker. The rest of the matches were dominance by Orange’s seniors. Erinn Sollars defeated Olivia Ess 6-1, 6-4. Shannon Sollars won at #2 singles over Aurora Bettendorf 6-0, 6-1. Makayla Davis, who won three matches last week in dual matches against Cedar Ridge and Person, defeated Olivia Goddard 6-2, 6-2.

Sophomore Molly Kruse won over Rachel Green 7-6 (7-1), 6-2. Sophomore Kyla Mehl completed an Orange sweep of singles matches with a victory over Kirklyn Owen 6-1, 6-1.

Erinn and Shannon Sollars won the only doubles match. They defeated Olivia Ess and Goodard 8-1.

So far this year, Erin Sollars has won ten matches for Orange. The Sollars sisters are 6-1 in doubles play. Shanon Sollars has won 13 overall matches, including a 7-1 record in singles action.

On Thursday, Orange won its first-ever conference match at Southern Alamance in Graham 9-0. Results of the match weren’t available at press time. The Lady Panthers are 7-3 overall, 3-2 in the CCC.