Cedar Ridge High School

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team has won its 24th consecutive game after beating First Flight 3-0 in the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs on Thursday night. It was another game where the Red Wolves showed off its depth. Junior Rachel Alverson had 14 assists, while starting setter Julie Altieri made her return to the lineup and had 15 assists. No less than seven Cedar Ridge players registered kills. Junior Addie Reid had five kills and two blocks. Cedar Ridge has now won 27 straight matches at home. The senior class has a lifetime record of 82-10, 41-3 at home. On Saturday, the Red Wolves will start play in the state quarterfinals when they face Wilson Hunt, the champions of the Quad County Conference. It could be the final home game for the Cedar Ridge seniors who have taken the program from three consecutive losing seasons from 2016-18 to a 3A State Championship, three straight regular season championships, two CCC Tournament championship and the 2021 3A Eastern Regional Championship. 

For any volleyball team with state championship aspirations, the season comes down to three Saturdays in the fall.

The first one is when the state playoffs start. The final one is the day of the state championship.

Cedar Ridge is now at the second one. Again.

With the return of senior setter Julie Altieri, the all-time school leader in assists and aces, #2 seeded Cedar Ridge never trailed in eliminating #7 First Flight 3-0 on scores of 25-10, 25-6 and 25-17 on Thursday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Cedar Ridge (24-1), the defending 3A State Champions, will host Wilson Hunt in the state quarterfinals on Saturday. Hunt, seeded #3, defeated West Carteret 3-1 on Thursday.

Altieri, who has missed the first four postseason games for Cedar Ridge, immediately made her presence felt by serving up four aces during a 7-0 Red Wolf run to open the game and quickly remove any thoughts of an upset by the Nighthawks (16-8).

“It’s great to have Julie back,” said Cedar Ridge coach Fiona Cunningham said. “Her leadership on the floor, her confidence and her defense are just huge for us. It was great to see her playing again. She’s absolutely one of our best servers and she got us off to a great start.”

The super-charged emotion of Tuesday’s state playoff match against crosstown rival Orange yielded to yet another Cedar Ridge sweep on Thursday that was so dominant, the crowd was in a hush for much of the night. Even members of the Wolfpack, Cedar Ridge’s vaunted student section, watched the final points with palms supporting their heads.

First Flight was limited to a season-low 38 points. Camden County held the Nighthawks to 39 points on October 4.

“I think we were a little more level headed tonight,” Cunningham said. “We were more confident. On Tuesday, we knew how high the emotions were against Orange and that played into it.”

Cedar Ridge’s depth was on full display as seven players registered kills. Once again, senior Cameron Lloyd led the Red Wolves with eight kills. Cameron Lanier, who is second on Cedar Ridge’s all-time kills list (behind Lloyd), finished with seven kills, two aces and a block. Junior Addie Reid had her best performance of the postseason with five kills and two blocks.

“We’ve been pushing our setters to get our middle blockers a little more involved in the play,” Cunningham said. “Tonight, our passing was really able to be on and we were able to see big swings from all of our middles.”

Altieri added another 15 assists and four aces to her school records, while junior Rachel Alverson finished with 14 assists. The Red Wolves have won 27 straight home matches. After dropping the season-opener to J.H. Rose in Greenville, they’ve won 72 of its last 73 sets. It was their 23rd sweep of the year.

The Red Wolves upped its lead to 19-5 in the opening set after an unassisted kill by Reid, which led to a timeout from First Flight coach Anna Zappulla, who wore a smile of encouragement mixed with resignation as her team came to the bench. Lanier spiked down set point off an assist from Altieri.

The second set was even more lopsided. After freshman Claire Hargett, who finished with four kills, slammed down another point, the Red Wolves led 13-2. Hargett had three of her four kills in the middle portion of the 2nd set. An ace from junior Graylinn Serge pushed the lead to 18-4. Kills by Lloyd and Reid closed the frame with the Red Wolves winning 25-6.

The Nighthawks were able to notch the only ties of the entire match to open the third set, but the Red Wolves quickly pulled away after an 8-2 run that was triggered by three kills and an ace from Lanier. Reid scored match point off an assist from Altieri.

Cedar Ridge’s senior class now has a lifetime record of 82-10. They’re 41-3 at home. As the wins have piled up, there’s also a sense of reality creeping in that Saturday’s match against Hunt could be the final home game for the seniors who have won seven championships.

Cunningham doesn’t want that as a distraction when the Warriors come to town.

“We’re really hoping to stay calm and not focus on that part,” Cunningham said.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior soccer striker Chris Mendez. On Tuesday night, Mendez scored the 25th gaol of his career as the Red Wolves upset Eastern Alamance 2-0 at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane. This season, Mendez scored eleven goals for the Red Wolves, including a hat trick against Person on October 6. He notched his first goal of the season against South Garner in a 2-1 victory at WakeMed Soccer Park on August 26. On September 1, Mendez scored a hat trick in the Red Wolves’ 8-0 win over Eastern Guilford. In 2021, Mendez led Cedar Ridge with 13 goals. He ended his junior season with his first career hat trick against Eastern Alamance at Red Wolves Stadium. With his Cedar Ridge career over, Mendez plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as play pickup soccer in his spare time. Mendez will graduate from Cedar Ridge in June. 

Ivy Garner: On Wednesday, Garner was one of four players from Liberty’s women’s soccer team named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team. Liberty continues to lead the Atlantic Sun Conference with an undefeated league mark. On October 2, Garner scored a goal as the Flames defeated North Alabama 4-1 at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Garner, starting at striker, notched the Flames’ final goal in the 84 minute. Garner also got off four shots, two of them on net. On Saturday, the Flames defeated Eastern Kentucky 3-0 at EKU Soccer Field in Richmond,KY. Garner started at midfield and played 56 minutes. She fired one shot. On October 16, the Flames played a scoreless tie against North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Garner fired one of only three shots for the Flames. She started and played 56 minutes as a forward. On October 13, the Flames defeated Jacksonville 2-1 at Southern Oak Stadium in Florida. Garner started at forward and played 49 minutes. Liberty defeated Queens University, who is in a transition to Division I from Division II, 2-0 at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Garner started again and played 50 minutes. Liberty is 12-3-3 overall, 8-0-2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Garner, who played soccer her freshman year at Cedar Ridge before she transferred to Eno River Academy, has scored three goals and four assists through 15 games in her freshman year with the Flames.

Kayla Hodges: Hodges returned to action this week for the Virginia Commonwealth women’s soccer team. On Sunday, the Rams played to a 3-3 tie against George Mason in SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, VA. Hodges started on the defensive backline, playing all 90 minutes and got a shot on goal. On October 20, #11 St. Louis defeated the Rams 1-0. Hodges came off the bench to play as a reserve. VCU is 8-2-8 this season, 6-1-3 in the Atlantic 10. The Rams will start play in the Atlantic 10 Tournament against 6th-seeded St. Joseph’s at Sports Backers Stadium on Friday night.

Trenton Gill: In his first Monday Night Football appearance, Trenton Gill had two punts for the Chicago Bears. The Bears defeated the New England Patriots 33-14 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. In his two punts, Gill averaged 40.5 yards. His longest punt was 46 yards, but his services weren’t required very much because the Bears scored a season-high 33 points. Chicago’s defense forced four turnovers. The Bears are 3-4 after claiming its first road win of the season.

Darius Satterfield: Virginia State defeated Elizabeth City State 34-12 at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City on Saturday. Satterfield, a freshman placekicker for ECSU, had three kickoffs for a total of 112 yards. That’s an average of 37.3 yards per kick. The Vikings are 2-6 overall, 2-4 in the CIAA. ECSU hosts Bowie State at Roebuck Stadium on Saturday.

Lottie Scully: As a freshman, Scully was named the American East Setter of the Week on October 18. Last week, the University of Albany defeated Binghamton 3-2 on scores of 29-27, 21-25, 17-25, 25-22 and 15-9 at University Gym in Albany. Scully had a season-best 52 assists for Binghamton. She also registered three kills, four digs and two blocks. Binghamton is 13-7 overall, 4-2 in the American East.

Avery Miller: The Pitt Community College volleyball team wrapped up its season with a 3-2 win over Louisburg on Thursday. Miller, who played two sets, finished with two kills. Pitt Community College ended the year 13-9 overall, 3-9 in Region X of the National Junior Community College Athletic Association. Miller finished her freshman season with 67 kills and 68 digs.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team has completed its regular season as the South Atlantic Conference regular season champions. The Bears defeated #12 Catawba 4-1 to take the regular season crown. Against the Hawks, Talley came off the bench and played six minutes. On October 22, the Bears defeated Newberry 4-0 at Smith Road Complex in Newberry. Talley played 26 minutes. The Bears will start play in the SAC Tournament against Newberry at the Moretz Sports Athletic Campus in Hickory on Saturday.

It was another Cedar Ridge sweep, but it name only.

Anyone sitting within the tension filled environment at Cedar Ridge gymnasium on Tuesday night understood why so many of the Orange volleyball players were battling the defending 3A State Champions like it was the last game they would ever play.

It’s because, in most cases, they really did.

There’s a bond that intersects the Orange-Cedar Ridge volleyball rivalry in many ways. Orange middle blocker Erin Jordan-Cornell and setter Caitlin Carden won an Orange-Person Athletic Conference championship with the Stanford Chargers (now Orange Chargers) in middle school with Cameron Lloyd as a teammate when they were in 8th grade. Lloyd, Jordan-Cornell and Carden played on travel teams together in their pre-teen years.

Their allegiances drifted apart after middle school. Lloyd joined Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Anaya Carter and Grace Young at Cedar Ridge. Jordan-Cornell and Carden opted for Orange. Though they played on different teams, their friendships remained intact. When Cedar Ridge won the 3A State Championship last year at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, Jordan-Cornell was outside the locker room waiting with Cedar Ridge parents and relatives to congratulate them. On October 11, when Jordan-Cornell and Carden defeated Eastern Alamance in their senior night game at Panther Gymnasium, Lloyd and Altieri were there.

Lloyd, Carden and Jordan-Cornell won a championship together in 8th grade. The cruel irony surrounding Tuesday night, unspoken but understood, was not simply that somebody’s high school career would end. It was that someone’s close friend would play a big part in ending it.

After Lloyd spiked him match point to complete a 3-0 Cedar Ridge win, it appeared that both teams would be content with just waving to each other, a practice that replaced a postgame handshake during the sensitive times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, perhaps realizing the magnitude of the moment, they thought better of it. Jordan-Cornell, whose jovial nature almost always leads to her entering games with a smile on her face, didn’t even lose her grin as the handshake line started as her Orange volleyball career ended.

Then reality set in. After slapping hands with some of Cedar Ridge’s players, she wiped a tear from under her right eye with her jersey. Carden began getting emotional, as well.

As the two teams went to their respective benches, Cedar Ridge public address announcer Jon Franklin paid tribute to the Orange seniors by reading their names over the public address system while the fans, parents and students from both schools applauded. Jordan-Cornell, Carden, Lillie Smith, Cameryn Stewart, Ashlyn Davis and Ashlyn Hoffman stayed around long after the final point to talk to parents from both teams.

Cedar Ridge (23-1) advanced to the round of 16 of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A State Playoffs with its fourth win over Orange this year. The Red Wolves will face First Flight on Thursday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. First Flight survived a five-set battle with Lee County in Kill Devil Hills on Tuesday.

Lloyd finished with ten kills for Cedar Ridge. Senior Cameron Lanier, second behind only Lloyd on Cedar Ridge’s all-time killslist, finished with nine kills and two blocks. Junior setter Rachel Alverson, replacing senior Julie Altieri in the lineup, had a career-high 33 assists.

Orange junior Ella Wimsatt had seven kills to lead the Lady Panthers. Jordan-Cornell, replacing Allie Wilkerson, had five kills and three aces.

For Orange, the loss was filled with more of the standard finality that comes with the conclusion of a season. In addition to the seven seniors, coach Kelly Young plans to step down at the end of the year.

All of which may have played a part in Orange’s emotional start that knocked the Red Wolves back in the opening minutes. Jordan-Cornell served up two aces to put the Lady Panthers ahead 8-3 in the first set, leading to an early timeout from Cedar Ridge coach Fiona Cunningham.

“Orange gave it everything they got,” Cunningham said. “Orange played out of their minds. That was some of the best volleyball I’ve seen this year from anybody. We came out really timid. They came out really aggressive. Emotions really controlled most of the match.”

Orange, who ended Cedar Ridge’s 62-set winning streak last week in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament championship game, won long rallies early. Wimsatt slammed home a spike off an assist from freshman Katie Silcott to put the Lady Panthers ahead 11-7. Cedar Ridge freshman Claire Hargett scored off an assist from Alverson to lead to a Red Wolf side out, leading to 6-2 Cedar Ridge run to tie the set.

The opening frame had five lead changes and nine ties. Orange won another lengthy rally when Wimsatt tapped the ball over the outstretched arms of Melissa Benkowitz to give the Lady Panthers a 19-18 lead. The Red Wolves would deliver another patented run when it mattered the most, finishing with seven consecutive points with junior Graylinn Serge serving. During the run, Lanier had three kills and Serge had an ace. An errant attack by Orange led to the Red Wolves taking the frame 25-19.

“We had a lot of talk about staying confident,” Cunningham said. “We made sure that we stuck to what we’re good at and our game plan. We came out and all of the work we had done on scouting and a game plan just kind of went out the door. He just had to refocus.”

The second set was just as tight. Orange freshman Ava Wilkerson evened things at 13 with a block. The Red Wolves array of weapons proved too much again late. They scored seven of the next eight points, including four kills from Benkowitz. A block by Lanier led to an Orange timeout. Cedar Ridge would take the set 25-20.

The early emotion appeared to catch up with Orange in the final set. Cedar Ridge opened with a 6-2 run and never trailed. Red Wolf senior Anaya Carter and Lanier each had two early kills. Orange freshman Aubrey Jordan finished with five kills, including four in the final set, but Lloyd got match point to end things.

It was Cedar Ridge’s 40th straight win over a Central Carolina Conference opponent.

Orange ends the year 19-11, its most wins since 2008.

The Cedar Ridge Red Wolves volleyball team has advanced to the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. On Saturday, the Red Wolves defeated Richlands 3-0 in the opening round. It was the third win of the week for Cedar Ridge. On Wednesday, the Red Wolves defeated crosstown rival Orange 3-0 in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament match. Against the Lady Panthers, senior Cameron Lloyd had eleven kills. Without setter Julie Altieri in the lineup, freshman Mia Marty stepped in as setter and finished with 14 assists. Graylin Serge also had a strong game for the Red Wolves acting as the libero amidst lineup changes. The victory over Orange was the 39th consecutive victory by Cedar Ridge over a league opponent. It was the seventh championship won by Cedar Ridge’s senior class of Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Anaya Carter, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz, Lauren Cecil and Isabelle Sheppard. On Tuesday night, Cedar Ridge will face Orange in the 2nd round of the state playoffs at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The winner advances to the round of 16.