Orange Volleyball

The small earthquake felt around Hillsborough on Thursday wasn’t directly related to a local volleyball practice. It happened just before noon, hours before volleyball practice started at Orange or Cedar Ridge.

While Ava Wilkerson opening spike in the opening set against Swansboro didn’t put a hole in the brand new floor at Orange High, it could have easily led to more seismic activity.

An Orange team seeded #2 in the 3A East Region roared past Sawnsboro 3-0 on scores of 25-10, 25-1 and 25-13 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Panthers, the regular season champions of the Central Carolina Conference, advanced to host Northern Nash on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

There were plenty of near-statistical milestones for Orange against the Pirates (9-13), the #31 overall seed from the Coastal Conference. Sophomore setter Katie Silcott was on pace for a rare triple-double, but never saw the floor in the third set. In the opening two sets, Silcott had 14 assists, six digs and eight aces.

Swansboro simply had no answer for Wilkerson, the 6-foot-3 middle blocker, who wasn’t far from a triple-down of her own. Wilkerson came away with 12 kills, six blocks and two aces. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan had nine kills. On defense, senior libero Sadye Porter had 26 digs.

Swansboro did open with the first three points, but it was all Orange after that. With Porter serving, Orange ran off 16 straight points, kick started by three straight blocks from Wilkerson. Jordan had three kills and a block during the spree. Mariah Poole spiked home set point off an assist from Wilcott.

Freshman Sawyer White took over setter duties in the second set while Silcott moved to outside hitter. Orange scored the first eight points of the second set, which started with back-to-back blocks by Wilkerson. In the second, Wilkerson was responsible for six points. Silcott served eight aces in the second set alone, including set point at 25-1.

Wilkerson, Jordan and senior Ella Wimsatt each had four kills in the third set. White racked up 12 assists in Silcott’s absence. Wilkerson also had two aces. Josie Crawford had a point that led to match point, which Orange won after a Pirate committed a net violation.

Orange will look to clear an elusive hurdle on Tuesday night against Northern Nash, from The Big East Conference. The Lady Panthers have been eliminated in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs each of the last two years.

Cedar Ridge 3, Scotland County 0: Just days after winning the CCC Tournament championship over its archrival, Cedar Ridge played its fourth match in six days with a victory over Scotland County on Saturday.

It may have well been the final home game for nine Cedar Ridge seniors, many of whom won a state championship together two years ago. Over the past four years, Cedar Ridge has a 43-4 record inside of Cedar Ridge Gymnasium.

Cedar Ridge, the #11 seed in the East Region, prevailed on scores of 25-13, 25-13 and 25-11. Sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 19 kills and eight digs. Senior Graylinn Serge had six kills and 21 digs. Setter Rachel Alverson had 34 assists and three digs. Senior libero Natasha Buchler-Fosado had eight digs.

Scotland County, from the 4A/3A Sandhills Conference, ends the season 15-9 overall after finishing 3rd in its league.

The Red Wolves have won a state playoff game for the fourth straight year. On Tuesday night, Cedar Ridge will travel to face Franklinton, the champions of The Big East Conference. The Rams, with an overall record of 19-5, finished 13-0 in conference play this year, winning both The Big East regular season and conference tournament championships. The Rams swept Fayetteville 71st in the opening round on Saturday.

The winner of Cedar Ridge/Franklinton will face either J.H. Rose or Jacksonville in the third round on Thursday.

The seniors on the Orange volleyball team have accomplished something that no team in 18 years has done–win a conference championship. Last week, Orange celebrated senior night with a sweep of Walter Williams. The Lady Panthers have set a school record by winning 20 consecutive matches. Senior Ella Wimsatt has been instrumental in Orange’s most successful season in a generation She leads the team with 340 kills going into the Central Carolina Conference Tournament. She is second on the squad with 279 digs. Libero Sadye Porter returned to the team in August and has been an invaluable defensive presence. She leads the team with 364 digs and also has 38 aces, third on the team. Josie Crawford has been a regular rotation player for new head coach Hope Heverly. Crawford has 128 digs and is another valuable defensive presence. Blessiny Deronette has also played regularly in her first year on the varsity squad. Orange is looking at being a #1 seed for the 3A State Tournament that begins on Saturday. If the Lady Panthers take the top seed, it will be for the first time in school history. Coming up tonight, Orange will face Cedar Ridge for the CCC Tournament championship at Panther Gymnasium.

Orange’s Ella Wimsatt, Sadye Porter, Josie Crawford & Blessiny Derronette discuss Senior night

The seniors on the Orange volleyball team have accomplished something that no team in 18 years has done–win a conference championship. Last week, Orange celebrated senior night with a sweep of Walter Williams. The Lady Panthers have set a school record by winning 20 consecutive matches.

If it wasn’t clear that Hillsborough is the Volleyball Capital of the Central Carolina Conference, it is now.

For the second straight year, Orange and Cedar Ridge will face off in the CCC Tournament championship game tonight at Orange High.

Orange and Cedar Ridge competed in opposite ends of town on Tuesday night in their respective semifinal matches, both teams sweeping their opposition.

Orange defeated Western Alamance on scores of 25-14, 25-8, 25-15. For the third time this season, Cedar Ridge defeated Person 25-11, 25-22, 25-18.

Orange, the CCC regular season champion, won its 20th consecutive match to improve to 21-3. Senior Ella Wimsatt finished with 12 kills and 31 digs. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan registered 14 kills while middle blocker Ava Wilkerson had 13 kills. Sophomore setter Katie Silcott, who surpassed 1,000 career assists last week in a match against Walter Williams, finished with a double-double of 31 assists and 14 digs.

Orange used a 6-0 run to pull away in the opening set. After Wilkerson scored off an assist from Silcott to even the set 4-4, junior Abby Silinski served up two aces while Wilkerson scored on a block, leading to a Warrior timeout after Orange increased its lead to 9-4. The Lady Panthers scored nine of the last ten points to close out the frame, ending with Wimsatt’s kill off a set by Silcott on set point.

In the third set, Western Alamance (12-8) jumped out to a 12-5 lead following consecutive kills from Haley Clayton and another from Avery Wilson. After an Orange timeout, the Lady Panthers reeled off eight of the next nine points. Trailing 12-6, Wilmsatt earned a huge point on a kill to conclude a long rally where senior Josie Crawford made three crucial digs. Back-to-back points by Jordan and Wimsatt evened the set at 13-13. Orange finished the match on a 13-2 run, which included three kills each from Wilkerson and Jordan.

It was Orange’s third win over the Warriors this season.

At Red Wolves Gymnasium, Cedar Ridge sophomore Claire Hargett finished with 14 kills and ten digs against the Rockets. Senior Graylinn Serge had 12 kills and 19 digs. Senior Rachel Alverson, who also surpassed 1,000 career assists against Williams on Monday, finished with 35 assists and ten digs.

Leading 10-5 in the opening set, Cedar Ridge pulled away with a 9-0 run. Serge had three straight kills in the spree, while Alverson had a rare kill assisted by Natasha Buchler-Fosado. Hargett scored set point off a feed from Alverson.

The most competitive set was the second, where Person led 11-9 at one point. Cedar Ridge responded with six straight points to take a 15-11 lead, which included an ace from Alverson and two kills each from Serge and sophomore Kayla Stoll. Person (12-9) responded with consecutive kills from senior Summer Moore to trim the Red Wolf lead to 19-16. A return by Cedar Ridge that went wide reduced their lead to 21-20, but Serge scored a big kill followed by an ace from Alverson to increase the lead to 23-20. Hargett scored set point on a strong swing near the far post.

Cedar Ridge started the third set with a 9-3 spurt, starting with a kill from Ellie Woolson. Buchler-Fosado had an ace while Hargett spiked down back-to-back points, leading to a Person timeout. The Rockets got their deficit down to 15-7 after a point by Moore, but never seriously challenged in the final set.

Cedar Ridge and Orange have played in all three CCC Tournaments dating back to 2021. The Red Wolves defeated the Lady Panthers in the semifinals of the 2021 tournament. Last year, Cedar Ridge defeated Orange in the championship match 3-1 on scores of 25-12, 25-10, 17-25 and 25-17. The set that Orange won last year ended Cedar Ridge’s string of 62 consecutive sets won.

Orange has won both matchups against the Red Wolves this season. Orange won its first conference championship in volleyball since 2005.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior volleyball liberto Sadye Porter. After a year away from the Orange volleyball team in 2022, Porter returned to the team for her senior season under new head coach Hope Heverly. Her return has greatly helped the Orange defense with a team-high 342 digs. She also has 35 aces, which is third on the team. Her return has helped Orange to possibly its most successful volleyball season in school history. Last week, Orange secured its first conference championship in 18 years when they defeated Southern Alamance in Hillsborough. After its win over Walter Williams on Wednesday night, Orange has won 18 in a row and secured a 20-win season. In her sophomore season in 2022, Porter led the team with 299 digs. Orange has secured the #1 seed in the CCC Tournament. Orange will receive a bye into the semifinals, where they will face either Western Alamance, Southern Alamance or Eastern Alamance next Tuesday. If Orange wins, they will host the conference tournament championship match next Wednesday. Orange will also host a match in the opening round of the 3A State Tournament on October 21 in Hillsborough. Orange is currently ranked #1 in the 3A East RPI rankings. If the Lady Panthers maintain that ranking, they will have home-court advantage throughout the state playoffs. Orange will try to complete its first undefeated conference season in school history against Eastern Alamance on Thursday in Mebane.

Orange Panther of the Week: Sadye Porter

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior volleyball liberto Sadye Porter. After a year away from the Orange volleyball team in 2022, Porter returned to the team for her senior season under new head coach Hope Heverly. Her return has greatly helped the Orange defense with a team-high 342 digs.

For the first time since 2005, the Orange volleyball team has won a conference championship. And the Lady Panthers have been dominant doing it. The Lady Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 3-1 to clinch the crown in Orange Gymnasium on Thursday night. It was another big night for Orange’s outside hitters Ella Wimsatt and Aubrey Jordan. Once again, Jordan led Orange with 18 kills. Wimsatt came away with her sixth consecutive match with a double-double, finishing with 13 kills and 17 digs. Wimsatt now leads the team with 317 kills on the season and has 436 for her career. Wimsatt has 14 double-doubles this season. Senior libero Sadye Porter led Orange with 22 digs, while sophomore setter Katie Silcott had 46 assists and 17 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Ava Wilkerson had eight kills. Orange has won a school record 17 consecutive matches going into the final week of the regular season. They will host Senior night on Wednesday against Walter Williams. Wimsatt, Porter, Josie Crawford and Blessiny Dernonette will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Orange will finish the regular season at Eastern Alamance on Thursday night in Mebane, then prepare for the Central Carolina Conference Tournament next week. By clinching the top-seed, Orange has received a bye into the semifinals, where they will play next Tuesday.

Orange volleyball’s Ella Wimsatt and Aubrey Jordan discuss winning the CCC Regular Season title

For the first time since 2005, the Orange volleyball team has won a conference championship. And the Lady Panthers have been dominant doing it. The Lady Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 3-1 to clinch the crown in Orange Gymnasium on Thursday night. It was another big night for Orange’s outside hitters Ella Wimsatt and Aubrey Jordan.

Since high school sports slowly climbed itself out of the mires of the pandemic, Orange County teams have ruled local volleyball.

For the past three years, Cedar Ridge was at the top. With Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz and Anaya Carter formed the nucleus of a team that took volleyball to new heights in Hillsborough, winning the 2021 3A State Championship, three conference regular season and two tournament championships.

Now, Orange has earned its way to a conference championship, its first since 2005. Almost all of the Orange seniors who clinched the conference title last Thursday in a 3-1 win 0ver Southern Alamance weren’t even alive when the last Orange conference champions were crowned. Back then, Orange was a 2-A team playing in the Mid-State Conference.

Overall, the fall sports scene has been strong for Orange and Cedar Ridge. The Orange volleyball team is ranked #1 in the 3A East RPI rankings. Barring a slip-up during the conference tournament, the road to the state championship match in Raleigh will run through Hillsborough. Again.

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is in first place in the Central Carolina Conference. There has never been a conference champion in men’s soccer at Orange or Cedar Ridge High Schools. Orange High first fielded a men’s soccer team in 1988, inconveniently across the county from Chapel Hill, who had won three state championships before Orange even started a program. While the current Orange team is on the bubble, they are still on track to make the state playoffs, as well.

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team will play for a share of a conference championship today. Even if they don’t defeat Walter Williams, they will qualify for a spot in the 3A State Dual Team playoffs for the first time since 2016, when they won the Big 8 Conference Championship. For the first time, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association will have 32 teams in the dual team state tournament, as opposed to the traditional 16 teams. Thus, Orange will likely make the field for the third straight year.

And we haven’t even brought up the Orange men’s cross country team, the two-time defending conference champions who just happen to have the defending 3A State Champion, Gabriel Schmid, set to run for another conference, regional and state championship.

All in all, there’s a lot to look forward to as we venture into October. And more conference champions waiting to be crowned locally.

With that in mind, here’s this week Magnificent 7 from the week of September 24-30. The seven best performances, in no particular order:

1. Tyler Narold, Orange, Sr. The ultimate Swiss army knife for the Orange football team. Narold had three interceptions for Orange in its 43-0 win over Cedar Ridge on September 29 at Red Wolves Stadium. Narold returned one interception for a touchdown and also kicked three extra points. He started at quarterback, safety, placekicker and punter.
2. Cameron Mayhew, Cedar Ridge, Sr. Won two matches in a 6-3 victory over Orange on September 27 at Panthers Tennis Courts. Mayhew and Adeline Cummings teamed to defeat Erinn and Shannon Sollars 8-4. Mayhew also defeated Erinn Sollars 6-2, 6-1 in the #1 singles match. The following day, Mayhew won two more matches in the Red Wolves victory over Southern Alamance in Hillsborough. Cedar Ridge women’s tennis is 13-4.
3. Sadye Porter, Orange, Sr: Porter, Orange’s libero, had 14 digs for Orange in its 3-0 sweep of Cedar Ridge on September 28. Two days earlier, Porter led Orange with 16 digs in a sweep of Walter Williams in Burlington. Porter also had a team-high six aces against the Bulldogs. After she missed the 2022 season, Porter’s return is a big reason why Orange volleyball returned to the top of the conference this season.
4. Iliah Babchenko, Cedar Ridge, Sr.: The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team grabbed its first win over Walter Williams since they became conference rivals 2-1 on September 25 in Burlington. Babchenko, Cedar Ridge’s leading scorer, scored the opening goal and assisted on the game-winner from Dominic McNerney. Babchenko is a co-Captain for the Red Wolves who was the first Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week this academic year.
5. Gabriel Schmid, Orange, Sr.: Yet another impressive performance from possibly the greatest runner in Hillsborough history. Schmid finished first in the Greensboro Cross Country Invitational on September 30. He paced a field of 146 runners. Schmid has five first-place finished this season with an Orange team that appears to be deeper than ever.
6. Claire Hargett, Cedar Ridge, Soph: Hargett led the Cedar Ridge volleyball team with 12 kills in a 3-0 win over Southern Alamance on September 26 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Hargett also had 12 digs. It was her ninth double-double of the season. She had seven kills and eleven digs against Orange. Late in her sophomore season, Hargett already has 293 career kills.
7. Adeline Cummings, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team won three matches in three days, beating Person, Orange and Southern Alamance. Cummings won the top singles match over Person, defeated Orange’s Makayla Davis in three sets, ending with an 11-9 tiebreaker, then won a singles match against the Patriots.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Cohen 

Lottie Scully: On Friday night, the Binghamton Bearcats claimed a win over New Hampshire 3-1 on scores of 25-19, 18-25, 25-22 and 32-30 at West Gym in New York. Scully finished with a double-double, claiming 46 assists and 19 digs. Scully, the starting setter for the Bearcats, also finished with three kills. On Saturday, the Bearcats completed a weekend sweep with a victory over Bryant University (25-23, 25-20, 25-11). Scully had 29 assists, nine digs and four aces. Last Saturday, Binghamton defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 26-24). Scully had 28 assists, eight digs and four kills. So far this season, Scully has had four double-doubles. The Bearcats are 9-8 overall, 3-0 in the America East Conference.

Cameron Lloyd: On Saturday, Bucknell defeated Holy Cross 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-17) at Davis Gymnasium in Lewisburg, PA. Lloyd had nine kills, four digs and three aces. On Friday night, American defeated Bucknell 3-1 (26-24, 25-11, 22-25, 25-23) at Davis Gymnasium in Lewisburg, PA, the home of the Bison. Lloyd finished with nine kills, ten digs, three aces, three aces and one assist. Bucknell dropped a match to Navy in five sets at the Wesley Brown Field House in Annapolis, MD last Friday (25-20, 21-25, 24-26, 25-18, 15-8). Lloyd had seven kills and 14 digs for the Bison. She also finished with two assists and one ace. The following day in Baltimore, Bucknell defeated Loyola (MD) 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-23) in Reitz Arena. Lloyd had two kills, nine digs, one ace, one assist and one block. Bucknell is 8-9 overall, 4-4 in the Patriot League.

Cameron Lanier: Over the weekend, William & Mary took two matches from Elon, where Lanier plays as an outside hitter. On Saturday, the Tribe defeated the Phoenix 3-1 (15-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-22). Lanier was tied for the team lead with eleven kills. She also had six digs, one ace and one assist. On Saturday, William & Mary swept Elon (25-14, 25-22, 25-20) Lanier had seven kills and two digs. Northeastern defeated Elon in a two-match series at the Schar Center last weekend. On Friday, the Huskies defeated the Phoenix 3-2 (25-23, 15-25, 21-25, 25-19, 15-11). Lanier finished with 12 kills, seven digs, one ace and one block. On Saturday, Northeastern defeated Elon 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-22, 27-25). Lanier had eight kills and four digs. Elon is 3-14, 0-8 in the Coastal Athletic Association.

Grace Young: On Friday, Radford swept UNC Asheville 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-19) at the Dedmon Center in Radford, VA. Young played two sets and had one dig. On Saturday, High Point swept UNCA (25-19, 25-20, 25-14) at the Millis Athletic and Convocation Center in High Point. Young played in two sets and finished with five digs. UNCA is 6-12 overall, 0-5 in the Big South Conference.

Anaya Carter: The Division II UNC Pembroke Braves defeated Mount Olive 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 27-25) at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court in Pembroke, NC last Wednesday. Carter, who was one of eight Braves to play, finished with seven digs and two aces. On Friday, Erskine defeated Pembroke 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-23). Carter played in all three sets and finished with two digs. Pembroke is 11-8 overall, 6-3 in Conference Carolinas.

Julie Altieri: On Saturday at Washington & Lee University, the Division III Salisbury Seagulls competed in two matches in Virginia Beach, VA. The Seagulls defeated Washington & Lee 3-1 (25-9, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24). Altieri had 39 assists and 13 digs. She also had five kills and one ace. Later that day, Virginia Wesleyan defeated the Seagulls 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21). Altieri finished with her seventh double-double of the season with 34 assists and ten digs. She also had three kills with two aces. Salisbury is 11-6.

Allie Wilkerson: On Wednesday, Averett University defeated Ferrum 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-9, 15-9) at the Stuart James Grant Center in Danville, VA. Wilkerson finished with nine kills, one ace and one dig. Averett is 11-7, 6-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. They will travel to Bridgewater College on Friday. On September 29, Randolph-Macon defeated the Cougars 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 25-19, 25-19). Wilkerson finished with five kills, one ace and one dig. On September 30, Averett had two matches. Virginia Wesleyan swept the Cougars (25-21, 25-18, 25-16). Wilkerson finished with five kills, one ace and one dig. Later that day, Newport University defeated Averett 3-1 (25-15, 25-27, 25-20, 25-15). Wilkerson had five kills and one ace.