Orange Volleyball

There were two streaks that ended for Orange volleyball against Southern Alamance on Thursday night.

Their 29-set winning streak against Central Carolina Conference opponents was snapped by the Patriots. Southern, with strong attacks from Rylee Humble , Roslyn Taylor and Autumn James, were able to battle Orange and pulled out a 26-24 win in the third.

The bigger story was Orange’s 18-year wait to win a conference championship in volleyball is over. The Lady Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 3-1 on scores of 25-16, 25-22, 24-26, 25-16 to improve its league record to 10-0.

The Lady Panthers have won a school-record 16 consecutive matches. They’re now 18-3 and will receive a bye into the semifinals of the Central Carolina Conference tournament, which starts October 16. Orange will host a semifinal game and, if they’re victorious, the title contest.

While a conference championship isn’t the only goal for Orange this season, it is a significant box they’ve checked off their to-do list. During its stint as a 2A team in the mid-2000s, Orange had teams strong enough to win a conference title, but finished runner-up four consecutive years behind Cardinal Gibbons. The past three years, Cedar Ridge, Orange’s crosstown rival, rode atop the Big 8 and CCC with few serious challenges during a 42-match conference winning streak.

This year, Orange removed all barriers to its path to a championship. The power of outside hitters Ella Wimsatt and Aubrey Jordan, the imposing presence of 6-3 sophomore Ava Wilkerson, consistent and pinpoint lobs provided by setter Katie Silcott and the defense of Sadye Porter and Abby Silinksi, among others, have led to its most successful season as a 3A team.

Wimsatt, who leads the team with 304 kills, says it’s merely their first goal.

“It means a lot,” Wimsatt said. “Especially since the last time was 18 years ago. It’s crazy that it’s the time that I’m here and I’m a senior. As a team, we worked really hard for this goal. I hope it will lead to us going really far in the state playoffs.”

Orange coach Hope Heverly, in her first year, was in high school the last time Orange won a conference title.

“That makes it a little bittersweet for me,” Heverly said. “I think everything is a learning experience. We’re ending the conference season and going into the postseason. Losing a set wasn’t bad tonight. I think it’s good for the girls to see the adversity. They came out on fire in set four. I think this was a great learning experience for the girls as we continue this season.”

Orange, playing in pink jerseys during breast cancer awareness night at Panther Gymnasium, charged out to a 10-4 lead in the opening set with a kill by Wimsatt forcing a Southern Alamance time out. Wilkerson had consecutive blocks to increase the lead to 15-9, followed by a kill from Jordan. Senior Josie Crawford nailed down the set with an ace.

The Patriots led for much of the second set with strong play from Autumn James and Laci Gregory. A kill by Poppie Shanklin vaulted Southern ahead 15-13. They didn’t trail in the frame until Jordan had three consecutive kills, and another by sophomore Mariah Poole. Nonetheless, the Patriots fought back to even the set at 18-18 follow a spike by Rylee Humble. Orange reeled off three straight points to go ahead 21-18 and claimed set point when an attack by the Patriots went wide.

For just the second time this conference season, Orange was extended to overtime in the third set. The Patriots got four kills from Humble and three from senior Lacy Gregory to take a 19-15 lead. Jordan had back-to-back kills to even the set 19-19, but the Patriots fought back to force two set points. Orange staved off the first one off an attack from Wilkerson, but kills by Taylor and James gave the Patriots a 26-24 victory.

The fourth set was tied 6-6 before Orange went on a 7-1 run to take control, including a block and a kill by Jordan. Kills by Wilkerson and Jordan pushed the Orange lead to 17-8. On match point, a return by Southern went over the sideline, clinching an elusive conference crown for Orange.

It’s no longer news when the Orange volleyball team sweeps an opponent.

It’s become the norm.

Something that hasn’t been routine for Orange volleyball is winning championships, but a long drought could end tonight against Southern Alamance.

On Tuesday night, the Lady Panthers completed its ninth sweep of a conference opponent in nine league matches by beating Person in Roxboro on scores of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-19. It was the Lady Panthers 16th consecutive win, which is a school record.

Orange (18-3, overall, 9-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) clinched at least a tie for the CCC title. They can win it outright with a win over Southern Alamance tonight (Thursday) inside Panther Gymnasium. Game time between the Lady Panthers and the Patriots will be at approximately 6:30 following the junior varsity contest.

The victory guaranteed Orange will be the top seed from the CCC for the 3A State Playoffs. If the season ended now, Orange would be the #1 overall seed in the east region.

Sophomore Ava Wilkerson finished with 18 kills against the Rockets, a season-high. Senior Ella Wimsatt had a double-double with 17 kills and 26 digs. Another sophomore, Aubrey Jordan, finished with 13 kills and five digs as the Lady Panthers defeated Person for the fourth straight time.

Person (8-8, 5-4) remains in third place in the CCC.

The opening set had nine ties and three lead changes. Wilkerson broke open a nip-and-tuck first frame with three consecutive kills to put Orange ahead 16-12. Sophomore Katie Silcott, who finished with 41 assists, set up Wilkerson on all of her attacks.

Person fought back with a 5-1 run to even the set at 18-18 after a spike by Kaylie Parker, who finished with a team-leading five kills. Orange took the lead for good after a Person serve went into the nylon, followed by a finish from Jordan. The Lady Panthers ended the set with five of the last six points, including two kills by Jordan.

Orange built a 6-2 lead to open the second set following finishes by Wimsatt and Wilkerson. A kill by Wilkerson widened the Lady Panthers lead to 18-14. Orange had three straight points off attacks by Wimsatt and Jordan that led to set point. A return by Person that went wide was enough for Orange to take a two-set lead.

Wilkerson had eight kills in the third set while Wimsatt added seven kills and eight digs. Junior Abby Silinski had seven of her 15 digs in the final frame.

Orange charged out to an 12-3 lead to open the third. Wilkerson had back-to-back kills with Silinski added an ace. A kill by Wimsatt put Orange ahead 16-8, leading to a Person timeout. Wimsatt got a kill on match point off an assist from Silcott.

It was a solid night all the way around for Orange. In Greenville, D.H. Conley defeated J.H. Rose to complete a season sweep. The loss knocked Rose out of the #1 spot in the 3A East RPI rankings–and moved the Lady Panthers into the top spot.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore setter Katie Silcott. The Orange volleyball team is one win away from its first outright conference championship in 18 years. Silcott has started all 20 matches for the Panthers this season. On Wednesday night, Orange swept Person 3-0 in Roxboro. Silcott added 41 assists and 16 digs as Orange captured its 16th consecutive win. In 2022, Silcott shared time with Kaitlyn Carden as setter. This year, she has compiled 635 assists. She also leads the team with 40 aces. Silcott has a wide array of weapons to supply the ball down during Orange attacks. Senior Ella Wimsatt, sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Jordan and middle blocker Ava Wilkerson have all benefited from Silcott’s steady passing, regardless where she is on the floor. Silcott also has a smooth presence defensively. She is third on the team with 164 digs and even finds herself at the net at times attempting blocks against opposing attacks. Silcott is second on the team with 13 blocks. On Thursday night, Orange will host Southern Alamance. If the Lady Panthers win, they will clinch its first conference championship since 2005 and clinch the #1 seed for the upcoming Central Carolina Conference Tournament. Orange has already clinched the top seed from the CCC for the 3A State Playoffs and are guaranteed to host an opening round game, for starters.

Orange Panther of the Week: Katie Silcott

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore setter Katie Silcott. The Orange volleyball team is one win away from its first outright conference championship in 18 years. Silcott has started all 20 matches for the Panthers this season. On Wednesday night, Orange swept Person 3-0 in Roxboro.

It has been 18 years since the Orange volleyball team has won a conference championship.

Now, it’s only a matter of time before the Lady Panthers finally raise the trophy that has eluded them for so long.

While that long drought isn’t quite over yet, Orange did end one streak on Thursday night. They ended a four-game losing streak to Cedar Ridge inside Panther Gymnasium.

In anticlimactic fashion, Orange swept Cedar Ridge 3-0 on scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-11. It was the first time Orange clinched a home win over the Red Wolves since 2018.

More importantly, Orange (17-3, 8-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) has all but locked up the conference title. They now lead Cedar Ridge by two games in the CCC, plus the head-to-head tiebreaker. With wins next week over Person and Southern Alamance, Orange will clinch first place.

“We were confident,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “But it was a confidence that came from working hard and putting in a lot of extra work on the outside. We made some adjustments yesterday during practice to be ready for today. We worked on the mental aspect of the game and not just the X’s and O’s and just can see the players are thinking about the mental part and pushing through.”

The trappings of a big rivalry match were impossible to ignore as anticipation built on Thursday night. It was the largest crowd of the year at Panther Gymnasium. The Orange student section was packed from the front row to the rafters. Cedar Ridge’s student section, never afraid to be the minority in an opposing gym, lined up to the left end of the floor, parallel to their squad’s bench.

Orange sophomore setter Katie Silcott finished with 29 assists and five aces. Sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Jordan registered ten kills, while middle blocker Ava Wilkerson had eight kills, one block and one assist.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Claire Hargett had seven kills and 13 digs for the Red Wolves (10-6, 6-2), who suffered only its second conference loss since the 2020 season. Senior Addie Reid had four kills and four blocks.

The opening set included three lead changes and five ties, but it was the only competitive frame of the night. Orange steadily began to pull away following a 4-0 run where Wimsatt racked up consecutive kills, all assisted by Silcott. A kill by Reid drew the Red Wolves to within 10-9, but that was as close as they would get. Orange responded with a 7-1 run, which included back-to-back spikes by Wilkerson and an ace from Silcott, which led to the first Cedar Ridge timeout. An ace by Josie Crawford put the Lady Panthers ahead 23-17. Wimsatt would close out the opening set with a kill suppled by Silcott.

Orange didn’t trail again the rest of the night. Jordan had six kills in the second set, where Orange started with an 11-2 run. It included an ace by Silcott and two kills by Jordan. The Red Wolves chipped away at its deficit with a 6-2 run where Ellamarie Perel scored a kid, along with Hargett. Orange bounced back with four straight points where Wimsatt, Jordan, and Wilkerson all spiked home points. Jordan scored set point to vault Orange ahead two sets.

Orange started the third set with an 8-2 run, included a block by Wilkerson and two kills by Jordan. The Lady Panthers went on a 5-0 run to take a 13-5 lead after a kill by Wimsatt. Silcott added another ace late.

Orange has won all 24 of its sets thus far in conference play, a run that Cedar Ridge can relate to from year’s past. The Red Wolves are the three-time defending conference champions. Going into Thursday, they’re still ranked #6 in the 3A East RPI rankings.

But Orange has been waiting for four years to surpass the Red Wolves for local volleyball supremacy. After plenty of frustration and losses in the postseason to their neighbors to the west, Orange volleyball’s time has finally come.

Where, and when, it ends is anyone’s guess.

The long wait for the Orange volleyball team to defeat its crosstown rival inside Panther Gymnasium is over. On Thursday night, Orange remained undefeated in the Central Carolina Conference with a 3-0 victory over the Red Wolves. It was the first time that Orange defeated Cedar Ridge at home since 2018. Once again, Ella Wimsatt was huge for the Lady Panthers. The senior had ten kills and 18 digs. Senior Abby Silinski had eight digs for the Panthers. Orange is now one step closer to its first conference championship in volleyball since 2005. The Lady Panthers lead Cedar Ridge by two games in the Central Carolina Conference with four games remaining. Orange also controls the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Red Wolves, which means the Lady Panthers need just two wins to clinch the outright championship. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan had ten kills for Orange, while sophomore setter Katie Silcott finished with 29 assists and five aces. Orange hasn’t lost a set against a Central Carolina Conference opponent yet this season. The Lady Panthers will travel to Person on Tuesday night. They will venture home to face Southern Alamance on Thursday in Hillsborough.

Orange volleyball’s Ella Wimsatt and Abby Silinski discuss win over Cedar Ridge

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The Orange volleyball team is halfway to its first regular season championship in volleyball since 2005. On Tuesday night, Orange swept Eastern Alamance for its tenth straight win at Panther Gymnasium on scores of 25-14, 25-12 and 25-13. The Lady Panthers have now won 32 consecutive sets dating back to August 21, when they dropped the 2nd set to Seaforth in Pittsboro. Sophomore middle blocker Ava Wilkerson had seven kills, three aces and a block to win set point in the 2nd. Freshman Sawyer White made her first career start and finished with a career-high 14 assists. She also had three digs. Orange is now 5-0 in the Central Carolina Conference and are in sole possession of first place. The Lady Panthers are currently ranked #1 in the 3A East RPI rankings, ahead of defending 3A Eastern Regional Champion J.H. Rose. Sophomore Aubrey Jordan had 12 kills for the Lady Panthers. The match against Eastern Alamance kicked off a three-game homestead for Orange. They will face Falls Lake, the #1 ranked team in the 1A East RPI rankings, on Wednesday night in Hillsborough. On Thursday, Orange will host Western Alamance in a rematch from last month. Orange swept the Warriors in Elon on August 29.

Orange volleyball’s Ava Wilkerson and Sawyer White discuss win over Eastern Alamance

The Orange volleyball team is halfway to its first regular season championship in volleyball since 2005. On Tuesday night, Orange swept Eastern Alamance for its tenth straight win at Panther Gymnasium on scores of 25-14, 25-12 and 25-13. The Lady Panthers have now won 32 consecutive sets dating back to August 21, when they dropped the 2nd set to Seaforth in Pittsboro.

There’s no football at Roxboro Community School. Their Friday night lights are inside a gymnasium.

When the Orange volleyball team’s bus rolled down Highway 157 on Friday night, they were greeted by a group of students who packed the opposite end zone bleachers facing them. It makes for an intimidating sight to hit towards, but Orange once again proved they were up for the task.

Sophomore Ava Wilkerson finished with 13 kills and seven digs while Aubrey Jordan added 15 kills as Orange swept Roxboro Community School on scores of 25-22, 25-20 and 25-19. Senior Ella Wimsatt added eleven kills and seven digs, while sophomore setter Katie Silcott had 35 assists, three aces and five kills as Orange won its ninth straight match.

The victory completed a span of two wins over Person County teams in two nights for Orange (10-3). On Thursday, the Lady Panthers swept Person in Hillsborough.

RCS opened with leads in the first and second sets. RCS (7-4) jumped ahead 7-3 lead following a kill from Peyton Hogan and an ace from Vivi Carcamo. Orange evened the set after a kill from Wimsatt set up by Josie Crawford. There were eleven ties in the opening set, the final one coming when Wilkerson smashed a point off an assist from Silcott. Orange finished the fame with the final four points, ending with a kill by Jordan, an ace by Silcott and a return by the Bulldogs that went wide on set point.

After conceding the opening two points in the second set, Orange reeled off six in a row, ending with a Wimsatt ace. Jordan and Wilkerson each had two kills in the run. Wilkerson had seven kills overall in the second as the Lady Panthers opened up a 14-10 lead following another Wimsatt ace. The Bulldogs’ Baylee Long scored a point to reduce Orange’s lead to 15-13. An ace by Abby Silinski concluded an 7-3 Orange run to put the Lady Panthers ahead 21-16, but the Bulldogs responded with four in a row, capped by a kill from sophomore Peyton Hogan. Wilkerson ended the run with a kill, then followed with an ace to make it 24-20. RCS sent a return out on set point to put Orange ahead 2-sets-to-nothing.

The third set was the only one that Orange led wire-to-wire. Blessiny Deronette had a block for Orange, followed by an ace from Silcott to make it 5-1. RCS’ Hogan, Long and Jenna Hogan each had kills in succession to reduce the Orange lead to 10-9. Five Orange players had kills in the final set for Orange, led by Jordan with five. Orange had a 7-1 run to take a 24-17 lead, which included two kills each from Jordan and Silcott. Jordan ended the night with a kill on match point assisted by Silcott.

Orange has had ten of its last eleven matches on the road. They will play away from Hillsborough again on Tuesday night (tonight) when they face Southern Alamance in Graham. Orange returns home to face Roxboro Community School in a rematch Wednesday night.

Women’s Tennis: Orange 9, Person 0: Ten different players saw action for Orange in a sweep of Person on Thursday at Panther Tennis Courts.

Sophomores Molly Kruse and Kyla Mehl each won two matches on the night, where singles matches consisted of one set to ten games. Kruse defeated Amaya Hargrove 10-0. Mehl shutout Hailey Martin 10-0. Kruse and Mehl teamed at #1 doubles to defeat Annie Adcock and Danni Brown 8-1.

Erinn Sollars won at #1 singles over Adcock 10-0. Shannon Sollars defeated Brown 10-0 at #2 singles. Makayla Davis rolled past Maria Scott-Dubbusco 10-0. At #6 singles, sophomore Casey Robinson won over Jordan O’Grady 10-1.

At #2 doubles, Adelyn Alvis and Evelyn Over defeated Dubbusco and Hargrove 8-0. In the most competitive match of the day, at #3 doubles, Madeline Dutton and Isabella Panek teamed to defeat Martin & O’Grady 7-6, winning a seven-point tiebreaker 7-0.

Orange is 5-3, 2-2 in the Central Carolina Conference. They will step out of CCC action to host Roxboro Community School in Hillsborough on Tuesday night.