Orange Women’s Tennis

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year.

When Orange women’s tennis coach Justin Webb held his first practice under a sweltering sun on August 1, eight players showed up. Only one of them was among his top six singles players from the 2021 squad, which was the first team in school history to win a match in the State Dual Playoffs.

Ten weeks later, Webb can say with certainty that eight was enough.

Last Thursday, the Lady Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 8-1 to persevere a share of the Central Carolina Conference championship. Orange became the first team, men’s or women’s, to win a conference championship in tennis in the 61-year history of the school.

At the very least, Orange and Walter Williams will tie for the conference championship. Orange finished its conference slate 11-1. Williams still has dual matches against Eastern Alamance and Person this week. The Central Carolina Conference singles and doubles tournament begins on Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center.

Orange is now guaranteed a spot in the 3A State Dual Team Tournament, which will start next Wednesday. In terms of wins, it is already the most successful tennis team in school history with an 18-2 overall record following Monday’s win over Riverside, which concluded the regular season.

When Webb is asked whether he anticipated this group being Orange’s first conference championship team in tennis, his answer starts with a chuckle.

“If I’m being honest, it was not something that I predicted,” Webb said. “But I have to give it to the girls. We’ve been about seven or eight players deep throughout most of the season. Our group of girls has stayed committed. They’ve worked hard every day.”

Junior Erin Sollars and her younger sister Shannon have filled the top two singes slots most of the season. The Sollars’ sisters are also Orange’s top doubles team. In Orange’s 5-4 win over Williams on September 27, the Sollars sisters won 9-7 and clinched the dual match. Overall, the Sollars sisters are 14-2 in doubles play.

Shannon Sollars has a 12-5 singles record.

In order for Orange to have a successful season, several first-time starters would need a strong campaign. That’s where the emergence of senior Madelyn Horn has been so valuable. Horn, in her first year as a regular player, compiled a 27-4 overall record. She was 18-2 in singles matches. Horn and doubles partner Grace Allred are 6-0.

Junior Makayla Davis, another first year starter, went 10-7 in singles matches. Along with partner Isabel Jones, she compiled a 10-3 doubles mark.

At a time when multi-sport athletes have become scarce, Webb has a roster full of women who compete year around. Among his top singles players is Sydney Rogers, who frequently spends her early evenings going directly from tennis practice to football practice, where she is the kicker for head football coach DeVante Pettiford. In August, Rogers became the first female to score a point in Orange High football history.

This year, Rogers was 14-0 in singles matches. Including doubles play, she has 21 overall wins.

Two other singles players, Isabel Jones and Katelyn Van Mater, both play soccer. Along with Rogers, Jones and Van Mater helped the Orange women’s soccer team to its deepest run in the state playoffs ever last spring. They reached the third round after beating Harnett Central in Angier, followed by a victory over Cape Fear in Fayetteville.

Van Mater has also been a regular rotation player in basketball for Orange coach B.J. Condron since her freshman year. Last winter, the Orange women’s basketball team was the only hardwood squad from Hillsborough to reach the state playoffs.

“This is a special group of girls,” Webb said. “These girls don’t get tired. One of the things that I’ve never had to do was coach effort. These girls have gone out all season and competed extremely hard. That’s what has made it special. These are all competitors. They’re all winners in other sports, as well as tennis, now. They have this mentality about them that they want to go out there and win every match.”

After Orange defeated Eastern Alamance last week to take a share of the title, Webb called Andy Brown, the former Orange High Athletic Director and men’s basketball coach who also coached men’s and women’s tennis in his final years before retirement.

Webb coached the men’s team while Brown coached the women’s team before Webb replaced him.

“He’s been a good friend and a good mentor,” Webb said. “He started a good foundation at Orange before I arrived. He really started the foundation for this championship.”

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior tennis player Madelyn Horn. This season, Horn is in her first season as a starter for the Orange women’s tennis team. She has proven to be a valuable presence as Orange has reached the top of the Central Carolina Conference. During the week of September 11-17, Horn won all three of her singles matches. On September 12, she won her match against Northwood 6-2, 6-2 as the Panthers defeated the Chargers 7-2. Two days later, Horn defeated Ryan Foley of Riverside 8-4. The following day, Horn won two matches against Roxboro Community School. At #5 singles, Horn won 8-4. Later in the day, Horn teamed with junior Grace Allred to win at #3 doubles 8-4. This season, Horn has won 21 matches overall. She has a 13-2 record in singles matches. She is 8-2 as a doubles player. Orange is looking for its first automatic trip to the State Dual Team Playoffs since they joined the 3A ranks in the early 2010s. Orange will continue its season later today at Cedar Ridge. The Lady Panthers have won nine in a row. 

Nearly two months ago, the Orange women’s tennis team started practice under the hot August sun with eight players.

They weren’t big on numbers, but there was plenty of experience.

Now, the Lady Panthers are tied for first place in the Central Carolina Conference after beating the defending league champions.

Erin and Shannon Sollars won the final doubles match to clinch a 5-4 win over previously undefeated Walter Williams at Orange Tennis Courts on Monday night in Hillsborough. The victory tied Orange with the Bulldogs for first place in the loss column in the Central Carolina Conference. Orange (13-2, 8-1 in the CCC) has four conference matches remaining.

Williams played without two of its top six players, but still managed to extend the match to the very end.

“There were some close matches that fell our way,” said Orange women’s tennis coach Justin Webb. “Our girls earned it, but it was very close. It could have gone either way easily.”

In the final match of the night, Erin and Shannon Sollars trailed against Abigail Brown and Jaden Wilson 7-6, then won the last three games to prevail 9-7. In dual team matches, doubles are usually the last matches contested and are often played to eight games instead of the full two sets.

Erin and Shannon Sollars are now 10-2 as a tandem this season and have won its last seven matches.

“Shannon and Erin are playing very well for us,” Webb said. “They’re two very good competitors. I don’t have to teach them how to be competitive. And when you play with your sister, it gives you a lot of confidence.”

The two teams split the six singles matches. Erin Sollars won at #1 singles 6-3, 6-3 over Brown. Junior Makayla Davis, who has won 17 matches overall this year, prevailed over Lauren Tuner at #3 singles 6-1, 6-3. Senior Sydney Rogers, the kicker for the Orange football team, won the longest match of the night against Gracie Hartle. Rogers was extended to a 10-point tiebreaker in the third set before winning 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 10-4.

So far this year, Rogers has been a starter for the Orange women’s soccer team that made the deepest playoff run in team history, reaching the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs after beating Cape Fear in Fayetteville. In August, she became the first female to score a point in an Orange football game when she kicked an extra point against South Granville. She is 11-0 in singles matches this year.

Orange senior Madelyn Horn, who is in her first year as a starter, won at #6 singles 6-1, 6-0.

“Between Erin, Shannon and Makayla Davis, who has played #3 singles for us, they have more experience,” Webb said. “And then Maddie Horn, she’s probably the most experienced player. She fills a good spot for us at #6 singles that we need for us.”

Williams’ sophomore Jaden Wilson defeated Shannon Sollars 6-3, 6-2. Grace Gabrielli defeated Isabel Jones 6-3, 6-3.

Orange won two of the three doubles matches to take the match. In addition to the Sollars’ sisters, Isabel Jones and Katelyn Van Mater defeated Gabrielli and Mary Bryan 8-1.

Orange has now won nine matches in a row.

“We still have a lot more tough matches to go,” Webb said. “It’s nice to get a win over Williams, but we still have a lot more work to do.”

Orange has never won a conference championship in women’s tennis. Last season, they won a match in the 3A State Dual Team Tournament for the first time ever, beating Fike High School in Wilson. Orange will face crosstown rival Cedar Ridge on Wednesday at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

Women’s tennis: Orange 9, J.F. Webb 0 (Thursday): The Orange women’s tennis team improved to 12-2 with a 9-0 victory over the Warriors on Thursday at Orange High Tennis Courts. Last year, the Lady Panthers set what is believed to be a school record with 16 team wins, including a victory in the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs over Wilson Fike.

The current edition of the Lady Panthers still has six regular season matches remaining, including a crucial match against Williams on Monday. The Bulldogs hold a one-game lead over Orange for first place in the Central Carolina Conference.

In Thursday’s nonconfernece match against J.F. Webb, many first-time starters had a chance to show their talent. Senior Isabel Jones, a regular stater, was slotted at #1 singles for the first time and won 8-0. Another senior, Madelyn Horn, won at #2 8-0. Grace Allred got a start at #3 singles to win her match. Aubrey Petrosanu won at #4 singles 8-2. At #5 singles, freshman Nora Plummer captured her match 5-3. Another freshman, Lindsey Woodell completed the sweep at singles with an 8-0 victory.

Makayla Davis and Katelyn Van Mater teamed at #1 doubles to win 8-0. Horn and Allred won at #2 doubles 8-0. Petrosanu and Woodell won at #3 doubles to finish the sweep 8-0.

Orange 8, Western Alamance 1 (Wednesday): Orange started the second half of its conference schedule on Wednesday with a road win over Western Alamance in Elon. The Lady Panthers completed a season sweep of the Warriors. On August 29, the Lady Panthers defeated the Warriors 8-1 in Hillsborough.

Sophomore Shannon Sollars, seniors Isabel Jones, Sydney Rogers and Madelyn Horn each had two wins on the day. Sollars won her singles match over Saran McLaughlin 6-1, 6-2. At #1 doubles, Sollars teamed with her older sister, Erin, to win 8-2. Shannon Sollars has 18 overall wins this season, including a 9-3 record in singles.

Jones took a 6-0, 6-1 victory at #5 singles. She teamed with Rogers to win at #2 doubles 8-4. Earlier, Rogers won her singles match 6-3, 6-2.

Horn, at #6 singles, prevailed when her opponent retired after the first set, which Horn won 6-0. Horn joined Katelyn Van Mater to win 8-0 at #3 doubles.

Davis, at #3 singles, worked overtime to win the only three-set match of the day. McLaughlin defeated Reagan Williams 6-2, 4-6, 10-6. Sydney Rogers, at #4 singles, defeated Kensley Gasaway 6-3, 6-2.

Cedar Ridge 9, Person 0: In its only match of this week, the Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team rolled past Person at Red Wolves Tennis Courts. #1 singles player Adeline Cummings, a sophomore, won her match at #1 singles 6-0, 6-0. Cameron Mayhew won at #2 singles 6-0, 6-1.

Sophomore Ella Caltabiano, junior Annabeth Lundberg, junior Catherine Ballenger and junior Raven Mowles-Airing all won two matches on the afternoon. Caltabiano won at #3 singles 6-0, 6-0. She teamed with Ballenger to win 8-1 at #1 doubles.

Lundberg, started at #5 singles, won 6-1, 6-0. She teamed with Mowles-Aring at #2 doubles to prevail 8-1. Earlier, Mowles-Aring captured her singles match 6-0, 6-0.

At #3 doubles, Molly Alvesson and Addie Payne won at #3 doubles 8-0. The Red Wolves are now 7-5, 5-2 in the Central Carolina Conference. The Red Wolves remain in contention for a wildcard spot for the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs.

Women’s Golf: On Thursday, the Cedar Ridge and Orange women’s golf teams participated in a Central Carolina Conference match at Roxboro Country Club.

The top local finisher was Orange’s Samantha Durham, who finished with a 54. Durham finished tied for ninth overall on the day.

The overall winner was Eastern Alamance’s Emily Matthew, who shot a 33 in nine holes. Western Alamance’s Mary Allen Massey was in second with a 37. Northwood’s Lily Jordan carded a 40.

The Lady Panthers’ Shannon Dorsi finished with a 55. Orange’s Shannon Murphy had a 56. Kayla Pope carded a 67 while Orange’s Rylie Digiliramo had a 67.

Victoria Matthew led Cedar Ridge with a 67. The Red Wolves’ Alice Ann Kohler and Emily Worthy each finished with a 71.

Western Alamance won the team competition with a 133. Eastern Alamance was second at 142. Orange finished fourth at 165. Cedar Ridge registered 209.

Women’s Tennis:

Orange 7, Roxboro Community School 2: Another strong week for the Orange women’s tennis team concluded with a victory over Roxboro Community School in Person County on Thursday.

Senior Madelyn Horn claimed two wins for the Lady Panthers. She won her match at #5 singles, then won her doubles match. Orange is now 9-2 overall. They’re 4-1 in the Central Carolina Conference, behind only Walter Williams. The Lady Panthers will resume CCC action when they travel to Eastern Alamance on Monday afternoon.

Cedar Ridge 7, Western Alamance 2: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team remains in the hunt for a spot in the state dual tournament after beating Western Alamance 8-1 on Thursday in Elon. Junior Cameron Mayhew won her #2 singles match 6-0, 6-0, then teamed with Adeline Cummings to claim a victory at #1 doubles 8-2.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Ella Caltabiano didn’t win her match at #3 singles, but she may have claimed the award for longest match in the CCC this year in terms of points played. Reagan Williams of Western Alamance worked double overtime to win her match over Caltabiano 6-4, 3-6, 16-14 (10-point tiebreaker).

Not to be outdone, Cedar Ridge junior Catherine Ballenger had her own 10-point tiebreaker at #3 singles. Ballenger defeated Western Alamance’s Kensley Gasaway 6-3, 5-7, 10-4. Ballenger and Caltabiano, a doubles team that could be dubbed “The Ironwomen,” fittingly teamed later in the night to win at #2 doubles 8-2.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Raven Mowles-Aring won her match at #5 singles 6-0, 6-3. Molly Alverson won at #6 singles by default. The Red Wolves are 6-5, 4-2 in the CCC. They will travel to the Durham School of the Arts later today.

Orange

Walter Williams 7, Cedar Ridge 1: On Wednesday, Williams maintained its undefeated record in the CCC with a victory at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

Cameron Mayhew won at #2 singles for Cedar Ridge over Jaden Wilson is another three-set battle. Mayhew prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 12-10. Caltabiano played in yet another match that went three sets. Ella Forfilio defeated Caltabiano 3-6, 6-3, 10-4. The Bulldogs ended the match 5-0 overall, 4-0 in the CCC.

Orange 7, Riverside 2: On Wednesday, the Orange women’s tennis team extended its winning streak to four with a win over Riverside at Orange Tennis Courts. All of the matches were contained to one set comprised of eight games.

Lady Panthers sophomore Shannon Sollars won at #2 singles 8-0. At #1 doubles, Sollars teamed with her older sister Erin Sollars to win 8-1. At #3 singles, Makayla Davis won 8-2. Davis now has 13 overall wins this season after she teamed with Sydney Rogers to claim an 8-5 victory at #2 doubles.

Rogers, who has eleven overall victories this year, won at #4 singles 8-1.

Senior Madelyn Horn improved to 14-4 in all competitions this year. Horn won at #6 singles 8-4.

At #3 doubles, Isabel Jones and Katelyn Van Mater claimed their second win in as many days with an 8-2 victory. On Tuesday, Jones and Van Mater teamed to win over Northwood’s #3 doubles team.

Men’s Soccer: Northwood 3, Cedar Ridge 0 The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team played for the second time in two nights on Thursday at Red Wolves Stadium. Northwood scored the game-winning goal in the 61st minute to beat the Red Wolves. The Chargers added insurance with 11:14 remaining. Cedar Ridge is now 3-6-1 overall, 1-2 in the CCC.

Women’s Golf: Orange and Cedar Ridge participated in this week’s CCC golf meet at Northwood High School on Monday.

Among teams that had more than four competitors, Orange finished fourth among four teams. Shannon Murphy was the top competitor for Orange, shooting a 49 on the front nine. Samantha Durham finished with a 55. Shannon Dorsi and Kayla Pope also competed for Orange.

Eastern Alamance wound up finishing first.

Women’s Tennis: Orange 7, Cedar Ridge 2: Evidently, various members of the Orange women’s tennis team have stayed up way past their bedtime to watch some of the marathon matches during the U.S. Open this week and decided to emulate them.

On Tuesday night, Orange’s Shannon Sollars and Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Mayhew engaged in a four-hour marathon match at #2 singles–and they didn’t even play a third set tiebreaker. Sollars emerged from the struggle with a 7-5, 7-6 (9-7) victory to improve to 5-2 in singles matches this year. The length of Sollars’ singles match didn’t stop her from teaming with her older sister, Erin, in the only doubles match of the night. Erin and Shannon won 6-4 under the lights at Orange High Tennis Courts.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Adeline Cummings continued her impressive season with a victory at #1 singles. Cummings, who is now 7-1 in singles play this season, won 6-4, 6-3. Ella Caltabiano, another Cedar Ridge sophomore, captured her match at #3 singles 6-1, 6-4.

In addition to Sollars, Orange senior Sydney Rogers won for the Lady Panthers. Rogers, who became the first female to score a point for the Panthers football team last month, won 6-4, 6-4 at #5 singles. Orange’s Isabel Jones captured her match after her opponent retired. Madelyn Horn and Cedar Ridge’s Raven Mowles-Aring had the only three-set match of the night. Horn, an Orange senior, squeezed out a victory 5-7, 7-5, 10-5.

Orange has now defeated Cedar Ridge in six straight meetings.

Orange 9, Person 0: On Thursday, the Orange women’s tennis team rolled past Person 9-0 in Roxboro. The Lady Panthers lost only four games in the nine matches.

Erin Sollars captured her match at #1 singles 6-1, 6-0 to improve to 6-3 in singles matches this year. She has won ten matches overall. Shannon Sollars was victorious at #2 singles 6-0, 6-0.

Makayla Davis won at #3 singles 6-0, 6-0. At #4 singles, Isabel Jones won 6-0, 6-0. Madelyn Horn and Grace Allred finished out the singles sweep for Orange.

in doubles play, Erin and Shannon Sollars won at #1 9-0. Davis and Jones teamed together for a win at #2 doubles. Horn and Allred won at #3 doubles.

Orange is 6-2 overall. More importantly, they maintained second place in the Central Carolina Conference behind Walter Williams with a 3-1 mark. The top two teams at season’s end in the CCC receive an automatic bid to the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs.

Men’s Soccer: Western Alamance 2, Orange 1: The Orange men’s soccer team went toe-to-toe with the defending 3A State Champions on Tuesday night, asked no quarter and gave none.

The Warriors would emerge from Orange Soccer Field with a 2-1 victory. The Warriors scored the opener within the first ten minutes. With Orange trailing 2-0, the Panthers knifed the lead in half after Dylan Silverman scored off a feed from senior Darius Corbett. So far this year, Corbett has been responsible for all three goals for Orange this year. He scored the game-winner in Orange’s only victory thus far, a 1-0 victory over Knightdale. It was Silverman’s first goal of the season.

Orange (1-5, 0-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) will travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams on Monday. On Wednesday, the Panthers will host Cedar Ridge for the first leg of the Hillsborough Derby.

Cedar Ridge 8, Eastern Guilford 0: On September 2, senior Chris Mendez notched the first hat trick of the season for Red Wolves soccer as the Red Wolves rolled past Eastern Guilford 8-0 at Cedar Ridge Stadium. Mendez also scored two goals for the Red Wolves in a 6-3 loss to East Chapel Hill on August 30.

There’s working overtime. And then there’s what Shannon Sollars of the Orange women’s tennis team did on Tuesday night. Sollars and Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Mayhew engaged in a four-hour match at #2 singles that remarkably didn’t extend into a third set. With the lights on at Orange High Tennis Center, Sollars finally ended the struggle by winning a second-set tiebreaker 9-7 to take the match. Sollars won the opening set 7-5. If that wasn’t enough Shannon teamed with her younger sister Erin to win the only doubles match 6-4 as the Lady Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 5-2. It was Orange’s sixth straight win over the Red Wolves in women’s tennis. Shannon Sollars is now 4-2 in singles matches this year for Orange and has won eight overall matches. Erin Sollars is 5-3 in singles play this season. With the win, Orange improves to 5-2 overall and is in sole possession of second place in the Central Carolina Conference. Last season, the Lady Panthers won a match in the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs. They will continue its hunt to a second straight trip to the postseason when they travel to Roxboro and face Person on Thursday. 

Even after winning a match in the state dual team playoffs in 2021, there were still plenty of questions for the Orange women’s tennis team as its started its season against Voyager Academy on Tuesday. The Lady Panthers lost its top five singles players from last season. They did return plenty of experience, nonetheless, and it showed as the Panthers defeated the Vikings 6-3 at Orange High Tennis Courts on Tuesday. Orange won five of the six singles matches, including junior Erin Sollars winning a three-set battle against Voyager’s Katelyn Hutson 3-6, 6-4, 10-3. The only player for either team on the day to win both matches was Orange senior Madelyn Horn. In doubles action, Horn teamed with Isabel Jones to win against Grace Garrett and CeCe Meath. Horn also won her match at #6 singles. Makayla Davis, Shannon Solars and Sydney Rogers also captured Orange’s singles wins. The Lady Panthers will return home to face Southern Alamance on Thursday afternoon to wrap up the opening week of the season. 

Justin Webb has an old saying about the start of each tennis season.

“The boys freeze and the girls melt.”

When Webb’s Orange women’s tennis team started workouts on August 1, there were eight players practicing in heat indexes in triple digits, even at 6PM. From May-to-July, according to temperatures from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, there were 42 days where the high exceeded 90 degrees. Last year, it was 23.

That’s why it was a present surprise when Orange opened its season against Voyager Academy at home on Monday, the highs more adept to a early October match than a season-opener. The highs were barely in the 80s at match time. In fact, Webb had to open with doubles matches (which usually conclude dual meets) on the other side of the tennis stadium so that the other end could dry up from torrential rain that had fallen in previous days.

Though Webb lost his top five starters from last season, including senior Jera Hargrove (who is headed to Alabama for tennis at Tuskegee University), he did return plenty of veterans who are no strangers to competition. Seniors Sydney Rogers, Katelyn Van Mater and Isabel Jones are all multi-sport athletes who just led the Orange women’s soccer team to its deepest postseason run ever last spring.

After dropping two of the three doubles fixtures, Orange relied on its experience to win five of the six singles matches to defeat Voyager 6-3. Setting the tone was junior Erin Sollars, who won at #1 singles over Voyager’s Katelyn Hutson 3-6, 6-4, 10-3 (10 point tiebreaker for the third set). Erin’s younger sister, Shannon, defeated Cara Frieburger 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.

Senior Madelyn Horn was the only player to win both of her matches on the day. Horn won at #6 singles against Lauren King 6-3, 6-1. She teamed with Jones to take home Orange’s doubles win over Grace Garrett and CeCe Meath 8-6.

Junior Makayla Davis sewed up the dual match win with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Karli McKenna. Rogers knocked off Garrett 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

For one of the first times in team history, Orange had to deal with some preseason expectations. In 2021, Orange defeated Wilson Fike in the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs, believed it be the only time in school history that the Lady Panthers won a postseason match.

“Any time you have a good group of girls coming back, that’s always a good thing,” Webb said. “They know the basis, they know the fundamentals. For a lot of players, it’s just a factor of getting back into match play.”

Orange will host Southern Alamance on Thursday.

Cedar Ridge 9, Southern Alamance 0

Sophomore Ella Caltabiano, junior Raven Mowles-Aring and junior Annabeth Lundberg each had two victories as Cedar Ridge opened its season with a win over Southern Alamance in Graham on Tuesday afternoon.

Caltabiano, who played regularly as a freshman, defeated Lexie Hester 6-0, 6-0 at #3 singles. In doubles action, Caltabiano teamed with Ria Ballenger to defeat Faith Moore and Paicey Cameron 8-1.

Mowles-Aring won at #6 singles over Mallory White 6-0, 6-0. At #2 doubles, the tandem of Mowles-Aring and Lundberg defeated Lexie Hester and Maddie Corbett 8-1.

In addition to her doubles win with Mowles-Aring, Lundberg defeated Morgan Isley at #5 singles 6-1, 6-0.

Cedar Ridge’s top singles player, junior Cameron Mayhew, started the sweep with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Moore. At #2 singles, Adeline Cummings won 6-1, 6-0. Catherine Ballenger won at #4 singles 6-0, 6-0.

At #3 doubles, Addie Paine and Molly Alverson defeated Isley and Mallory White 8-3.

CARRBORO 9, CEDAR RIDGE 0

Carrboro, the defending Northern Lakes Conference champion, defeated Cedar Ridge 9-0 on Wednesday in the Red Wolves home opener. Mowles-Aring won six games in her #5 singles match against Kaitlyn Lubell.

Cedar Ridge will host Durham School of the Arts on Thursday in Hillsborough.

It’s not everyday that the Orange women’s tennis team wins in the 3A State Dual Team Tournament.

In fact, it may not have happened at all in school history—until last Wednesday.

Orange, who qualified as a wildcard from the Central Carolina Conference, stunned Fike in Wilson 5-3 in the opening round of the state tournament. The Demons entered the match with a 17-1 record and won the Quad County Conference championship with a 14-0 mark. They were ranked #4 in 3A, according to North Carolina High School Tennis Coaches Association.

Orange became the first team from Hillsborough since the 2016 Cedar Ridge squad to win a match in the state tournament. The 2016 Red Wolves won the Big 8 Conference Championship with a 12-0 conference record and advanced to the state quarterfinals.

“I told the team it’s a huge accomplishment,” said Orange coach Justin Webb, who took his team to Chipotle for a celebratory dinner on the bus ride back to Hillsborough. “There’s 109 3A teams. Of those 109, only 32 make the playoffs. No one is going to be super easy. Now, we’re in the top 16 and that’s a huge honor.”

Against Fike, Orange won four of the six singles matches. Senior Jinkie Andrews won the most pivotal mach of the day when she defeated Mary Thomas Watkins in a three-set affair, 3-6, 6-0 and 10-7 (10-point tiebreaker). At #4 singles, senior Tea Jones continued a strong season with a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Erin Sollars, a sophomore, defeated Zoe Mitchell at #5 singles 6-2, 6-3. Sollars’ younger sister, Shannon, defeated Kaden Biamby 6-0, 6-2.

On Tuesday, Orange will travel to Fayetteville to face Cape Fear in the 2nd round. The Lady Panthers are 16-4, reaching what is widely believed to be a school record for wins in a season.

Orange’s #2 doubles team of Jera Hargrove and Erin Sollars sewed up the milestone win for the Lady Panthers with an 8-1 victory.

The victory also served as a homecoming for Webb, a Wilson native for graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill.

The big week for Orange tennis didn’t end there.

On Friday, Hargrove and Sollars qualified for the 3A State Doubles Tournament. On Friday at the 3A Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center, Hargrove and Sollars defeated Evelyn Lippers and Julia Earnshaw 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 to earn a spot in the state tournament.

Hargrove and Sollars will be the #3 seed in the Mideast. On Saturday, Hargrove and Sollars defeated a team from the Durham School of the Arts in the consolation round 7-5, 7-5. Hargrove qualified for regions as Orange’s top singles player during her freshman and sophomore years, but feel just short of reaching the state championships.

“Jera has made a big difference, particularly towards the end of the season,” Webb said. “She has a ton of experience. I think the girls look up to her and her being in the lineup gives the team more confidence. It also makes us much deeper than we were at the start of the season.”

One of the many reasons why this season has been so successful for Orange is depth. Webb started the season with 23 players, the most during his tenure. Fike, despite winning its conference championship, had just seven.

“It’s makes a big difference when you have that much depth,” Webb said. “I think some of it is just word of mouth. The girls have done a great job in promoting the team and promoting the sport. People come out and see how much fun it is. That makes them want to come out and play it. I think COVID has helped in some ways. Tennis is definitely a low contact sport, so I think a lot of people feel safer playing this.”

Cedar Ridge singles players Cameron Mayhew and Chloe Patz competed during the Mideast Regionals on Friday. So did Orange sophomore Finley White, who qualified for regionals for the second straight year, and sophomore Grace Pell.