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The most successful season in the history of the Orange women’s tennis team is over. But for Erinn and Shannon Sollars, it will continue on Friday in the 3A state doubles tournament.

Last week, the Sollars sisters finished runner-up in doubles play at the 3A Mideast Regionals at the Burlington Tennis Center. In the 16-team tournament, only the tandems that reach the semifinals quality for the 3A State Tournament. In the opening round, Erinn and Shannon Sollars defeated Sophie McLean and Andrea Romero of Harnett Central 6-0, 6-3. In the second round, which a trip to the state championships on the line, the Sollars defeated Destyn Rader and Ryan Tinervin 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to advance to the semifinals.

On Saturday, the Sollars advanced to the regional championship match with a straight sets victory over Sophie Blankenship and Hannah Johnson of Terry Sanford 6-3, 6-2. With the victory, the Sollars became the first Orange doubles team to play for a 3A Regionals championship.

Cape Fear’s Brooke Bieniek and Anna Poland, the defending 3A State Champions, defeated the Sollars for the Mideast Regional championship. Earlier in the tournament, Bieniek and Poland defeated Orange’s other team to qualify for the regional championships, Sydney Rogers and Makayla Davis.

The Sollars became the first duo from Hillsborough to quality for the 3A State Championships since Cedar Ridge’s Olivia Ward and Alana Lutz in 2018.

In the opening round of the 3A State Tournament on Friday morning, the Sollars will face Ellie Holtzman and Berkley Geyer of Hickory High. It is another 16-team tournament.

This season, the Sollars are 17-4 as a team. They helped Orange win a share of its first conference championship in school history. The Lady Panthers tied Walter Williams for first place in the Central Carolina Conference with an 11-1 mark. In Orange’s 5-4 win over Williams on September 26, the Sollars earned the victory that essentially clinched the dual match, beating Abigail Brown and Jaden Wilson 9-7 at #1 doubles.

This season, Orange won a school-record 19 matches and reached the second round of the 3A State Dual Team Tournament. On Tuesday, Fike defeated Orange 6-0 in Wilson to advance to the second round. The Golden Demons, the champions of the Quad County Conference, avenged its loss to Orange in the opening round of the 2021 Dual Tournament. Rogers, who was undefeated in singles play this year for Orange, didn’t play on Tuesday due to an injury.

The loss ended Orange’s 15-match winning streak, a school record.

This season was the first time where the Sollars exclusively teamed together during doubles action. While they did team up at times during the 2021 campaign, they spent the majority of matches with other players.

They started playing doubles together in middle school at the downtown Mebane clinics on Saturday afternoons. After taking a few years off, they returned to the game when they started at Orange High. Last season, they helped Orange to a 16-5 record. Up to that point, it was the most successful season in team history. In the 2021 Mideast Regionals, Erinn Sollars teamed with Jera Hargrove, who is now a freshman at Tuskegee University. Shannon Sollars teamed with Tea Jones, who has also graduated.

Erinn Sollars, a junior, was Orange’s top singles players this season. She had 28 overall wins in 2022, including eleven singles victories. Shannon Sollars, a sophomore, was Orange’s #2 singles player and finished with an 13-6 singles record. She has 30 overall victories.

In other action in the 3A State Dual Tournament, Cape Fear defeated Walter Williams 5-1 in the second round on Tuesday.

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 joyride that has been the Class of 2023 Cedar Ridge volleyball team is entering its final days.

Regardless of whether the end comes on Tuesday in the second round of the state playoffs against Orange, on November 8 in the 3A State Championship match at Reynolds Coliseum or somewhere in between, there’s no disputing the numbers continue to add up for the most accomplished group of Cedar Ridge athletes in the 20-year history of the school.

On Saturday, Cedar Ridge rolled past Richlands 3-0 in the opening round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A State Playoffs. The Red Wolves (22-1), the defending 3A State Champions, are the #2 seed in the east region. They advanced to face crosstown rival Orange in the second round on Tuesday night in Red Wolves Gymnasium.

It was the 80th win for Cedar RIdge’s senior class of Cameron Lloyd, Cameron Lanier, Julie Altieri, Anaya Carter, Grace Young, Melissa Benkowitz, Lauren Cecil and Isabelle Sheppard. Lloyd, Lanier, Altieri and Carter all played for the Red Wolves on the varsity as freshman. Young, Benkowitz, Sheppard and Cecil joined the varsity as sophomores (Benkowitz transferred from East Chapel Hill).

The Red Wolves used superior serving to easily take the victory. In the opening set, Young had eight aces and eight digs. Lloyd, who is second in school history for most career aces behind only Altieri, finished with five aces and nine digs, which led the team.

For the third straight game, Altieri was out. The Red Wolves went with freshman Mia Marty as setter in the opening two sets. Marty finished with eight assists, a lower total than usual simply because there weren’t many rallies.

Freshman Claire Hargett led the Red Wolves with five kills. Benkowitz added four while Lanier had three kills and three blocks.

Cedar Ridge has now won 22 consecutive matches and 66 of its last 67 sets. Its only loss of the season came against J.H. Rose, who is the #1 seed in the east region. On Saturday, the Rampants rolled past South Brunswick in the opening round to set up a matchup against C.B. Aycock on Tuesday night.

After winning all six of its state playoff matches last year, Cedar Ridge’s senior class has won nine state playoff matches. Asha Barnes, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2016, was a member of teams that won 13 sate playoff matches during her four years. In her senior year, the Red Wolves hosted the 2015 3A Eastern Regional championship match, which Asheboro captured 3-1.

Altieri holds the school record in assists and aces. She is the only player in Cedar Ridge history with over 200 aces. She also has 1,921 assists.

The remarkable thing about Cedar Ridge’s various record holders is they all were robbed of 10-15 games in the 2020-2021, which was limited to ten games because of the pandemic. The Red Wolves had 24 matches in 2019-2020 and 33 last year. With a standard length regular season, Lloyd could have become the first player in school history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.

Going into Saturday, Lloyd’s listed statistics on MaxPreps was 990 kills and 728 digs. Based on records kept on MaxPreps, the all-time digs record in Cedar Ridge history belongs to Lindsay Thompson, who finished with 745.

When they face Orange on Tuesday, the Red Wolves will go for its 40th consecutive win over a conference opponent. In what may be a good omen for Orange, the Lady Panthers were the last team from the Central Carolina Conference to defeat the Red Wolves. They won 3-2 on October 18, 2019.

Cedar Ridge has won 25 consecutive home matches.

It was a day that started at 9:20AM. It didn’t end 11:20PM.

In all, the Orange women’s tennis team drove to Kill Devil Hills for a journey that added up to 480 miles roundtrip. Once it was all said and done, the lasting feeling was satisfaction, along with the urgent need for a leg stretch.

Behind four singles wins, the Orange women’s tennis team defeated First Flight 5-2 to win in the opening round of the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs. Orange extended its school-record with 19 wins in a season. For the first time ever, the Lady Panthers tennis team has won matches in the state dual team playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Orange, the co-champions of the Central Carolina Conference, defeated the co-champions of the Northeast Coastal Conference. The Nighthawks (10-2) shared the title with Holmes, a 2A team, with a 7-1 mark.

“It was a good match,” said Orange women’s tennis coach Justin Webb just after he parked the team bus at Orange High Tennis Courts late Wednesday night. “I thought both teams competed extremely hard. It was really interesting conditions.”

Orange advances to the Round of 16, where they will face Fike in Wilson next Tuesday. The Golden Demons, the Quad County Conference champions, defeated Croatan in the opening round on Tuesday.

Last season, Orange knocked off Fike for its first-ever win in the state dual team playoffs.

Webb and his players knew that the fall chill that’s permeated the Triangle this week would extend all the way to the east. When they finally got off the bus following a four-hour ride, they were greeted with wind gusts of 20 miles per hour that were imposing and constantly changing, but expected considering they were along the coast.

“It was very cold and windy,” Webb said. “It’s was pretty difficult conditions, but both teams had to deal with it. First Flight was very scrappy. They didn’t get us much. They were a very tough team and definitely didn’t make it easy on us. I’m sure the wind is something they’re used to, but we’re not.”

Even though Orange is a senior-laden team, the postseason was new for many of them. Of the seven starters who saw action on Wednesday, only two played in last year’s playoff victory over Fike.

“They were excited,” Webb said. “I felt when they were warming up and throughout the whole trip, they were excited about going to the beach. But they had a mission and a goal, and that was to win. I think they believed that if we were going to travel four hours, we’re doing to compete and we’re going to make it worth it.”

Orange never trailed in the match after senior Sydney Rogers extended her singles winning streak with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Chloe Rose at #4 singles. Rogers, the placekicker for the Orange football team, is 15-0 this season.

Senior Isabel Jones, a teammate of Rogers on the Orange women’s soccer team, put the Lady Panthers ahead 2-0 after a three-set victory over Stella Matzgannis, one of two singles matches to go the limit. Jones prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 (10-point tiebreaker). Lady Panthers’ junior Makayla Davis defeated sophomore Olivia Lillington 6-3, 6-3 at #3 singles, giving Orange a 3-0 lead. Davis has 23 wins overall in 2022.

In the final match of singles play, Orange sophomore Shannon Sollars defeated Heather Snyder, one of two senior starters for the Nighthawks, 7-5, 6-2. Sollars, who qualified for the 3A Mideast Regionals in doubles play with her older sister Erin, has won 13 singles matches in 2022.

The only doubles match to be completed clinched the match for Orange. Senior Katelyn Van Mater, who is a three-sport athlete, teamed with Jones to defeat Maura Trivette and Matzgannis 8-6.

Sophomore Annalise Snyder won the #1 singles match for First Flight. In the other three set match, Trivette held off Orange senior Madelyn Horn 6-4, 0-6, 12-10.

The victory added to a growing list of unprecedented accomplishments continues to grow. After winning its first conference championship in tennis earlier this month, Orange will try to reach the state quarterfinals next week.

The only women’s tennis team to ever reach the 3A State Quarterfinals in Hillsborough high history is the 2016 Cedar Ridge Red Wolves.

For two schools separated by only 16 miles, it seems surprising that Orange and Carrboro hadn’t met in volleyball in 14 years.

On Monday night, Orange made a long sought after victory over the Jaguars worth the wait.

In possibly its most complete performance of the season, the Lady Panthers defeated the Jaguars 3-1 on scores of 25-19, 25-12, 16-25 and 26-24. Orange (10-6) is now 3-0 lifetime against Carrboro.

Carrboro has won three straight conference championships and 43 consecutive league matches, extending back to its days as a 2A school (playing in the Mid-State Conference) and its current status in the 3A/2A Northern Lakes Conference.

Orange junior Ella Wimsatt finished with ten kills and 23 digs. Freshman middle blocker Ava Wilkinson had six kills while her sister, senior Allie Wilkinson, slammed home match point to end a nonconfernce match that extended to nearly two hours in front of a sizable crowd at Panthers Gymnasium.

Senior Erin Jordan-Cornell factored in the biggest down the stretch of a tight opening set. Jordan-Cornell evened things at 18-18 with a kill set up by freshman Katie Silcott, who finished with 19 assists. That triggered a 5-0 Orange run which continued when Jordan-Cornell dunked home a ball that hung precariously in the air over the net. Jordan-Cornell’s stuffed an attack by Carrboro’s Emily Stutts for a block, putting Orange’s lead at 22-18.

Following a kill by Wimsatt, Allie Wilkerson completed the set with a spike set up by Wilcott to conclude a lengthy point that included junior Josie Crawford making three digs.

Orange never trailed in the second set, which couldn’t have gone any better for the home team. It started with senior Caitlin Carden getting a rare kill, which sent the Orange bench into delirium. Orange led 10-4 when Ava Wilkerson started notched a kill to start a spree of eight straight Lady Panthers points. Wimsatt put Orange ahead 2-0 off a spike to wrap up the set 25-12.

“The second set was one of the best sets we’ve ever played,” said Jordan-Cornell. “Our coach said it was beautiful. And it really was. It was really flowing. Everybody was high-fiving each other and it felt really good.”

Carrboro (8-5), the 2017 2A State Champions, fought back from an early 2-0 deficit with five consecutive points. The Jaguars won the third set 25-16 off a kill by junior Catherine Rucker.

Orange had six different players register kills in the fourth and final set, which included seven ties. Wimsatt even the frame 8-8 with an attack off an assist from Silcott, which started a 5-0 Orange run. Following an ace by Allie Wilkerson and kills by Wilkerson and Jordan-Cornell, Orange led 12-8, leading to a Carrboro timeout. Silcott had five assists in the third set.

“It’s definitely been really challenging,” Silcott said. “I’ve been trying to adjust to stronger play as I’m playing older students. But it’s also been a lot of fun being challenged. It’s definitely been a fun experience.”

Orange crept closer to match point despite some tenuous moments late. It appeared that Wimsatt put Orange ahead 21-19 with a kill, but she was called for going over the line under the net, leading to a lengthy discussion between an official and Orange coach Kelly Young. After the Lady Panthers got a side out, Carden served up another ace to put Orange ahead 23-20.

Carrboro extended the fourth set into overtime following a point by Rucker. Orange’s Ashlyn Davis returned possession to the home side following a kill, which led to Wilkerson finishing things off.

“I like our chemistry,” Jordan-Cornell said. “We pretty much love each other. We have a lot of seniors and our freshmen are like our little babies. It’s a great team chemistry and it all goes nice together.”

Orange will travel to Eastern Alamance on Tuesday night, followed by a trip to Western Alamance on Thursday.

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.

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports

Trenton Gill: Following an impressive training camp, Gill will become the first former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf to play in the National Football League. On Tuesday afternoon, the Chicago Bears reduce its roster from 80 to 53 players. Gill, as widely expected, made the final cut. In May, Gill was selected in the 7th round of the NFL Draft by the Bears. He will replace veteran Patrick O’Donnell, who the Bears let leave in free agency last winter. In his final exhibition game last week against Cleveland, Gill averaged 48.3 yards on five punts. One of the punts was downed inside the 20-yard line. His longest attempt was 58 yards. When the Bears face the San Francisco 49ers at Solider Field on September 11, Gill will become the first player from Hillsborough to play in the NFL since Alvis Whitted, who played wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders in 2006. Whitted also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons in a nine-year career. He is now the wide receivers coach at the University of Wisconsin.

Mia Davidson: Davidson completed her first professional season with Athletes Unlimited over the weekend. Davidson finished 21st among 60 players. For the final week of the season, Davidson played for Team Mulipola. The captain of Team Mulipola, Dejah Mulipola, wound up winning the individual championship with 1,782 points. Davidson ended the season with 1,280 points. In the final game of the season on Sunday, Team Mulipola defeated Team Chidester 10-6. Davidson hit her fourth home run of the season in the first inning, a two-run blast. Davidson ended up with 150 points on Sunday (60 for inning points, 50 for the win and 40 for the home run). Team Mulipola lost the other two games last weekend. On Friday, Team McCleney edged Team Mulipola 5-4. Davidson went 0-for-2 and finished with 18 points (10 for winning one inning, eight for getting hit by a pitch). On Saturday, Team Denham defeated Team Mulipola 4-0. Davidson finished with eight points (hit by a pitch). She also made a diving catch in right field, which was the first time she had played a defensive position this year (she was a designated player in her previous 13 games). Davidson ended the year with a .278 batting average with four home runs and eleven RBIs.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson had two starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the past week. On Monday night, Wilson had a no-decision as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied to defeat the Pirates 7-5. Wilson allowed three runs on five hits in three innings. He struck out two and walked two. Pittsburgh had a 5-3 lead going into the eighth inning before the Brewers scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth. On Friday, Wilson started as Philadelphia defeated the Pirates 7-4 at Citizen’s Bank Park. Wilson was chased after one inning where he gave up four runs on five hits. Wilson is now 2-8 with a 6.12 ERA.

Kayla Hodges: The Virginia Commonwealth University women’s soccer team continued its season with a 1-1 tie against former conference rival UNC Wilmington at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, VA on August 25. Hodges came off the bench to play 29 minutes. On Sunday, the Rams played to a 1-1 tie against UNC Greensboro. Hodges played 41 minutes as a reserve. VCU is 0-1-2. They will host William & Mary on Thursday night.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team opened its season with a 2- 2 tie against Lees-McRae at Tate Field in Banner Elk on Saturday. Talley, the all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history, came off the bench to play eleven minutes.

Avery Miller: Former Orange High volleyball player Avery Miler has started her freshman season at Pitt Community College. The Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start. They opened the season with a 3-0 win over Central Carolina Community College in Sanford. Miller started and finished with seven kills and two digs. On August 23, Pitt defeated CCCC again 3-0, this time in Winterville. Miller had six kills, two aces and seven digs. On August 24, Pitt traveled to Elizabeth City and defeated Mid-Atlantic Christian University 3-0. Miller had two kills and a dig.