Photo from Binghamton University 

Lottie Scully: The former Orange Panther was named the American East Setter of the Week. Last week, Scully had 38 assists in a win over the University of Albany as the Bearcats won its American East Conference opener at the Events Center in Vestal, NY. On September 29, Scully had 56 assists in a 3-1 win over Long Island University. It was the most assists by any American East player this year. Scully also had 13 digs in the win over LIU. Binghamton is 11-5 overall, 1-0 in the American East. The Bearcats will face UMBC and Bryant in matches this weekend.

Cameron Lloyd: Bucknell is off to the best start in team history after sweeping a four-match homestand to open Patriot League play. On September 28, the Bison swept Lafayette (25-16, 25-22, 25-18) at Davis Gymnasium in Lewis, PA. Lloyd finished with eleven kills and nine digs. On Sunday, Bucknell defeated in-state rival Lehigh 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-16). Lloyd had 14 kills, eleven digs and two blocks. Bucknell is 10-1 overall, 4-0 in the Patriot League. They will face American University and Navy this weekend.

Cameron Lanier: Elon has won three straight Coastal Athletic Association matches. Last weekend, they swept a two-match series from UNC Wilmington at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington. Lanier had eight kills and three digs in the Phoenix’s sweep of the Seahawks (25-18, 25-21, 25-23) on September 28. The following day, Elon swept UNCW again (25-23, 25-16, 25-23). Lanier led the Phoenix with 14 kills, two digs and a block. On Thursday, Elon swept Hampton at Holland Hall (25-15, 25-19, 25-18). Once again, Lanier led the Elon with ten kills.

Julie Altieri: Salisbury swept Marymount (VA) (25-14, 25-11, 25-19) at the Maggs Physical Activities Center in Maryland on Wednesday. Altieri had 27 assists, eight kills and five digs. The Gulls were supposed to compete in a tri-match in Gettysburg, PA last weekend, but it was canceled because of Helene. This weekend, Salisbury will face Christopher Newport and Scranton in Maryland. The Gulls are 12-2 overall.

Melissa Benkowitz: Last Saturday, Franklin & Marshall defeated Muhlenburg 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-11) in its Centennial Conference opener in Allentown, PA. Benkowitz had five kills, four aces, eleven digs and three assists. On Thursday, William Patterson defeated the Diplomats 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21). Berkowitz had three kills and seven digs. Franklin & Marshall is 12-3 overall, 1-0 in the Centennial Conference. They will travel to Chesterown, MD to face Washington College on Saturday.

Grace Young: The Division III Greensboro Pride have won four in a row in the USA South Conference. On Wednesday, the Pride defeated Brevard College 3-0 at Hanes Gymnasium (25-16, 25-12, 25-9). Young, a sophomore had five digs. Last Saturday, the Pride swept Meredith College at Weatherspoon Gymnasium in Raleigh (25-14, 30-28, 25-22). Young had seven digs. On September 25, Greensboro defeated Pfeiffer University 3-1 (25-21, 26-24, 22-25, 25-17) at Merner Gym in Misenheimer.  Young finished with 13 digs and an ace. On September 21, the Pride swept Mary Baldwin in Greensboro. Young had two digs and an ace. Greensboro is 11-5 overall, 4-2 in the USA South. They will North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount on Saturday.

Allie Wilkerson: Last Saturday, Averett University swept two matches at Pfeiffer University. The Cougars defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 3-1 (25-19, 26-24, 22-25, 25-16) at Merner Gym. Wilkerson, the older sister of current Orange middle blocker Ava Wilkerson, finished with seven kills and two digs. Later in the day, the Cougars defeated Pfeiffer 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 15-10) Wilkerson finished with eight kills, two digs and an ace. On September 25, the Cougars defeated Ferrum 3-1 (25-11, 25-16, 23-25, 25-14) at Swartz Gymnasium in Ferrum, VA. Wilkerson finished with six kills one dig. Averett is 7-10 overall, 2-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Cougars will host Shenandoah University and Eastern Mennonite University at the Stuart James Grant Center in Danville, VA this weekend.

Anaya Carter: On September 24, Augusta defeated Division II UNC Pembroke 3-2 at Lumbee Guarantee Bank Court (23-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-13). Carter played one set. The Braves had a match against Converse in Spartanburg, S.C. postponed because of Hurricane Helene. On Tuesday, UNCP defeated Barton 3-1 at Wilson Gymnasium in Wilson (25-19, 26-28, 25-17, 25-22). The Braves will face Mount Olive and Erskine in Pembroke this weekend.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior volleyball setter Mia Marty. Very early in her varsity career, Mia learned about big matches for the Red Wolves. After playing the entire junior varsity schedule in 2022, Marty stepped in for an injured Julie Altieri as a freshman and played three matches in the state playoffs against Walter Williams, Orange and Richlands. In her second varsity match, Marty had 19 assists as the Red Wolves defeated the Panthers in four sets. This season, Marty leads Cedar Ridge with 324 assists through the first 15 matches. She also has 166 digs, third on the team. Last year, Marty learned under senior setter Rachel Alverson in how to direct the offense as the Red Wolves won the Central Conference Tournament over Orange. She has added 74 kills as the Red Wolves are currently tied with Orange for first place in the loss column of the Central with a 9-2 conference record. Cedar Marty has also played soccer at Cedar Ridge. Her brother, Evan Marty, played soccer and basketball at Cedar Ridge and wasn’t shy about challenging his sister to one-versus-one matches at home when they were growing up. Cedar Ridge will play its final regular season home game against Granville Central on Monday, then travel to Walter Williams on Tuesday. If the Red Wolves win over the Bulldogs, they will clinch a share of the regular season championship.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Mia Marty

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior volleyball setter Mia Marty. Very early in her varsity career, Mia learned about big matches for the Red Wolves. After playing the entire junior varsity schedule in 2022, Marty stepped in for an injured Julie Altieri as a freshman and played three matches in the state playoffs against Walter Williams, Orange and Richlands.

The Orange Middle School Chargers football team went into Wednesday’s game against Southern Middle School as a litmus test. In a rugged battle, the Chargers moved to 3-0 with a 16-6 victory over the Panthers at Chargers Field in Hillsborough. Quarterback Brayden Robbins scored a touchdown in the second quarter to put the Chargers ahead early. Amir Johnson added another touchdown in the third quarter for Orange Middle. Kyleed Royster scored on a two-point conversion, while Johnson added another. The offensive line play of tackles Ulises Cruz and Amare Bost, along with guards Damauri Hester and Elliott Fox, plus center Brayden Johnson helped Orange Middle run down the clock and keep Southern at bay. Orange Middle was driving late for another touchdown, but coughed up the ball in the Panthers Red zone. Bost, who is also an inside linebacker on defense, along with linebacker Asher DeVote helped limit Southern to a season-low in points. The Chargers are the defending OPAC Champions and are trying to win the Northern Division championship once again under head coach Jamie Bailey. Orange Middle will take next Wednesday off before they journey across town to face Stanback at Bulldogs Field on October 16, followed by a trip to Roxboro to face Northern Middle on October 23.

Orange Middle’s Johnson, Robbins, Royster, Bost & Stone talk football win over Southern Panthers

The Orange Middle School Chargers football team went into Wednesday’s game against Southern Middle School as a litmus test. In a rugged battle, the Chargers moved to 3-0 with a 16-6 victory over the Panthers at Chargers Field in Hillsborough. Quarterback Brayden Robbins scored a touchdown in the second quarter to put the Chargers ahead early.

With the Central Conference Cross County championships two weeks away, the Orange men’s team appears poised to take its fourth consecutive league crown.

On Tuesday, Orange took the top four spots in winning its second conference meet of the season. Junior Lucas Van Mater finished 1st as Orange had the top four runners in the reached at Lake Cammack Course in Burlington. Van Mater, the younger brother of former Orange women’s basketball forward Katelyn Van Mater, led the group of 65 runners with a time of 18:03.05. He beat out his teammate Myles Jermyn, who finished only .45 seconds behind in second place.

Orange sophomore Grant Schmid finished third (18:45.26) while Panther senior Cyrus Neal came in fourth (19:44.67). The Panthers came in first as a team with 21 points. Walter Williams finished a distant second with 72 points.

Orange had six runners in the top 12 with Aiden Viola in 11th place (21:16.67) and senior Peter Musser in 12th (21:19.55)

Cedar Ridge finished fifth. Henry Alexander was the top placer for the Red Wolves in 18th place. The Red Wolves claimed spots 18-22 including John Ngunjiri (19th), junior Ryan Matthews, and senior Nathan Walters.

It was the second straight first place finish for Van Mater. On Saturday, he took first place in the 40th Greensboro Invitational race at Hagan Stone Park in Pleasant Garden. Van Mater led a pack of 159 runners with a time of 16:29.49. Out of 23 teams, Orange finished 2nd with 79 points. Grace Christian School, a private school out of Raleigh, finished first with 56 points.

Women’s Cross Country: In the women’s race on Tuesday, Cedar Ridge senior Naomi Dyreng finished 2nd overall. Dyreng crossed the finish line at 23:33,07, less than a second behind the winner, Ava Childress of Walter Williams (23:32.26).

Orange had a third place finish as they placed runners 3-through-5. All three of the Lady Panthers top placers were freshmen. Ava Bishop finished 3rd (23:36.45), followed by Kinsey Ross (24:32.58) and Reilly Jermyn (24:33.00).

Cedar Ridge’s Elaina Sobus came in 24th while Kate Finnegan finished 25th. Western Alamance finished 1st in the team standings with 46 points. Orange and Williams finished tied for 2nd with 59 points each, but the Bulldogs earned the tiebreaker since Childress won the individual meet.

Women’s tennis: Orange 9, Southern Alamance 0: Orange celebrated Senior Night by maintaining second place in the Central Conference with a victory over the Patriots on September 26. In a prematch ceremony, seniors Shannon Sollars and Aubrey Petrosanu were honored.

Sollars, whose older sister Erin returned to the team as an assistant coach after graduating last June, defeated Madalyn Corbett 8-0 in the #1 singles match. Petrosanu played doubles with Samantha Gover. They teamed to defeat Cayla Shaw and Presley Lawton 8-2.

Sollars teamed with standard doubles partner Molly Kruse at #1 doubles to defeat Corbett and Gabby Canup 8-0.

Freshman Kalynn Mason won at #2 singles over Canup 8-1. Sophomore Ellie Wilson defeated Ava Lynch 8-1. Junior Oakley Gaddy defeated Cherish Ray 8-2. Orange’s Adelyn Alvis knocked off Cayla Shaw 8-1. Junior Casey Robinson completed a sweep of singles play with a 8-1 win over Presley Lawton 8-1.

At #2 doubles, Evelyn Gover and Kyla Mehl defeated Lynch & Ray 8-2.

After a win in its final dual road match of the season over Eastern Alamance on Wednesday night, the Lady Panthers are 13-2 overall, 10-1 in Central Conference play. On Monday night, Orange will host Walter Williams. If Orange wins, they will tie for the Central Conference championship. On August 21, Williams edged Orange 5-4 in Burlington.

Women’s golf: Orange golfer Gianni Burnette finished highest among local golfers in the latest meet at Roxboro Country Club hosted by Person High School on September 23. Brunette, coming off shooting a 45 in a meet with Williams, finished with a 49, good enough for seven overall individually. Burnette’s teammate, Kayla Pope, was only one stroke back with a 50, tied with Western Alamance’s Layne Pittard. Orange’s Shannon Murphy carded a 54.

Cedar Ridge’s Laci Sykes and Victoria Matthews each shot a 61.

Orange volleyball found a way to win against Person in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers fought off nine set points by Person in the opening frame to win 31-29. Junior Ava Wilkerson had six kills in the first set. Junior Katie Silcott finished with 23 assists, 16 digs and eight kills as Orange maintained its share of first place in the Central Conference. They remain tied with Western Alamance and Cedar Ridge for 1st with a 8-2 league record. Senior libero Abby Silinski had 22 digs and an ace. Orange has won three straight matches for the first time this year. In the second set, Person jumped out to a 13-6 lead before Orange made a comeback. The Lady Panthers ended the second set on a 7-1 run, starting with a kill by Ava Wilkerson assisted by Sawyer White. Silinski had an ace to put Orange ahead 24-20. Jordan had three kills during the final run of the second set. In the third set, Person jumped out to a 12-7 lead before the Panthers would rally once again. In the third set, Silcott had five digs, seven assists, two kills and a block. Orange will face Carrboro tonight in a nonconference match. It will be a rematch of last year’s 3A Eastern Regional championship match that Orange won in five sets.

Orange volleyball’s Katie Silcott & Abby Silinski discuss sweep of Person

Orange volleyball found a way to win against Person in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers fought off nine set points by Person in the opening frame to win 31-29. Junior Ava Wilkerson had six kills in the first set.

Sweeps can be deceiving in volleyball.

Last Tuesday, Orange swept Williams while holding the Bulldogs to 38 points over three sets.

On Tuesday night in Hillsborough, Orange swept Person, but it was anything but decisive.

As Orange enters the postseason, the biggest difference between the young team that started practice two weeks ago and the team that’s now on a three-game winning streak is they’re winning the big points at the right times.

Orange defeated the Rockets for the sixth straight time on scores of 31-29, 25-20 and 26-24. It’s the first time this year that the Lady Panthers have won three straight matches.

Orange maintained its tie with Cedar Ridge and Western Alamance for first place in the Central Conference with an 8-2 league record. Also on Tuesday night, the Red Wolves swept Eastern Alamance in Mebane. Western Alamance, which has won six in a row, swept Williams in Elon.

It was anything but an unorthodox win for the Lady Panthers. Person led in the opening set by as much as 15-7 after a kill by Person’s Lilly Atkins. Orange narrowed the gap to 17-14 following a 7-2 spurt, which ended with a kill by sophomore Sawyer White, who finished with eight kills, 17 digs and 18 assists. Still, Person had a 24-19 lead after an ace by Orange was nullified by a rotation violation. Incredibly, Person had nine set points in the first set and couldn’t close the deal. White started the run with a kill set up by Katie Silcott, followed by an ace from Addison Guentensberger. Ava Wilkerson, who registered 12 kills, eleven digs and two assists, followed with an kill set up by White. Person’s Kylee Hayden pushed a two-handed attack long to send the set into overtime. Person would have three more chances to close out the frame, but White, Wilkerson and Jordan all registered kills to extend the set. Jordan’s spike made it 29-29. The Panthers got consecutive points when the Rockets sent Atkins sent an attack into the net. On match point, the Rockets were called for a double hit ending a long struggle.

Orange had to play catch up again in the second set. Person jumped out to a 13-6 lead behind two aces from Hayden and another by junior Abby Sharlow. A block by Orange’s Mariah Polle ended a 4-0 Lady Panther spurt to close the Rocket lead to 14-10. White got back-to-back kills to start a 7-2 Orange run that evened the set at 18-18, ending with a kill by freshman Aubry Hodges assisted by Katie Silcott. The Panthers finished the set on a 7-1 flourish, starting with a spike by Wilkerson off a set from White. Jordan had three kills in the closing run, along with an ace from libero Abby Silinski.

Person built yet another run in the third set, going ahead 13-7 after a block from Kayle Parker on a kill attempt by Jordan. Once again, Orange chipped away at the deficit with Silinski delivering an ace to cap a 4-1 Orange spree, reducing the Rocket lead to 14-11. Orange would scored four straight points to take a 20-19 lead, ending with an ace from White. Jordan scored off an assist from Silcott to give the Panthers a 22-21 lead, followed by an unassisted kill from Poole. Person came back to tie it up at 23-23 off a kill from Kaiden Hawkins and a block from Parker. A return from Person went long to set up Orange’s first match point, but Jordan pushed an attack wide to force overtime. Jordan would atone with a kill for Orange’s second match point. Jordan then ended the match with a tap that landed in the heart of the Person side of the floor.

On Wednesday night (tonight), Orange will host Carrboro in a rematch of last year’ Eastern Regional championship match. The Lady Panthers will travel to Southern Alamance for a crucial match on Thursday.

Photo from Steelers.com

Payton Wilson: The former Orange linebacker became the first Panther to play in an NFL game since Alvis Whitted in 2006 for the Oakland Raiders last month. On Sunday, Wilson registered six tackles as the Steelers suffered its first loss of the season to the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Wilson has played regularly in Pittsburgh’s opening four games. In the Steelers’ season-opener, Wilson had three tackles in an 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Against the Los Angeles Chargers, Wilson finished with two tackles. Pittsburgh is 3-1 and will face the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium next Sunday night.

Bryse Wilson: As the Milwaukee Brewers started its wildcard series against the New York Mets on Wednesday, Wilson was activated from the injured list on Monday. He had been nursing an oblique injury and had been on the injured list since September 3, two days after his last outing. This season, Wilson is 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 34 appearances. He has started nine games. In 104.2 innings pitched, Wilson has 82 strikeouts. Wilson isn’t on the Brewers’ playoff roster for its series against New York. He may be placed on the roster if Milwaukee advance to the National League Divisional Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Trenton Gill: The former Cedar Ridge punter has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad. It comes after Gill was released by the Denver Broncos last month, even though Gill had the highest punting average among all players in the NFL preseason.

Darius Satterfield: Fayetteville State University defeated Elizabeth City State University 31-7 at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex to win the Annual Down East Viking Classic on September 21. Satterfield averaged 34 yards over five punts, his longest being 41 yards. He also had one touchback. Satterfield also scored a point after touchdown. Elizabeth City State is 2-2 and will travel to Salisbury to face Livingstone College its CIAA opener on Saturday.

Wynston Brown: The former Orange High quarterback and wide receiver has started his sophomore season at Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville. The Monarchs are 1-3 overall, 1-1 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Methodist will face North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount on Saturday.

Aaron Oliveras: The former Cedar Ridge offensive lineman is now at Division III Averett University in Danville, VA. The Cougars are 2-1 and suffered its first loss to Ferrum College 36-10 last week. Averett will face Washington & Lee next Saturday.

Ivy Garner: The Liberty University women’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the season to Florida International at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA last Friday. The Panthers defeated the Flames 3-0. Up to that point, Liberty had gone eleven consecutive matches without a loss, entering the national rankings for the first time as a Division I team. On September 19, Liberty defeated Jacksonville State 4-0 to win in Conference USA opener at the Jacksonville State Sports Complex. Garner assisted on each of the opening two goals from Halle Engle and Avery Paulson. On September 15, the Flames played to a scoreless tie with UNC Greensboro in Greensboro. Garner started and played 64 minutes, firing one shot. Liberty is 9-1-2 overall, 1-1 in Conference USA. They will face UTEP on Thursday night. This season, Garner has started all 12 games and has scored two goals with five assists.

Emerson Talley: Division II Lenoir-Rhyne has risen to #11 in the country and remains undefeated. The Bears are 4-0-3 overall, 2-0-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. On Saturday, Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Wingate 1-0 at the Moretz-Sport Athletic Complex in Hickory. Talley started as a forward and played all 90 minutes, firing one shot on goal. On September 25, Lenoir-Rhyne played to a 2-2 tie with #4 Columbus State. Talley played all 90 minutes and got off one shot. On September 21, Talley assisted on a goal in a 5-0 win over Emory & Henry. Talley had a helper on a goal from Montana Martin. Lenoir-Rhyne will face Anderson College on Wednesday night in Hickory.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior middle blocker Ava Wilkerson. In 2023, Wilkerson played a huge role in the Lady Panthers winning its first volleyball conference championship in 18 years, going through the Central Conference undefeated. Orange reached the 3A State Championship match for just the second time in school history. Playing inside Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, Wilkerson had 14 kills and eight blocks against Kings Mountain. In the 3A Eastern Regional championship match against Carrboro, Wilkerson had 13 kills and four blocks as the Lady Panthers defeated the Jaguars in five sets. Last week, Wilkerson had a career-high 27 kills as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 3-2 to force a tie for first place in the Central Conference. In August, Wilkerson committed to play at UCF, the first-ever Big 12 commitment from Orange High. Wilkerson has played varsity volleyball since she was a freshman, when she played alongside her older sister, Allie, now playing at Division III Averett. This season, Ava leads Orange with 199 kills and 32 blocks. She is determined to help Orange win its second straight conference championship. This season, Orange has played a difficult slate against opponents like D.H. Conley, Falls Lake and Millbrook. Coming up tonight, the Lady Panthers host Person in Hillsborough. On Wednesday, Orange will host Carrboro before heading to Graham on Thursday to face Southern Alamance.

Orange Panther of the Week: Ava Wilkerson

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior middle blocker Ava Wilkerson. In 2023, Wilkerson played a huge role in the Lady Panthers winning its first volleyball conference championship in 18 years, going through the Central Conference undefeated. Orange reached the 3A State Championship match for just the second time in school history.