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Just like that, we’re a month into high school sports season.

Why does one month of summer feel like three months? Maybe it’s the inactivity.

One thing that isn’t inactive is the Orange volleyball team. The Lady Panthers are currently #2 in the 3A East RPI rankings. Stop me if this sounds familiar, but the only team ahead of Orange in the RPI rankings is J.H. Rose, the defending regional champions who defeated Cedar Ridge last year for a trip to Raleigh and the 3A State Championship match. Orange is not only winning, but they’re dominant. On Wednesday night, the Lady Panthers swept Roxboro Community School for their 23rd consecutive set victory. Orange is alone atop the Central Carolina Conference.

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team could wind up making this a memorable final season for head coach Steve Mayhew. While the Red Wolves lost to Walter Williams on Wednesday night in a match that determined first place in the CCC, Cedar Ridge is still in second place. They haven’t reached the 3A State Dual Team playoff since 2016, when they won the Big 8 Conference championship. Cedar Ridge certainly has the depth to make a run at Williams in the rematch next month in Hillsborough.

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is also trying to reach the 3A State Playoffs for the first time in seven years. The Red Wolves took another step on Wednesday night with a victory over Orange in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby. Cedar Ridge has already surpassed its win total from last season. Next week, the Red Wolves will travel to Eastern Alamance, then host Western Alamance at Red Wolves Stadium.

Let’s look at the Magnificent Seven for the week of September 3-9th. The seven best performances by Cedar Ridge and Orange in no particular order.

1. Kayden Bradsher, Orange, Fres: Scored three touchdowns in the Orange football team’s 22-0 win over Montgomery Central on Friday night. Bradsher had a career-high six receptions for 58 yards. He scored the first touchdown of his varsity career on a 12-yard run to conclude the Panthers first possession of the night against the Timberwolves.
2. Ella Caltabiano, Cedar Ridge, Sr.: Won three matches in a big week for Red Wolves women’s tennis. Cedar Ridge defeated Orange for the first time since 2019. Caltabiano teamed with Catherine Ballenger to clinch the match against Orange at #2 doubles. Against Eno River Academy on September 7, Caltabiano defeated Rebecca Kelly at #2 singles 8-2. Later, she teamed with Ballenger to defeat Rebecca Kirby and Chiara Menolascino 8-1.
3. Katie Silcott, Orange, Soph.: The Orange volleyball team is off to its best start ever as a 3A team. Silcott, a setter, had 46 assists in a win over Cedar Ridge that ended the Red Wolves 42-game conference winning streak. Two night later, Silcott had 35 assists and eight digs in a sweep of Person. The next night, Silcott had 41 assists, nine digs and three aces in a sweep of Roxboro Community School.
4. Alejandro Macero-Ramos, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: Scored two goals for the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team in a 5-0 win over Person. Macero-Ramos helped Cedar Ridge tie its win total from all of last season with their fifth victory of 2023.
5. Makayla Davis, Orange, Sr.: Davis won her singles match for the Orange women’s tennis against Cedar Ridge against Adeline Cummings 10-7. She also captured her doubles match against the Red Wolves, teaming with Kyla Mehl to win 9-8, taking the tiebreaker 7-6. Two days later, Davis won her singles match against Person 10-0.
6. Rachel Alverson, Cedar Ridge, Sr: Recorded 28 assists, six digs and three aces for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team in a win over Eastern Alamance on September 7. Against Orange, Alverson had 25 assists, two aces and four digs. Alverson leads the team in assists.
7. Jayden Medley, Orange, Sr.: Racked up seven tackles for Orange against Montgomery Central. Medley also had a fumble recovery against the Timberwolves on their second series of the game. Medley finished with a sack as Orange notched its first shutout of the season.

Photo Courtesy of USA Today

Trenton Gill: To start his second season with the Chicago Bears, Gill found himself busy in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers at Solider Field. The Packers defeated the Bears 38-20. Gill averaged 53 yards on four punts. His longest was 54. One punt was downed inside the 20-yard line. The Bears will travel to Raymond James Stadium to face Tampa Bay this Sunday.

Bryse Wilson: The Milwaukee Brewers remain in first place in the National League Central. On Wednesday, Wilson threw two-and-two-thirds innings against the Miami Marlins at Miller Park. Wilson allowed only two hits with one walk and no runs. He struck out two. The Marlins defeated the Brewers 2-0. On Saturday, Wilson threw a shutout inning in a 9-2 win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. On Friday, Wilson threw another shutout inning as the Brewers defeated the Yankees 8-2. He allowed only one walk. Currently, Wilson is 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA with three saves and 58 strikeouts over 70 innings. As of Thursday night, the Brewers lead the Chicago Cubs by four-and-a-half games in the National League Central.

Payton Wilson: Once again, Wilson was the leading tackler for N.C. State in its 45-24 loss to #10 Notre Dame at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday. Wilson had 14 tackles, including one-half of a tackle for a loss. In a play that went viral, Wilson chased down a Notre Dame ballcarrier. He was measured running 23.7 miles per hour on GPS, the fastest on record for a Wolfpack player in a game. Wilson is 7th in FBS with 12 tackles per game. N.C. State will host VMI on Saturday.

Darius Satterfield: Elizabeth City State defeated St. Augustine’s 13-0 in the 26th annual Down East Viking Football Classic at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex on Saturday. Satterfield averaged 33.3 yards per punt on three punts. One was downed inside the 20-yard line. Satterfield also converted an extra point. The Vikings are 1-1.

Ivy Garner: The Liberty women’s soccer team has opened 8-0. Garner scored the game-winning goal for the Flames in a 2-1 win over Longwood on August 31 in Farmville, VA. Garner scored in the 50th minute off an assist from Allison Hansford. On Thursday night, the Flames defeated Appalachian State 2-0 at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. Garner scored a goal in the 60th minute for the Flames. It was her only shot on goal. Liberty defeated Marshall 2-0 on September 10. Garner assisted on the second goal, scored in the 79th minute by Rachel DeRuby. Liberty defeated West Virginia 3-1 on September 3. Garner assisted on the game-winning goal by Saydie Holland in the 86th minute. Garner fired two shots, one on net.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 tie against Florida Tech at Rick Stottler Field in Melbourne, FL. Talley started and played all ninety minutes, getting off two shots. On September 9, the Bears defeated Tusculum 3-0 at the Moretz Sports Athletic Complex to kick off play in the South Atlantic Conference. Talley had two shots on goal in 71 minutes of action. Lenior-Rhyne is undefeated at 2-0-3 and will travel to Limestone on Saturday.

Grace Young: In a mid-week game, Georgia Southern defeated UNC Asheville 3-0 on scores of 25-12, 25-10 and 25-15. Young played in all three sets and had three digs. UNC Asheville will head to Greensboro this weekend to face Charlotte and UNC Greensboro in a UNC Greensboro tri-match on Saturday starting at noon. The Bulldogs are 5-6.

Anaya Carter: The Division II UNC Pembroke volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five set match against Lenoir-Rhyne at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court (25-9, 19-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-9). Carter played in all five sets and had seven digs with one ace. The Braves are 4-5. They will host Chowan and Winston-Salem State during a tri-match in Pembroke on Saturday.

Julie Altieri: Division III Salisbury volleyball swept Washington (MD) on Tuesday. Altieri played in two sets and finished with 12 assists, four kills and one dig. Salisbury is 6-1 and will host a tri-match with Gettysburg and William Smith this weekend.

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team defeated Orange 2-1 in the Hillsborough Derby on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium. Junior Dominic McNerney scored a memorable goal with 14:33 remaining in regulation from 22 yards away off a pass from Abazar Babiker. Jonam Juarez scored the opening goal with 1:39 remaining in the first half off a corner kick. With eleven games remaining, Cedar Ridge has already surpassed their win total from all of last season. They’re 6-1-2 overall and in sole possession of third place in the Central Carolina Conference with a 2-0-1 record. The victory over the crosstown rivals ended a three-game winless streak against the Panthers. Sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made eight saves and nearly had a clean sheet. On Monday, Galunas didn’t allow a goal in a scoreless tie against Southern Alamance in Graham. Cedar Ridge stands in good position to be in the state playoffs for the first time since 2016, but there’s still work to do. The Red Wolves will return to action against Eastern Alamance on Monday night in Mebane. The Red Wolves will return home to face Western Alamance, the 2021 3A State Champions, on Wednesday at Red Wolves Stadium.

Cedar Ridge’s Dominic McNerney, Jonam Juarez & Erik Galunas talk Hillsborough Derby win vs. Orange

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Dominic McNerney became a fan of soccer watching Chelsea FC play in England’s Premier League.

As he absorbed a pass up the left sideline from teammate Abazar Babiker on Wednesday night, he may have had visions of Mason Mount, a modern legend  for the Blues who helped them win the UEFA Champions League in 2021.

As McNerney roared up the left flank, there was one Orange defender who had an angle on him. McNerney had little choice but to blast away from 22 yards.

Searing like a rocket, the ball latched into the right corner of the net like it had eyes.

McNerney, who has waited three years to beat his crosstown rival, ran out on the track to celebrate in front of the Cedar Ridge students for the greatest goal he ever scored. Many of his teammates joined him.

He didn’t know it at the time, but McNerney gorgeous tally with 14:33 remaining in regulation would turn out to be the game-winner in Cedar Ridge’s 2-1 win over Orange at Red Wolves Stadium in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby on Wednesday night. It was Cedar Ridge’s first victory over the Panthers since September 15, 2022, when they won 4-1 at Red Wolves Stadium.

Jonam Juarez notched the opening goal for the Red Wolves with 1:39 remaining in the first half. Off a corner kick from senior Illah Babchenko, the ball went into the six-yard box where several Panthers tried to clear it. Juarez blocked the clearance and chipped it into the net from along the near post for his fourth goal of the season.

It was a resounding rebound for the Red Wolves, who were 48 hours removed from a disappointing scoreless draw against Southern Alamance in Graham. After the tie, Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell and his assistants had a lengthy postgame huddle with his team about focus, among other subjects.

Did his team’s focus meet the threshold Brummell wanted against Orange?

“Not in the first half,” Brummell said. “The first half we didn’t play as well as I would like to. Bu after that we pick it up and turned it on.”

Of course, McNerney’s goal in the second half made things seem a lot better for Cedar Ridge.

“That goal was….whew,” Brummell said about McNerney’s third goal of the season. “He had one against Eno River this year that might have been better. He brings great leadership. He’s a great leader. He was talking to the boys before the game. And he’s fun to be around. He’s just a flashy player. I don’t like flash, but he brings a lot of flash. You had to be here to see that second goal. It should be on ESPN or something.”

Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made eight saves and nearly had his second consecutive clean sheet, but Orange senior Travel Bruhns scored with 1:31 remaining off an assist from Emmanuel Mil Cruz to cut the Red Wolves lead in half. Orange was bidding for another late attack for the equalizer in the waning seconds, but Babiker had a key clearance to midfield that ran out the clock.

“Right now, we’re just lacking focus,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. Orange goalkeeper Finn Kelly had ten saves.

With the victory, Cedar Ridge has already surpassed its win total from last season. The Red Wolves (6-1-2) were 5-15-1 last year, 3-9 in the Central Carolina Conference. Cedar Ridge is 2-0-1 in the CCC and in sole possession of third place. Walter Williams and Western Alamance are tied for first at 2-0.

Cedar Ridge hasn’t been to the 3A State Playoffs since 2016. While they haven’t clinched a playoff spot, they have ended a three-game winless streak against Orange.

“That’s special,” Brummell said. “We didn’t take care of business against them last year. Palmer did a great job with his team last year. He lost a lot of players from last year. He’s in that rebuilding stage. My team is young, but they’re fun to watch if they can bring everything together. But they really wanted to win this game.”

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore outside volleyball hitter Claire Hargett. In her second year on the varsity, Hargett is currently second on the team with 96 kills. She’s also second on the team with 120 digs. In the Red Wolves conference opener against Person on August 29, Hargett had 14 kills and 15 digs as the Red Wolves swept the Rockets. Two days later, Hargett had her strongest game of the year at Southern Alamance. She registered 13 kills and a season-high 19 digs as the Red Wolves defeated the Patriots 3-0. Among Hargett’s digs was one that saved the first set when she scooped it off the nest on a set point for the Patriots. Hargett’s dig led the Red Wolves to a point and they would ultimately take the set. Last year, Hargett played on the varsity as a freshman, where she learned from an array of Cedar Ridge seniors that captured the 2021 3A State Championship. This year, Hargett has a season-high 19 kills against Carrboro on August 23. She matched that with 19 kills against Southern Alamance. Hargett has double-digit kills in eight of Cedar Ridge’s eleven matches.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Claire Hargett

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Cedar Ridge 3, Western Alamance 1: One-third of the way through the Central Carolina Conference slate, it appears that the center of volleyball is in Hillsborough once again this year.

After getting swept by Orange last week, Cedar Ridge has responded with three straight wins. The latest came on Tuesday night when the Red Wolves outlasted Western Alamance 3-1 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. It marked the first time that the Warriors took a set from Cedar Ridge since the two teams became conference rivals in 2021.

The Red Wolves (7-4, 4-1 in the CCC) won on scores of 25-9, 23-25, 25-21 and 25-18.

Cedar Ridge was never challenged in the first set behind a 17-4 run to start the frame. Senior Addie Reid had three blocks in the opening set, while Claire Hargett had three kills and two aces. Senior Graylinn Serge racked up kills on four of the last five Cedar Ridge points, including on set point.

The Warriors battled back from a 13-8 deficit in the second set to take the frame. A kill by freshman Reese Walker evened the set at 20-20. Avery Wilson had a key block to square things at 22-22, while junior Haley Clayton notched a kill to put the Warriors ahead,. Walker scored set point and evened the match off a block.

Cedar Ridge didn’t trail in the third set. Hargett had consecutive kills set up by senior Rachel Alverson to put the Red Wolves ahead 7-3. After Walker scored another block, Cedar Ridge went on a 5-0 run with Hargett serving. Hargett had an ace while Reid tallied an unassisted kill. Another point by Hargett put the Red Wolves ahead 19-11 and led to a Warriors timeout. Serge, Reid and Ellie Woolson had the final kills of the third set to put the Red Wolves ahead two-sets-to-one.

The third set had three early ties before the Red Wolves went on a 6-2 spurt to take a 15-10 lead. Sophomore Kayla Stoll stepped up for a big unassisted kill, followed by another finished form Hargett.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Walter Williams on Thursday night.

Orange 3, Southern Alamance 0: Orange stretched its streak to 20 consecutive sets won with a sweep of Southern Alamance on Tuesday night in Graham to remain undefeated in Central Carolina Conference play.

Sophomore Aubrey Jordan finished with eleven kills, while Ella Wimsatt finished with nine kills, five digs and three aces. Sophomore setter Katie Silcott had 17 assists, three kills and 18 digs as Orange won its ninth straight match.

Southern Alamance falls to 2-7, 0-3 in the CCC.

The Patriots were even with Orange at 13-13 midway through the first set. On a crucial point, Silcott made three digs during a long rally which ended with Jordan scoring off a spike from the outside post off a feed from Silcott to put Orange ahead 15-13. It remained tied 20-20 before Orange scored the final five points of the set, starting with a return by the Patriots that went long. Jordan scored off an assist, while Wimsatt had back-to-back aces. An attack by Southern Alamance was out to give Orange the set 25-21.

Wimsatt had five kills in the second set, but the Patriots jumped out to a 5-1 lead. That advantage was erased after a 5-0 Orange run that included an ace by Silcott and kills by Wimsatt and Ava Wilkerson, who finished with eight kills, three assists, a block and an ace.

Orange scored the final three points of the second set, ending with a kill by Wimsatt.

Jordan had five kills in the third set, where many Orange players had a chance to get off the bench. Seven different Orange players scored points in the final frame. Jordan spiked home match point off an assist from freshman Sawyer White.

Orange will host Roxboro Community School in Hillsborough on Wednesday night. The Lady Panthers swept the Bulldogs on Friday night in Person County.

For the first time in a Central Carolina Conference game, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team to a trip to Southern Alamance on Monday night.

While they maintained their undefeated record in conference play, they left Hanford Stadium south of happy.

The Red Wolves walked away with a scoreless tie against the Patriots. Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas came away with nine saves for his first clean sheet of the season. Galunas kept the Patriots from victory in the final minute of regulation. With 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Southern Alamance’s Ricardo Magallanes flicked a shot from 12 yards away that Galunas stretched and deflected over the sideline.

Two 10-minute overtimes didn’t result in a winner, though the Patriots were the aggressors. With 7:10 remaining in the first overtime, Southern’s Curtis Evans struck the pot from 12 yards off a pass from Billy Clark. Cedar Ridge’s best chance in the overtime came with 5:58 remaining in the opening overtime when Edwin Huerta soared through the box for a header off a cross by Jonas Juarez. Huerta’s attempt sailed through the uprights at the overhanging goalposts.

In the second overtime, Galunas turned back a shot by David Alemon from 16 yards, the only shot on net by either team.

“I’m not happy with this tie,” said Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell. “We’re a talented team, a group of young individuals with skill and talent. They’re a special group this season and I feel that with all the talent and skill that these young men have, they just got to put it together and play like a team. And I didn’t see that. I see a lot of selfish play. I don’t see that togetherness. It’s never a good feeling to walk in and walk away with a tie with you feel like you’re the better team and you should have put it away.”

Cedar Ridge (5-1-2, 1-0-1 in the CCC) is 3-1-2 on the road this season.

In the first half, Cedar Ridge drew a foul , but Banchenko’s free kick from 26 yards sailed over the crossbar. The Patriots best chance to score in the first half came when Clark moved past Cedar Ridge’s left back along the flank into the box, but his shot from a tough angle banked off the side of the net.

The rest of the half consisted of shots from 25 yards or longer that flailed over the nets on both ends.

Cedar Ridge’s Alejandro Macero-Ramos prevenid Southern Alamance’s Alemon from getting a shot off from the box with 35:14 remaining in regulation. Magallanes played a long ball to Alemon, who wound up in a footrace with Cedar Ridge’s center backs with 20:12 remaining, but Galunas raced to the edge of the box to kill the threat.

“Erik stepped up for us in a big way,” Brummell said. “He saved us. Even in the loss to East Chapel Hill, he stepped up for us. I’m proud of him and I think he’s just going to get better for us as a keeper.”

For a team that’s looking to end a seven-year playoff drought, it wasn’t the performance that any of the Red Wolves wanted. With Orange coming up tonight for the first leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Red Wolves Stadium, Brummell wants to see increased focus as the Red Wolves look to end a three-game winless streak to the Panthers.

“I want us to come out and put this game behind us,” Brummell said. “I want to come together and play as a team. I want us to come focused and ready. Orange is a tough opponent. They always are. I know they know how we’ve been doing, so there’s a big reason for them to come out and obviously do well against us. We have something to prove. I don’t want other teams in our conference thinking “Cedar Ridge started 5-0-1. How did that happen?”

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior runner Gabriel Schmid. The most accomplished cross country competitor at  Orange High since the turn of the century, Schmid was honored at halftime of Orange’s football game against Montgomery Central on Friday night. Last November, Schmid won the 3A Cross Country State Championship at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville. He finished with a time of 15:44.28, more then 15 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. He became just the second Orange individual state champion in men’s cross country, and the first to win at 3A. Two weeks ago, Schmid started his senior season with a win in Orange’s first Central Carolina Conference meet of the year at Person High School in Roxboro. Schmid finished at 18:39, some 46 seconds ahead of the nearest finisher. Orange won the meet. Last week, the Orange men’s cross country team won a meet at Lake Macintosh in Burlington. Once again, Schmid finished first at 18:34.0. The Panthers had eight of the top ten finishers to win the meet. As a sophomore, Schmid was a top runner for the Orange team that won the Mideast Regional championship for the first time in school history. Schmid is aiming to become just the 27th multi-time state men’s cross country champion in state history this November. While he isn’t busy running, Schmid has been a volunteer for the Efland Fire Department. Regardless of where Schmid goes from here, he will go down as one of the greatest athletes in school history.

Orange Panther of the Week: Gabriel Schmid

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As a sit down to write on the night of September 11, the natural reflex is to write about my memories of September 11.

Then it dawned on me that it’s been 22 years now and this is a high school website. None of the students who read were alive that. They can’t relate to a country that wasn’t nearly as divided back then as it is now.

At the risk of sounding old (like that’s new), the fact America could be the subject of a foreign attack was unheard of in 2001. I worked at WDNC/WCHL, two radio stations inside Durham Bulls Athletic Park when the attacks happened. When the second plane went into the World Trade Center, my General Manager informed me I would have to go in the control room, interrupt regular programming, look at the video on a monitor airing CNN and describe them to our audience.

It was surreal and I wish I could remember what I said, but I honestly can’t. But here’s what I do remember.

That night, Republicans and Democrats who served in Congress stood together on the White House steps and sang “God Bless America.” After the attacks, the content of people’s character really did matter more than the color of their skin.

For about three weeks.

As another birthday comes up for me later this month, I regret time goes by so quickly. As much damage as the last few years have done on optimism, I hope at some point in my life, America will be that united again.

So, let’s get to what we’re here for. The Magnificent Seven for week three, ranging from August 27-through September 2. The best performances from Orange and Cedar Ridge athletes in no particular order.

1. Gabriel Schmid, Orange, Sr.: The defending 3A State Cross County champion continued a strong start to his final season in Hillsborough. He won the opening meet of the season at Person High on August 30 with a time of 18:39. It was a full 46 second ahead of the nearest competitor. Orange, the two-time defending CCC champions, won the opening meet over Cedar Ridge, Person and Southern Alamance.
2. Naomi Dyreng, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: Dyreng, who won three regional championships at the 3A Mideast Outdoor Track and Field Championships last spring, finished first for the Cedar Ridge women’s cross country meet in a quad-meet against Orange, Person and Southern Alamance. Dyreng finished with a time of 22:35. Her teammate, Abigail Klaitman, came in at 22:50 as the Cedar Ridge women captured the meet in Roxboro.
3. Claire Hargett, Cedar Ridge, Soph.: The Cedar Ridge volleyball team opened its CCC scheduled with win over Person and Cedar Ridge. Hargett had 14 kills, 15 digs and one ace in the Person win. In Graham, Hargett had a dig when the Patriots were serving on set point that ultimately tied the opening set. Hargett would finish with 13 kills and 19 digs as the Red Wolves swept the Patriots inside of a sultry Patriots Gymnasium.
4. Ava Wilkerson, Orange, Soph.: Orange continued its long road swing with wins over Jordan and Western Alamance. Wilkerson had ten kills and five blocks for the Lady Panthers against the Falcons in Durham. She followed with eleven kills, a block and an ace in the sweep of Western Alamance, the Lady Panthers’ CCC opener in Elon.
5. Jonam Juarez, Cedar Ridge, Sr.: Juarez scored the game-winning goal with 3:13 remaining as the Red Wolves men’s soccer team battled back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Seaforth 3-2 in Pittbsoro. Juarez finished with two goals, the first of his varsity career as Cedar Ridge remained undefeated. Giovani Yanez also had a goal for Cedar Ridge.
6. Shannon Sollars, Orange, Jr.: Sollars won three matches for the Orange women’s tennis team against Western Alamance and Walter Williams. Against the Warriors, Sollars defeated Reagan Williams 6-1, 6-4. Later in the night, Sollars teamed with her sister, Erinn, to defeat Amelia Weaver and Williams 8-3. Against Williams, the Sollars sisters defeated Abigail Brown and Lindley Oler 8-5.
7. Catherine Ballenger, Cedar Ridge, Sr. The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team won its opening CCC match with a 8-1 win at Southern Alamance on August 30. Ballenger won her singles match over Ava Lynch 6-0, 6-1. In doubles action, Ballenger teamed with Ella Caltabiano to defeat Paicey Cameron and Madalyn Corbett 8-1. Ballenger has won seven matches overall this year.