Last season after a conference win, it was brought up to Orange outside hitter/setter Katie Silcott that she finished with a triple-double.
She responded: “A what?”
For sports information nerds/reporters, the original designation for a triple-double came in basketball when a player finished with double figures in points, rebounds, assists and/or blocks.
Volleyball, another individual statistically rich sport, has triple-doubles in a variety of categories and Silcott nearly started her senior season with another triple-double on Tuesday night in Haw River.
Instead, she will have to be content with a double-double, coming away with eleven digs and ten assists, along with eight kills and three blocks as Orange defeated Southeast Alamance 3-1 on scores of 25-18, 22-25, 25-9 and 25-21 to take the season-opener.
Not only was it Orange’s first trip as a volleyball team to Southeast Alamance, but it was the first dual match for Orange as a 5A school, regardless of sport, in the new eight classification system by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
Senior Ava Wilkerson, who has committed to the University of Houston, led Orange with 13 kills as the Lady Panthers captured its season-opener for the sixth year in a row.
Southeast Alamance senior Emily Troy led all players with 14 kills. Stallions senior setter Victoria Vazquez came away with 22 assists.
Orange junior Sawyer White finished with 17 assists, five kills and five digs.
Orange didn’t trail in the opening set, bolting out to a 5-1 lead behind three kills from Wilkerson. The Stallions evened the set at 7-7, but Orange went on a 7-3 run. SE Alamance would again tie the set at 17-17, but Orange finished the frame on a 8-1 run, including five straight points starting with a kill from sophomore Aubrey Hodges. Silcott earned her first of four blocks to put Orange ahead 22-17. The frame ended with a kill from Hodges and an ace from Silcott on set point.
Southeast Alamance led for most of the second set, pushing ahead 8-5 after some sloppy returns from Orange. A block from Silcott tied the set at 14-14, but the Stallions triggered a 7-2 spurt to take control of the set, eventually leading 24-18 before a late rally from the Lady Panthers fell short.
Orange dominated the third set, jumping out to a 9-3 lead behind aces from White and senior Addison Guentensberger. Wilkerson had four kills in the set while Silcott added three kills, three assists, five digs and a block. White had two aces. A kill by Silcott on set point put Orange ahead two-sets-to-one.
Southeast Alamance launched out of the gate in the fourth set with a 9-1 run, eventually pushing ahead 12-3. Orange caught up with a 9-1 spurt of its own, starting with a kill from senior Mariah Poole assisted by White. Silcott had two aces in the run. Wilkerson proved her prowess along the backline, delivering an ace as well as a kill to cut the Stallions lead to 13-12. After Southeast Alamance extended its advantage to 18-13, White triggered a 5-0 Panther spree with a kill followed by an ace. A spike by senior Aubrey Jordan tied the frame at 18-18.
Wilkerson took over down the stretch, scoring off a feed from White to even the set at 21-21. Another kill from Wilkerson put Orange ahead 23-22. Wilkerson gave Orange a side out with another spike, setting up match point. From there, Jordan took a pass from the opposite sideline off the fingertips of Silcott to deliver the final point of the night.
On Thursday night (tonight), Orange will travel to Greenville to face D.H. Conley. Last year, the Vikings defeated Orange twice, including a four-set match in Hillsborough. Conley finished 27-2 and lost in the 4A Eastern Regional championship match to Cardinal Gibbons.
