The new Big 7 Conference promised to be a league full of volleyball powers that had dominated their respective conferences over the last six years.
Seaforth had won four straight Mid-Carolina Conference titles. Carrboro took six straight Northern Lake Conference championships. Orange entered this season with consecutive Central Conference titles, and Cedar Ridge had won four of its last five conference championship.
With Cedar Ridge currently off to a 12-0 start, the best in school history, one would be forgiven if they thought the Orange-Seaforth match in Hillsborough on Tuesday night was basically an elimination match for the Big 7 title.
Which made the result all the more painful for Orange.
The Lady Panthers were three points away from winning the match in the fourth set, leading 22-19. Seaforth freshman Naomi Stevenson showed why she’s one of the most highly recruited players in the state, serving up five straight winners during a 6-0 Hawks run. On the brink of losing, Stevenson had consecutive aces to put the Hawks ahead 24-22. Josie Valgus scored set point off an assist from her sister Abigail.
The Hawks forced a fifth set, which they won 15-10 as Seaforth defeated the Lady Panthers on scores of 25-20, 24-26, 17-25, 25-23 and 15-10.
With the win, the Hawks finish the first half of the conference slate 5-1, one game behind Cedar Ridge for first place. Seaforth will host six of its last seven conference matches, including a rematch against the Red Wolves on Tuesday in Pittsboro.
Orange (6-6, 4-2) got triple-doubles from two of its players. Senior Katie Silcott, who was honored before the match for surpassing 2,000 career assists against J.F. Webb in Oxford, registered 13 kills, 13 digs and 23 assists. Junior Sawyer White came away with 12 kills, 12 digs and 24 assists, tying her season-high.
Seaforth senior Josie Valgus and Stevenson each finished with 18 kills. Valgus also had eleven digs and four assists. Stevenson had a double-double, as well, with 19 digs.
Orange led for the majority of the match. In the opening frame, the Lady Panthers jumped out to a 15-10 lead behind four kills from Silcott. Seaforth closed the set with a 15-5 run, with Valgus registering four kills. Valgus got a kill assisted by her younger sister Abigail Valgus for the 24th point. Josie got an ace on set point.
Orange never trailed in the second set. An attack by Stevenson that went into the net put the Lady Panthers ahead 20-15, but the Hawks staged another rally. An ace by Josie Valgus tied the set at 22, but a block from Aubry Hodges and an ace from Silcott put Orange ahead 24-22. An ace from Lyla Walters forced overtime, but Walters pushed her next serve over the sideline. Orange took the set when an attack by Stevenson went wide.
Orange brought the block party in the third set, another frame where they didn’t trail. The Lady Panthers reeled off four straight points to take an 11-7 lead, a spree that included consecutive blocks from Aubry Hodges and Silcott. After Seaforth closed the Orange lead to 17-15, the Lady Panthers’ Mariah Poole served up six straight points, including an ace to put Orange ahead 20-16. Aubrey Jordan had consecutive kills to close out the third 25-17.
It appeared victory was within reach for Orange when White and junior Kaleeya Fearrington got back-to-back blocks to put the home team ahead 20-15, leading to a Seaforth timeout. A kill by Silcott assisted by White put Orange ahead 22-18, but the Hawks scored six straight points, including the consecutive aces from Stevenson.
Seaforth had a 5-1 run to start the fifth set, including an ace from Abigail Valgus. Orange fought back to briefly take the lead after a kill from White, going ahead 9-8. Seaforth ended the match on a 7-1 run, which included an ace from freshman Isabelle Valgus and two more kills from Josie Valgus.
For the first time since undergoing a medical procedure two weeks ago, Orange senior Ava Wilkerson was at the game. Wilkerson, who has been recovering, sat on the bench for the first set. Wilkerson’s final match in an Orange uniform came in a win at Carrboro on September 3.
