For two teams that rarely face each other, things got intense in a hurry between Cedar Ridge and Grimsley on Wednesday night.
The chair umpire handed out a rare yellow card to the Grimsley bench for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second set. Then he made the rare move of meeting with the team captains before the third set to quell the thick emotions.
Through it all, Cedar Ridge maintained its undefeated record and became the first team to beat the Whirless in a best-of-five set match in 36 days.
Freshman Dani Solomon finished with 17 kills while Clair Hargett moved closer to the school all-time record with 12 kills as the Red Wolves defeated the Whirlies 3-1 on scores of 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-12.
Cedar Ridge, a 5A team, continues the best start in team history at 15-0. It was their second win this season over Grimsley, a 7A team.
The Whirlies trailed 19-16 in the first set but closed with a 9-3 run to take the frame. Grimsley scored the final three points, including an ace from sophomore setter Elizabeth Gray, who finished with 26 assists.
Grimsley (19-8) junior outside hitter Allison Murly finished with 14 kills.
Cedar Ridge made ten blocks in the second set, including three from senior Kayla Stoll. After Grimsley cut the Red Wolf lead to 20-19, the Red Wolves started a 5-1 run to even the match. It started with a kill from Calla Lundberg. Stoll and Ellamarie Perel scored points, both assisted by Mia Marty. A return by Grimsley’s Maya Rios went wide on set point.
In the third set, Cedar Ridge led 20-19 but finished the set with five straight points. It started with Stoll getting a kill, then blocked an attack by Rios. Hargett got an ace on set point to put the Red Wolves ahead two-sets-to-one.
The Red Wolves dominated the fourth set, setting the tone with an incredible rally early where the ball traveled over the net 20 times which ended with a kill by Perel, who lobbed the ball over the head of Grimsely’s Lauryn Rohrer. Cedar Ridge went on a 10-0 run to take control of the set. Stoll had three kills and a block during that span. Hargett’s kill assisted by Marty put the Red Wolves ahead 16-6. Hargett ended the match with career kill 1,023.
Marty finished with 42 assists.
Senior libero Sydnee Tapper had 25 digs.
Carrboro 3, Orange 2
Orange suffered another frustrating five set loss on Thursday, this time to Carrboro. The Lady Panthers are 0-3 in five-set matches this year, with all of its losses coming at home to J.H. Rose and Seaforth.
It was a wild match where Carrboro dominated the first set 25-14, closing with a 12-2 run behind three kills from freshman Avery Sadiq.
A Carrboro win in the second set appeared to be a mere formality after a kill by setter Camille Rucker put the Jaguars ahead 24-15. Then Orange reeled off an unbelievable eleven consecutive points behind the serving of Katie Silcott, who reeled off three aces. Senior Aubrey Jordan had a kill to give the Lady Panthers its first lead of the match at 25-24. Silcott delivered another ace to give Orange an improbable 26-24 set win.
Orange controlled the third set behind four kills from Jordan. Orange erased an early 4-1 deficit and opened up an 18-13 lead behind an ace from Jordan and a block from junior Sawyer White. Orange won the third set 25-18.
White finished with 15 kills, 19 digs and 8 assists.
In the fourth set, White had a kill off an assist from Silcott to go ahead 6-4, but Carrboro turned the tables on the set and the rest of the match with seven straight points, starting with an ace from sophomore Brooke Williams. The Jaguars took a 14-9 lead. Consecutive kills by sophomore Penelope Downing, who finished with 15 kills, gave Carrboro the set 25-15.
Once again, Orange got off to a bad start in the fifth set. An ace by Carrboro libero Hayley Royal put the Jaguars ahead 5-1. Orange would get to within 6-4, but Carrboro got a kill from Downing, an ace from Sarah Vandersea and a block from Carson McGuire to take a 9-4 lead. Sadiq scored on match point.
Orange is 6-9 overall, 4-4 in the Big 7 Conference. They will travel to South Granville on Tuesday.
