Photo by Sherry Lloyd
There’s an old line by Oscar Wilde that claimed “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
For Orange volleyball, they had four chances to take the opening set from crosstown rival and defending 3A State Champion Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night at Orange High Gymnasium. Those are precious points against a team riding a 28-game conference winning streak.
When Orange used all four of them up without securing the set, Cedar Ridge made them pay as only they can.
Cedar Ridge junior Addie Reid, who scored the opening point of the 1st set with a kill, notched the final point of the set with a block that secured the opening frame 30-28. The Red Wolves (8-1, 3-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) would go on to defeat Orange 3-0 on scores of 30-28, 25-9 and 25-23. Cedar Ridge, gunning for its third consecutive regular season championship, now sit atop the CCC alone at 3-0.
Orange (7-5, 2-1) had five kills from junior Ella Wimsatt. Allie Wilkerson and her younger sister Ava each had four kills. Allie Wilkerson announced over the weekend she will play volleyball at Averett University.
Cedar Ridge, whose last conference loss was on October 15, 2019 to East Chapel Hill, has beaten their crosstown rival five straight times.
Orange led the majority of the first set, pushing its lead to 6-2 early after an ace from Wimsatt. After Allie Wilkerson buried an attack off an assist from Caitlin Carden, Orange had a 24-23 lead. Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Lloyd, who finished with 15 kills, canceled the Lady Panthers’ first set point off a feed from fellow senior Julie Altieri, who finished with 41 assists.
As the opening set went into overtime, Orange had another chance leading 26-25 after a serve by the Red Wolves went long. Red Wolves freshman Claire Hargett scored a kill to extend the set. Lloyd had consecutive kills in overtime, including one that ruined the Lady Panthers’ third set point. The second one gave Cedar Ridge its first set point, which was turned back courtesy of a block by Wimsatt. After a side out for Orange, Altieri dunked the ball over the net following a dig by Graylinn Serge, leading to Reid’s set-clinching block.
Cedar Ridge immediately took control of the second set with nine straight points. Altieri notched a block for the first tally, then served the subsequent eight points which contained two kills each from Lloyd and Reid. Senior libero Grace Young had back-to-back aces that pushed the Red Wolves lead to 15-4, leading to an Orange timeout.
There were eight lead changes and 15 ties in the third set. Orange appeared set to end Cedar Ridge’s 23-set winning streak after junior Josie Crawford landed an ace to put the Lady Panthers ahead 19-16. Then the Red Wolves racked up seven straight points, starting with a kill from Lloyd. Cameron Lanier, who finished with eleven kills, hit three consecutive aces to give the Red Wolves a 21-19 lead. Reid’s kill off an assist from Altieri sent the traveling Cedar Ridge student section into delirium and gave the Red Wolves a 23-19 lead.
Orange fought back off a block from Wimsatt and two Red Wolves returns that didn’t clear the net. After an error by Orange, the Red Wolves secured two match points. Orange crept back after a kill by Wimsatt off an assist from Katie Silcott, but Cedar Ridge clinched the match after an Orange attack bounced off the tape.
Cedar Ridge has not lost a set since dropping its season-opener to J.H. Rose on August 17 in Greenville. They have now won eight in a row and will travel to Mebane on Thursday to face Eastern Alamance.
Orange heads up Highway 57 to face Person on Thursday night.