The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team may only have one senior on its roster, but they made sure that Senior Night was one worth remembering.
The Red Wolves improved to 7-4 in the Central Carolina Conference with a win over Western Alamance on Wednesday night. With the victory, Cedar Ridge, 9-7 overall, also clinched third place in the CCC, which gives them a fighting chance at a wildcard birth for the upcoming 3A State Dual Team Playoffs.
The only senior on the Cedar Ridge roster is Natalie Lyons, who had a commemorative banner complete with photos hanging up beside the entrance of Cedar Ridge Tennis Courts during its match on Wednesday. Cedar Ridge junior Cameron Mayhew won her match at #2 singles to clinch the dual match for the Red Wolves. Mayhew was extended to a second set tiebreaker, which she captured 7-5 to take her eleventh singles win this season.
Orange 7, Northwood 2: The Orange women’s team is now one win away from the team’s first-ever 3A conference championship. It would also, quite possibly, be the first conference championship won in women’s tennis in school history, regardless of classification.
On Wednesday, the Lady Panthers defeated Northwood in Pittsboro. #1 singles player Erin Sollars, a junior, won two matches on the night. Sollars won her singles match 6-2, 6-3. Once again, Sollars teamed with her younger sister, Shannon Sollars, to win at #1 doubles 8-4 and clinch the team match for the Lady Panthers.
Erin Sollars now has 23 overall wins this year. The team of Erin and Shannon Sollars is 12-3 this season.
Junior Makayla Davis and senior Sydney Rogers also won two matches on the night. Davis captured her singles match 6-2, 6-2. Rogers won at #5 singles 6-0, 6-2.
Davis and Rogers teamed together at #2 doubles to prevail 9-8 Davis and Rogers won off a tiebreaker that ended 7-2.
Senior Madelyn Horn, who now has 25 overall wins on the season, won the marathon match of the night. Horn captured her match at #6 singles 5-7, 6-2, 10-5 (10-point tiebreaker).
The senior team of Isabel Jones and Katelyn Van Mater won at #3 doubles 8-3. Orange is 10-1 in the Central Carolina Conference, currently tied in the loss column with Walter Williams. Orange and Williams split their season series. The Lady Panthers only remaining conference match will be against Eastern Alamance on Thursday night. It will also be Senior Night at Orange High Tennis Courts. Horn, Rogers, Van Mater, and Jones will all be honored during a pregame ceremony.
Cedar Ridge 7, Eastern Alamance 0: On Monday in Mebane, Cedar Ridge rolled to its fourth shut out win of the season against the Eagles. Mayhew won at #1 singles 6-3, 6-2. Sophomore Ella Caltabiano won at #2 singles 6-0, 6-0. The Red Wolves only lost six games in the five singles matches. Caltabiano improved to 11-4 in singles matches in 2022.
Sophomore Adeline Cummings won at #3 singles, while junior Catherine Ballenger won at #4 singles. Ballenger now has 12 overall wins in 2022. Annabeth Lundberg won 6-1, 6-0 at #5 singles.
Cedar Ridge’s doubles team of Raven Mowles-Aring and Molly Alvesson won the only doubles match 8-0.
Orange 9, Person 0: Orange climbed closer to a share of the Central Carolina Conference regular season championship with a win over Person on Monday at Panther Tennis Courts. Of the nine matches, Orange didn’t lose a game in four of them.
Erin Sollars won 6-0, 6-1 at #1 singles. Shannon Sollars won at #2 for her 24th overall win of the season. Senior Katelyn Van Mater earned two victories on the day. Van Mater won at #5 singles 6-0, 6-0. She teamed with Jones to take home a win at #2 doubles 8-0.
Jones won at #3 singles 6-1, 6-1. Horn captured a victory at #4 6-2, 6-0. Grace Allred won at #6 singles 6-0, 6-0.
Erin and Shannon Sollars rolled to an 8-0 victory at #1 doubles. Horn and Allred teamed to win 8-3 at #3 doubles, the most competitive match of the day.