Reaching a regional championship game means something to Orange volleyball. It has only happened twice before.
When you beat J.H. Rose to do it, it means a little more.
The Rampants have won five Eastern Regional Championships, including last year’s victory over Cedar Ridge in Greenville. They have claimed three state championships.
On Saturday, pressed with playing its best, the unique blend of veterans and underclassmen combined to play its best game of the season and knocked Rose out of the state playoffs in the 3A state quarterfinals.
In possibly her best game in a season full of stellar presentations, senior Ella Wimsatt had 18 kills and 33 digs, while sophomore Aubrey Jordan registered 17 kills as Orange defeated Rose 3-1 at Orange Gymnasium on scores of 25-19, 21-25, 25-15, 25-19.
It was a double dose of good news for Orange on Saturday. In Fayetteville, 4th-seeded Carrboro rallied from two sets down to beat Cape Fear 3-2. That means Orange will host the 3A Eastern Regional Final in Hillsborough on Tuesday night at 6PM.
It is the third time in eight years that the East Final has been played in Hillsborough. In 2021, Cedar Ridge swept Rose. In 2015, Asheboro knocked off Cedar Ridge in four sets.
“We know coming in that they were a very well respected volleyball team,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “So we focused that we were tightened up on some of the Xs and Os. The girl respect Rose and knew they had to play their best game. I believe that they did that.”
It’s the first time since 2019 that Rose hasn’t reached the Final Four of the state tournament.
For the fifth straight match, Heverly started freshman Sawyer White with sophomore Rachel Silcott as the two alternated between setter and outside hitter. The arrangement, which started in a loss to Cedar Ridge in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament championship game two weeks ago, started shaky but has improved with every match. White finished with 16 digs, 23 assists and six kills. Silcott came away with 27 assists, nine digs and four kills.
Heverly made the change to increase Orange’s finishing weapons, which paid dividends against Rose. Five different Panthers had kills in the fourth and decisive set.
Senior libero Sadye Porter had 14 digs.
Orange opened strong with a 10-2 run. Junior Abby Silinski had back-to-back aces while Wimatt registered her first kill of the day to put the Lady Panthers ahead 8-2. The closest the Rampans could get was 22-18 after they racked up five straight points, with a block and a kill by freshman Kate Wallen. Moments later, Wallen was whistled for walking into the net, leading to an Orange side out. Jordan had the final two kills of the frame, including on set point.
Rose used its power at the net to control the second set, which they never trailed. Senior Emily Smith had eight kills and a block for the Rampants in the second frame alone. A kill by Rose senior Shea Jenkins put the Rampants ahead 18-11. Orange mounted a rally when Wimsatt scored a kill, followed by an ace to reduce the Rose lead to 21-17. But Smith scored kills on the final three Rampants points to even the match.
The two teams opened the third set with an 8-8 tie before Wimsatt took control. After White scored off an assist from Silcott to put Orange ahead for good in the set at 9-8, Wimsatt had three straight kills during a 6-1 Orange run to put the lead at 21-13, leading to a Rose timeout. Naturally, Wimsatt’s spike on set point gave Orange a 2-1 lead.
Orange struggled to take the lead in the fourth set. Rose wouldn’t allow the Lady Panthers to score off serves, building a 10-8 lead off kills from Smith and Jenkins. Sophomore Ava Wilkerson, who finished with 14 kills and five blocks, evened the set at 13 with a rejection of an attack by Jenkins. Jordan inserted her influence with her best finishing sequence of the day down the stretch. After Wimsatt scored an ace to give Orange a 17-16 lead, Wimsatt scored two crucial digs on a point that ended when Jordan scored off a feed from White. Silcott followed with another kill.
Rose came back with three straight point to even the set at 19-19, ending with a kill from Wallen. That’s when the Orange sophomores came through with their biggest plays. Jordan earned a side out with an overhand blast from the near post. With Porter serving, Wilkerson scored her third block of the set off an attack by Shea.
Jordan and Wilkerson each had kills to set up match point at 24-19. Rose failed to return Porter’s serve, leading to the Orange student section rushing the floor in jubilation.
On Tuesday, Orange will face Carrboro for the second time this year. On August 16, the Jaguars started its season with a 3-1 win over the Lady Panthers at Carrboro Gymnasium. They will arrive in Hillsborough on a 24-match winning streak.
Orange will go for its second-ever appearance in a state championship match. They reached the 2004 final, where they lost to Mooresville.
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