Like their counterparts at Orange, the Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team doesn’t have a home court right now.
For the second year in a row, the Red Wolves are having their home court reinstalled. Orange opted to play its home matches in Mebane, or any other court that will take them, until their confines in Hillsborough is given the go-ahead at some point in mid-September.
Cedar Ridge is simply playing regularly scheduled home matches at their opponents’ court. It’s expected that the courts in Red Wolf country will be open in the first week of September.
On Wednesday, junior Jasmine Brown and senior Caroline Hall each won singles and doubles matches to lead Cedar Ridge to a 5-4 win at Southern Alamance in Graham. Brown, in her first match at #1 singles, defeated Madelyn Corbett 6-0, 6-1. Hall, a senior playing at #3 singles, defeated Ava Lynch 7-5, 7-5.
Cedar Ridge won both singles matches that wound up going to the third set for 10-point tiebreakers. In her varsity debut, Lydia Bordolone defeated junior Cherish Ray 2-6, 6-4, 10-8. Red Wolf sophomore Lucinda Smylie knocked off Presley Lawton 4-6, 6-0, 11-9.
Two of the three doubles matches wound up going beyond regulation. Brown and Bordolone won its match 9-7. At #3, Smylie and Ivaree Eads wound up going to a tiebreaker after finishing its match 8-8. Smylie and Eads won 7-5. Hall and Terra Proctor defeated Ray and Lynn 8-4.
Orange 7, Southern Alamance 2: After its scheduled season-opening match against Eno River Academy was rained out on Monday, the Lady Panthers wound up going to Graham and defeated the Patriots on Thursday.
Sophomore Kalynn Mason, making her debut at #1 singles, defeated Corbett 6-0, 6-1. Mason and senior Molly Kruse each won two matches on the day. Kruse, at #3 singles, defeated Lynch 6-0, 6-0. Mason and Kruse teamed at #1 doubles to defeat Corbett and Gabby Canup 8-2.
Orange senior Casey Robinson also earned two wins. At #4 singles, Robinson defeated Ray 6-4, 7-5. Robinson and Ellie Wilson won at #2 doubles over Lynch and Ray 8-2.
At #6 singles, returning starter Kyla Mehl defeated Presley Lawton 6-4, 6-3. Mehl teamed with senior Adelyn Alvis to complete an Orange doubles sweep, beating Brianna White and Cayla Shaw 8-3.
Cannup and Shaw won singles matches for the Patriots.
As the wait continues to build the new Orange tennis courts, the Lady Panthers will travel to face another former Central Conference rival on Monday. The Lady Panthers will face Western Alamance in Elon. On Wednesday, Orange and Cedar Ridge will square off in each team’s Big Seven Conference opener. The match will be played at the Walker Tennis Complex in Mebane.
Men’s Soccer: Chapel Hill 6, Orange 1: Soggy grounds from a late morning rainstorm combined with stifling humidity at Ron Benson Field on Wednesday night to make for a difficult environment for Orange men’s soccer.
The hosts didn’t exactly help, either.
Adam Hariri notched a hat trick as Chapel Hill scored three goals in the first half and pulled away late to defeat the Panthers in Orange’s season-opener. Miles Tobolski, Cyrus Ahmed and Liam Davis also notched goals for the Tigers.
It was a busy night for Orange junior goalkeeper Hector Garrido, who made 12 saves.
The lone Panther tally came with 24:09 remaining in the second half. Dallas Johnson found Yurem Tapia Mendez for a gorgeous goal. Mendez was Orange’s leading scorer from last season and nearly set up an equalizer in the first half when he served up a cross to a Panther striker that was headed just over the crossbar.
Hariri scored the opening goal off a penalty kick in the seventh minute.
Though the field is named after him, legendary Chapel Hill soccer coach Ron Benson is never far away from his old school. Benson watched the game sitting in a lawn chair at the end of the Tigers bench.
Orange will travel to Mebane to face former Central Conference rival Eastern Alamance on Monday night.
