It’s a good thing that Justin Webb has a photographic memory of local Dairy Queen locations. His players have had plenty of chances to use their extra points programs the past two years.
For the second year in a row, the Orange women’s tennis team started preseason workouts knowing they would have no home court for a significant portion of the year. It was the same situation at Cedar Ridge.
In 2024, the tennis courts at both schools were renovated, but the process wasn’t completed in time for the start of the season. Once the new playing surfaces were finally finished at both schools, cracks began to form on the concrete within a matter of days at each location.
Orange County Schools administrators, after consultation with athletic officials from Cedar Ridge and Orange, decided to start all over again after the men’s season ended in May.
The anticipation was the Red Wolves court would be set by early September. Webb, the Orange tennis coach, hoped his court would be ready by mid-September.
By the time the final week of summer rolled around on September 15, Webb was still waiting.
Cedar Ridge played its first home match on Wednesday against Durham School of the Arts. They courts were new and shiny but were still missing a center mark on the baseline.
All of this led to the surreal sight of Orange holding its senior night at Cedar Ridge Tennis Courts on Thursday night, where Molly Kruse, Adelyn Alvis, Kyla Mehl, Oakley Gaddy, Casey Robinson, Evelyn Gover, Lindsay Woodell, and Abilene Loter were honored before its match against Eno River Academy.
It was the first match that Orange women’s tennis got to play in Hillsborough this year. Webb and Orange athletic director Jason Knapp got permission from Cedar Ridge athletic director Emily Parker for the unusual arrangement.
While they waited for their new courts to be redesigned again, Orange had all its practices at the Duke School in Durham since early August. Up until Thursday night, the closest thing they’ve had to a home match has been at the Mebane Tennis Center.
“We’ve been to Western Alamance twice, Southern Alamance twice, lots of nice bus rides,” Webb said. “I think the girls have handled it well so that’s made it less frustrating because I think everyone understands it’s something that’s out of our control. When you can’t control it, you can only be so frustrated.”
For the Orange seniors, they’ve been connected by success and the fact they’ve been tennis strays for almost two full years. In 2024, Orange hosted a state playoff match for the first time since the program started in 1981, defeating Northern Nash.
“We’re really appreciative of the surrounding communities that have been so supportive,” said Alvis, who was named the 2025 Central Conference Women’s Field Athlete of the Year in Women’s Track & Field. “We’ve found ways to bond and it’s brought us closer as a team.”
Since they’ve played only road matches, there’s been plenty of postgame meals. Mehl, who had a three-hour-and-15 minute singles match at Western Alamance on August 18, enjoys a Chocolate Brownie Extreme Blast on occasion.
“If there’s a Dairy Queen in the surrounding area, we’re going to find it,” Gaddy said. “Even if it’s not in the GPS because he knows all of them.”
Oh, yeah, the match on Senior night. Orange defeated Eno River Academy 7-2 to improve to 12-3. Five Orange seniors captured singles matches, led by Kruse winning 8-1 over Quinn Parker. Robinson defeated Sadie Davies-Payne 8-5. Alvis defeated Natalie Harkins 8-0. Gaddy defeated Lyla York 8-3.
Eno River’s Lily Kate Philipps won the #1 singles match beating Orange sophomore Kalynn Mason 9-8, taking the tiebreaker 7-5. Gover and Alvis won at #2 doubles over Davis-Payne and Harkins. Robinson and Woodell ended the night with an 8-3 victory over York and Georgia Duggan 8-3.
Eno River won the opening doubles match with Philipps and Parker beating Gaddy and Kruse 9-7.
Webb is hopeful their new court will be available for its final regular season match against Seaforth on Monday.
