Photo by Ben Wilkerson
ROXBORO–What’s Halloween without a resurrection?
It’s happened to Michael Myers in the Halloween series eight times. It’s happened to Ghostface in the Scream series six.
Ava Wilkerson’s career at Orange High was thought to be over on September 2, when she registered 16 kills in a win at Carrboro. She then underwent a medical procedure that has kept her out for seven weeks, aside from a cameo to serve against J.F. Webb on Senior Night on October 7. Since Wilkerson is going to enroll at the University of Houston in early January, she figured she had suited up for Orange for the last time.
It took Orange most of the second half of this season to gel without her, but Wilkerson had enough time for recuperation to where she was cleared to play last week. She returned in the third set of Orange’s 5A State Quarterfinal matchup against Person on Saturday night, a team she had never lost against.
This time it was different. It was no accident that the starting time for Saturday’s match was 6PM, making it easy for Person fans to pack the gymnasium hungry to watch their hometown team ascend back to the heights of local volleyball supremacy after losing seven straight matches to Orange.
Person had its own resurrection in mind. After winning consecutive 4A State Championships in 2006 and 2007, the Rockets had fallen behind Orange and Cedar Ridge in the local volleyball pecking order over the past six years.
Peyton Hogan, a transfer from Roxboro Community School, engineered a performance that not only ensured the Rockets would return to the Eastern Regional finals, but that they would also host it after an incredible day.
Hogan finished with 17 kills as the Rockets rallied from a set down to defeat Orange 3-1 in the 5A State Quarterfinals at Rocket Gymnasium. It was Person’s first win over Orange since October 5, 2021, when players still competed in masks during the pandemic.
“They’re a very scrappy team,” said Orange coach Hope Heverly. “We had some really good swings and they were still able to pick them up. We worked on hitting holes, but they did a great job on making it hard on our hitters.”
For Orange, it’s the end of a prominent chapter in its history. It was the final match for Wilkerson, Katie Silcott, Aubrey Jordan, Addison Guentensberger, Gianna Negron and Milleka Purcell, who helped return Lady Panther volleyball to the sport’s highest stage in 2023 when they won the 3A Eastern Regional championship.
Entering 2023, Orange was behind many of the dominant programs locally, including Cedar Ridge, Carrboro, Person, and East Chapel Hill. Along with Heverly, who arrived in 2023, Orange beat all of those teams to win consecutive conference regular season championships, the 2024 Central Conference Tournament, a regional championship and eleven state playoff matches.
On Saturday, Orange jumped out to a 7-1 lead, opening with an ace from Silcott. Poole scored off a block. The lead would grow to 11-4 until Person made a furious comeback. Orange had three set points, which Person erased behind two kills from Kylee Hayden and a dump over by setter Kaiden Hawkins to tie the set at 24-24. Macey Bowes gave the Rockets its first set point when she vetoed an attack by Jordan. Silcott responded with a kill to even it up at 25-25. Aubry Hodges scored off an assist from Silcott to put Orange ahead 26-25. Hogan sent a return into the net as the Panthers captured its final set of the season.
The match turned with Orange leading 9-2 in the second set following another block by Poole. Person went on a 7-2 run with Hogan and Hayden scoring two kills each. Person took the lead behind a block from Bowes, which started a 13-6 Rocket run to even the match. Abby Sharlow had a block and a kill on consecutive points.
“Momentum is a big thing in this sport,” Heverly said. “Once it switches, it can take a little bit to get it back.”
Aside from Orange getting the opening point of the third set, Person didn’t trail again the rest of the match The Rockets roared out to a 12-4 lead in the third set with Lily Atkins, Sharlow and Hayden scoring kills on three straight points. Person won the third set 25-11.
The momentum didn’t die for Person in the fourth set, where they launched to a 8-1 lead that included an ace from Sharlow. Orange made a run with Silcott earning two kills and reduced the Person lead to 20-17, but Hogan delivered two aces to keep the Rocket momentum. Person won the final set 25-21.
Orange ends the year 13-12 after playing the very best teams in the state. Now, Heverly will look to carry Orange volleyball forward without some of the most vital players in the history of the program who carried them to heights they hadn’t reached since the mid-2000s.
“This is a very memorable team,” Heverly said. “They’ve gone through a whole lot of adversity, not only with Ava but with a lot of other things throughout our season. They have bounced back every single time. They fight back even harder. Their resilience is what stands out. It stinks to not go farther, but they’ve got a lot to be proud of, especially the seniors. Their sophomore year, they made it to the state championship match. Their junior and senior years, they made the Elite Eight. That’s not an easy task. We’re excited about where our program has been growing.”
