Photo by Jacques Morin
There’s no mistaking the change in atmosphere inside Red Wolves Gymnasium when it’s a battle of Hillsborough for volleyball supremacy.
On Tuesday night, there was a band in the left corner. The student section was packed. There were even cheerleaders, everyone adorned in black shirts with the volume dwarfing Spinal Tap’s amplifiers that maximize to eleven, making it almost impossible to hear.
That’s what it’s like when Orange visits Cedar Ridge. The eight new players in the Lady Panthers rotation can chalk Tuesday night up as a learning experience for how intense and demanding Hillsborough volleyball can be.
Cedar Ridge thrived in the raucous atmosphere, sweeping Orange 3-0 o scores of 25-11, 25-17, 25-16. The Red Wolves (12-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big 7 Conference) remain one match behind Seaforth for first place in the Big 7 Conference.
Sophomore Dani Solomon was the x-factor once again, pacing the Red Wolves with 16 kills. Senior Addilyn Jackson added eleven kills and two aces.
Orange middle blocker Aubry Hodges, just days after her cousin Payton Wilson led the Pittsburgh Steeler with 13 tackles against the Atlanta Falcons, paced the Lady Panthers with nine kills. Hodges ignited the only offensive momentum of the match during the second set.
The domination was reminiscent of last season when the Red Wolves roared through an undefeated run through the Big 7 Conference regular season and tournament championships. That squad had five senior starters.
Last week, the Red Wolves were swept at home for the first time in two years by East Chapel Hill. Head coach Khoury May has spent the first half of this season reminding her team of the distinction between 2025 and 2026 in terms of experience.
“I think we’ve spent this year trying to find our new identity,” May said. “Every year, we’re trying to find something new. We’ve talked a lot about where our goals are as a team. I think we’re finding out every day we make a new goal for ourselves and we try to reach it every practice and every game.”
The rowdy atmosphere may have impacted Orange at the service line. The Lady Panthers had ten serving errors.
“Maybe the nerves impacted us,” said Orange coach Mary Alice Pike. “We’re a young team and I think nerves play into that when you start missing serves. They like to pull it all out here and they have great supporters for their team.”
Cedar Ridge jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set behind consecutive aces from Jackson, who recorded double-digit kills for the eighth time this year.
“She knew that she had a job to do,” May said. “She did it. We’ve talked a lot about just coming in and giving it your all. Because it’s a blessing to play high school, a blessing to play for Cedar Ridge and step on the court every day. We have to utilize that.”
Hodges keyed Orange’s biggest rally in the second set, scoring a block and a kill to even the frame at 16-16. The Red Wolves finished the set on a 9-1 run. Solomon triggered the run with a kill. Avery Owens delivered an ace to put Cedar Ridge ahead 19-16. Jackson scored set point off an assist from setter Kaitlyn Dixon.
Orange opened the third set with a kill from Hodges, giving them its only lead of the match. Jackson scored two kills to key three straight Red Wolf points. Cedar Ridge expanded its lead to 10-5 after an ace from Solomon. In the third set, Solomon had six kills. Down the stretch, Solomon delivered three straight aces. Dixon delivered a kill off an assist from sophomore libero Nora Stoll.
Cedar Ridge will face Seaforth in Hillsborough on Thursday with first place in the Big 7 Conference on the line.
Orange hosts Jordan on Wednesday.
