The Orange women’s tennis team finished the Big 7 Conference portion of its schedule by sweeping the season series from Cedar Ridge.
Cadence and Coraline Sayed each won matches for the Lady Panthers as Orange defeated the Red Wolves 8-1 at Panthers Tennis Courts on Wednesday. Orange finished in third place in the Big 7 with an 8-4 record, which puts them in the running for one of the eight byes for the 5A State Dual Team Playoffs. 48 teams make the 5A State Tournament, with the top eight seeds for the East and West Region receiving byes into the second round.
Last year, Orange reached the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
It was the third road match in three days for Cedar Ridge, which fell to 10-8 overall. The Red Wolves finished in fourth place in the Big 7 Conference with a 7-7 record, which is a two-match improvement from last year when they finished 4-12. The Red Wolves, according to Nick Stevens at Varsity NC, stand to host a first round match in the 5A State Dual Team Playoffs. Last year, Cedar Ridge defeated St. Pauls in the opening round.
With only a nonconference match against Riverside remaining, Orange is 15-4 under head coach Justin Webb. The Lady Panthers returned only two starters from last year’s team. Both of them won its singles matches on Tuesday.
In the top singles match, Kaylnn Mason defeated Jasmin Brown 6-3, 6-3. Orange senior Ellie Wilson knocked off Lydia Bordelon 6-2, 6-2.
Cedar Ridge senior Madeline Galindo-Woodring delivered the only win of the day for the Red Wolves. Galindo-Woodring defeated Davia Coyle 6-4, 6-0.
The longest match of the day came at #4 singles where Cadence Sayed defeated Lucinda Smile at #4 singles 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 in a third set, 10-point tiebreaker.
Orange junior Samantha Gover defeated Phoebe Lund 6-1, 6-2 at #5 singles. Sophomore Emery Kruse secured the Orange dual match win with a victory over Ivaree Eads 6-3, 6-2.
Mason and Coyle won the opening doubles match over Brown and Galindo-Woodring 8-5. In #2 doubles, Orange’s Cady Jones and Gover defeated Lund and Bordelon 8-5. Orange swept the doubles matches after Wilson and Coraline Sayed defeated Smylie and Eads 8-2.
It was Orange’s third dual match in three days. On Tuesday, the Lady Panthers swept Southern Alamance 9-0 in Hillsborough. The matches were limited to one set with the victorious competitors winning ten games. Mason defeated Cherish Ray 10-0. Wilson knocked off Presley Lawton 10-1. Coyle defeated Georgia Canup 10-1. Gover beat Julia Ewan 10-3. Coraline Sayed won at #5 singles over Riley Nixon 10-2. Sophomore Emiline Lobdell completed the singles sweep for Orange by beating Theresa Baums 10-3.
In doubles, Coyle & Mason defeated Ray & Canapé 8-1 in the most competitive match of the day. Orange freshman Ava Baker and Gigi Gooden defeated Nixon and Lawton 8-5. At #3 doubles, Jones and senior Ebelyn Pacheco defeated Baums and Ewan 8-1.
On Monday, Seaforth clinched second place in the Big 7 Conference by beating Orange 8-1 in Hillsborough. The Hawks will be the top-seeded 5A team from the conference going into the state dual team playoffs. Carrboro, which won the Big 7 Conference championship with a 12-0 mark, is a 4A squad and will look to repeat as state champions.
Against the Hawks, Kruse was the only one who won for Orange. Kruse, whose sister Molly played for Orange last season, defeated Harper Lawrie 6-2, 6-3.
Seaforth, which improved to 12-5 overall, 10-2 in the Big 7, got victories from juniors Mackenzie Wray, junior Ella Kreinar and Tatum Dell. Senior Ellie Kristiansen won at #4 singles, while senior Charlotte Bowman defeated Gover 6-3, 6-0.
Wray and Kreinar defeated Wilson and Mason in the top doubles match 8-4. Kristiansen and Dell defeated Cadence Sayed and Davia Coyle 8-1. Bowman and Matylda Bochynska defeated Gover and Lobdell 8-2 in the final doubles match.
The Big 7 Tournament will be held next Wednesday.
