Cedar Ridge Volleyball

It’s hard to say Cedar Ridge volleyball’s season is over when it barely felt like it started.

Usually, a volleyball season is around 24 matches that starts the first week of the academic year. Good teams will play until the end of October. The best last until early November, when they wind up going for a state championship at Reynolds Coliseum or Crown Coliseum.

In the aftershock of the train wreck that was 2020, everything still feels irregular. Cedar Ridge’s regular season was supposed to be 14 games, but is over after just ten.

Along the way, the Red Wolves defeated the defending 3A State Champions, won the Big 8 Conference championship and captured its first state playoff win since 2015 behind a fleet of sophomores who make the Red Wolves’ future blindingly blight.

Unfortunately, Cedar Ridge’s fleet ran into a barrage of cannons from D.H. Conley on Thursday night.

Conley, the champions of the 4A/3A Eastern Carolina Conference, defeated Cedar Ridge 3-1 on Thursday night at Viking Gymnasium on scores of 23-25, 25-15, 25-21 and 25-18.

Conley (13-1) will host Chapel Hill on Saturday.

For the first time in Cedar Ridge’s brief season, they ran into an opponent that could not only match its finishing firepower, but overwhelm it. The Vkings’ front court of 6’0 freshman Ashlyn Philpot, 5’10 junior Maddy May and 5’11 junior Ella Philpot supplied plenty of killing power, which only grew more formidable when sophomore outside hitter Kylah Silver came off the bench.

“They have size, but we were prepared for it,” said Cedar Ridge Coach Fiona Cunningham. “They played phenomenal. They had great offense, but when it came down to blocking we got touches. We slowed down the ball exactly how we wanted to.”

After a two-and-a-half hour bus trip to Greenville, the Red Wolves didn’t lack for confidence early. They rolled out to a 6-1 lead behind two kills from sophomore Cameron Lloyd, along with finishes from Layne Foster and Justice Wilborune.

The Vikings evened the opening set after a series of powerful spikes from Silver and an ace from senior Sarah Dees. With the set tied at 23, Lloyd gave Cedar Ridge the lead when she tipped the ball over the hands of May, who sent the volley off the antenna. Senior Layne Foster, in her final match, earned the kill on set point off an assist from Julie Altieri.

“We slowed down the ball exactly how we wanted to in the first set,” Cunningham said. “We stuck to the game plan. Conley responded. They adjusted to what our game plan was and we just didn’t match that adjustment quite as quickly.”

With the second set even 8-8, the Vikings started to impose its dominance. They went on a 9-1 run behind finishes from Dees and Ashely Thomas. Philpot, the freshman, blocked set point to even the match.

Though Conley never trailed in the fourth set, the frame was tight throughout. Lloyd had six kills in the 4th, all assisted by Altieri. Lloyd also had an ace to tie the set at 18 when Conley immediately reeled off four straight points, starting with a spike by Silver off an assist by Olivia Lefever. An errant serve by Cedar Ridge gave the Vikings the third set 25-21.

Conley took control of the final frame with a 13-0 run to go ahead 19-8. Cedar Ridge fought back to narrow the gap to 20-13 behind kills from Lloyd and Wilbourne, but Ashlyn Philpot spiked home match point to send the Vikings on to the state quarterfinals.

In her final match at Cedar Ridge, senior libero Marlee Rakouskas had 29 digs.

As Cedar Ridge prepares for what will hopefully be a more traditional season starting in August, they can take solace over the fact the team won the first Big 8 Conference championship at the school since the softball team in May 2019.

If Cedar Ridge’s victory over Union Pines was any more decisive, it would have been labeled a College Football Playoff national championship game.

In its first home playoff game since 2015, the Red Wolves volleyball team cruised past the Vikings on scores of 25-13, 25-17, and 25-13 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Cedar Ridge will travel to face D.H. Conley, the champions of the 4A/3A Eastern Carolina Conference, on Thursday night for the second round. Conley defeated Terry Sanford 3-0 on Tuesday.

Union Pines (9-3, 9-1), champions of the Tri-County Conference who opened with eight consecutive wins, was swept for only the second time this year.

Like a modern day Jordan and Pippen, Cedar Ridge’s deadly combination of sophomores Cameron Lloyd and Julie Altieri proved to be too much. Lloyd finished with 16 kills, all of them set up by Altieri, who ended the night with 29 assists, seven digs and four aces. Lloyd also had eleven digs.

Cedar Ridge improved to 9-0 in its first game against a non conference opponent this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a start-and-stop pattern to the season that has made establishing a rhythm almost impossible.

Last week, Cedar Ridge defeated Orange to win the Big 8 Conference Championship. It was the Red Wolves first match in 25 days. Cedar Ridge was forced into quarantine after a player from Northwood tested positive for coronavirus shortly after the Red Wolves traveled to Pittsboro on December 10.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a start-and-stop pattern to the season that has made establishing a rhythm impossible for first-year coach Fiona Cunningham. While Cedar Ridge has nine wins, they’ve really played only eight because Southern Durham forfeited a match last month.

“We’re looking at ten weeks into a season and have only played nine games,” said first-year Cedar Ridge coach Fiona Cunningham. “Momentum isn’t really a factor this year because nobody really has it. We have natural forces limiting every team’s momentum. So we’ve talked to the girls about practices needing to be like games.”

Despite playing in front of empty bleachers, the Red Wolves were exuberant from the beginning as they bounced out to a 6-1 lead, including Lloyd laying down two aces and a kill. Union Pines narrowed the deficit to 7-6 before the Red Wolves went on a 8-3 run, featuring two more kills from Lloyd set up by Altieri and an ace from senior Grace Young. The Red Wolves closed the set with three straight points, two of which were kills by Lloyd from Altieri.

Union Pines opened the second set with a point from a Cedar Ridge error. It was the only Vikings lead in the entire match. The Red Wolves reeled off six consecutive points to push its advantage to 12-5, which included kills by sophomore Cameron Lanier and senior Layne Foster. Lanier ended the night with seven kills, while Foster had three kills and two blocks. The Red Wolves closed the frame with four straight points, ending with a Lanier block to send the Cedar Ridge bench into a frenzy.

The Red Wolves jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the third set and were never seriously challenged. At one point, Altieri set up Lloyd for kills on three consecutive points, leading to a Union Pines time out. Justice Wilbourne stuffed a Union Pines kill attempt on match point to end the match after barely an hour.

The last time Cedar Ridge hosted a playoff game, it was the 2015 3A Eastern Regional Final when Asheboro ended the Red Wolves dream of a state championship. As young as the core of Cedar Ridge is, they have lofty plans going into Thursday’s trip to Greenville.

“There was a different kind of pressure tonight, which was a good thing,” Cunningham said. “It was kind of similar to the pressure I remember as a player that no matter who is on the other side of the net, no matter what round it is, you know it’s important. The playoffs this year are particularly competitive since its only 16 teams in the east. We’ll be ready on Thursday.”

For the first time since 2015, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team has won a state playoff game. The Red Wolves defeated Union Pines 25-13, 25-17 and 25-13 to advance to the round of 16 in the 3A State Playoffs on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Sophomore Cameron Lloyd led Cedar Ridge with 16 kills. She also compiled four aces and eleven digs. Through nine games, Lloyd leads the team with 88 kills. She is second on the squad with 76 digs. Over the past four years, Lloyd has built a bond with her classmate Julie Altieri, which started on their summer travel team. Altieri had 29 assists against Union Pines. Cedar Ridge will face D.H. Conley in Greenville on Thursday night with a trip to the state quarterfinals on the line.

The Cedar Ridge volleyball team easily defeated Union Pines in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Sophomore Cameron Lanier finished with seven kills, two aces, five blocks and two digs. Cedar Ridge improved to 9-0 after winning its first nonconference game of the season. In an abbreviated season, Lanier has compiled an impressive stat line of 60 kills, a team-high 19 blocks and ten aces. Lanier is one of three sophomore starters, along with Cameron Lloyd and Julie Altieri, who have helped Cedar Ridge win the Big 8 Championship for the first time since 2015. On Thursday night, Cedar Ridge will travel to Greenville to face D.H. Conley in the round of 16 in the 3A State Playoffs.

For the first time since 2015, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team will host a playoff game. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves will face Union Pines in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Senior Shili Quade has been a part of three Big 8 Conference championship teams at Cedar Ridge. In addition to the volleyball team, she was a member of two softball championships in 2018 and 2019. In addition, Shili is the Cedar Ridge Yearbook editor, and a member of the Cedar Ridge Map Club and Photography Club. This season, Quade was a regular player for a Cedar Ridge team that won the Big 8 Championship with an 8-0 record. Cedar Ridge will host Union Pines at 6 o’clock on Tuesday night. 

Though they had to wait 26 days between games, the Cedar Ridge volleyball team has won the Big 8 Championship. The Red Wolves defeated Orange to clinch its first volleyball conference championship since 2015 on Tuesday night at Orange High School . It was another strong game for sophomores Cameron Lloyd and Grace Young. Lloyd, a sophomore whose older sister Jordan played at orange, led the team in kills. The Red Wolves improved to 8-0 and will finish the regular season on Friday night with a home game against Northern Durham. It will be senior night for Shili Quade, Layne Foster, Nicol Anderson, Haylee Cothran and Marlee Rakouskas. Orange will face East Chapel Hill at Wildcats Gymnasium on Wednesday.

A start-and-stop volleyball season is back on hold in Hillsborough.

The Cedar Ridge and Orange High volleyball teams have paused their seasons for two weeks. The two teams were told of the move on Monday morning by their respective coaching staffs.

The delay occurred after it was discovered a player on the Northwood Chargers volleyball team had tested positive for COVID-19. Likewise, Northwood’s season is also on hold for two weeks.

Cedar Ridge traveled to Northwood on Thursday, and Orange played the Chargers the following night in Pittsboro.

The 14-day period starts when the two teams played Northwood. Cedar Ridge would be eligible to return to action December 24. Orange is eligible on December 25.

Orange’s game at East Chapel Hill, scheduled for Monday night, was postponed hours before it was slated to begin. It’s the third time that a matchup between the Wildcats and the Lady Panthers has been delayed since the regular season started on November 19.

Cedar Ridge, who leads the Big 8 Conference with a 7-0 record, was supposed to start a four-game homestead against Orange on Tuesday night. The Red Wolves also had games against Northern Durham (Thursday), Chapel Hill (December 21) and East Chapel Hill (December 22). All of those matches will have to be rescheduled.

Orange had five games slated leading up to Christmas, including three this week. In addition to road games against East Chapel Hill and Cedar Ridge, the Lady Panthers were supposed to host Northwood on Thursday. Next week, Orange was supposed to play Vance County (December 21) and travel to Chapel Hill (December 22).

The shutdown means that Orange and Cedar Ridge not only can’t play games, they also can’t practice. It’s the second time this season that Orange has dealt with a shutdown. Though the regular season started in November, Orange didn’t play its first game until December 1 when they upset defending 3A State Champion Chapel Hill. (There was a forfeit victory over Vance County).

The two-week shutdown will put a crunch on both Orange and Cedar Ridge to finish its 14-game regular seasons. In its amended sports calendar, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association mandates that the regular season must end January 8.

Orange is 4-2, which means they have 14 days to play its final ten games. Cedar Ridge, who is ranked #5 in the state among 3A teams in the latest MaxPreps rankings, already had a match against Orange postponed from December 4 because of COVID concerns. It was rescheduled for January 6.

Teams across the Big 8 Conference have been forced to deal with COVID from the very beginning. Southern Durham High School was forced to cancel games after a positive case. The Spartans already have forfeited games against Cedar Ridge (December 8) and Orange (December 3).

Due to the abbreviated season, only two teams from the Big 8 Conference will make the state playoffs. Currently, Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill and Orange are tied for 2nd in the loss column. The Tigers are 6-2, while East Chapel Hill is 5-2. The Wildcats defeated the Lady Panthers last Thursday in Hillsborough.

The first round of the state playoffs is scheduled for January 12. This year’s 3A State Tournament will be 32 teams, as opposed to the 64-team field which has been common in recent years across all classifications.

Trying to play high school sports in the midst of a pandemic has been a struggle between routine and uncertainty. In the midst of the most unusual volleyball season ever, Cedar Ridge has shown unwavering stability.

The Red Wolves have every excuse otherwise available. They’re under a new head coach, its fourth since 2015. They play only two seniors in a Big 8 Conference that includes perennial power Chapel Hill, the defending 3A State Champions. There have been games postponed with less than 24 hours notice.

Now at the midway point of an abbreviated 14-game regular season, Cedar Ridge is atop the Big 8 Conference at 7-0. This season, only two teams from the Big 8 will make the 3A state playoffs. With seven matches remaining, Cedar Ridge has opened up a two-game lead over a league that became more logjammed over the past week.

Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill and Orange are all tied for second place in the loss column. Orange, which entered the week 4-0, suffered consecutive 3-0 losses to East Chapel Hill and Northwood on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

While the absence of crowds may make road games less imposing compared to an ordinary year, Cedar Ridge has still mounted a 4-0 record away from Red Wolves Gymnasium. While fans won’t be allowed into Cedar Ridge, the Red Wolves will start a four-game homestead on Tuesday against crosstown rival Orange.

Most impressively, Cedar Ridge has registered sweeps in five of its six wins (Southern Durham forfeited). The most recent came on Thursday night against Northwood, where the Red Wolves prevailed on scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 25-18.

The only set Cedar Ridge has dropped this season came against East Chapel Hill on December 1.

As was the case in 2019, it has been sophomores who have paved the way to Cedar Ridge’s best start since 2015: Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier.

Lloyd has been the centerpiece of Cedar Ridge’s finishing attack. She leads the team with 54 kills, including a season-high 19 against East Chapel Hill. She’s also is second on the team with 46 digs.

Setting up Lloyd for many of those kills is Altieri, who leads the team with 103 assists. Altieri, whose brothers Andrew and Eddie played basketball at Cedar Ridge, also leads the team with 18 aces.

Lanier has 42 kills and and a team-high ten blocks. Last season, as a freshman, Lanier had 193 kills, second only to Lloyd.

As with most successful teams, it’s only as good as its seniors. Libero Marlee Rakouskas has a team-high 54 digs and 91 serves received. Rakouskas’ classmate, Layne Foster, was named the Player of the Match against Chapel Hill on November 24. Foster has 14 kills, six assists and 41 digs so far.

As Cedar Ridge students have learned remotely since the pandemic started it March, it’s been impossible to build a sense of school spirit. Nonetheless, the volleyball team is on pace to earn Cedar Ridge’s first conference championship since the 2019 softball team. Last year, with the spring sports season canceled, Cedar Ridge only made the state playoffs in one sport: volleyball, where the Red Wolves lost to Terry Sanford in the opening round.

On Tuesday, Cedar Ridge will host Orange, a perfect matchup at the worst possible time. With it’s arguable that the two best volleyball teams in the Big 8 are both in Hillsborough, it goes without saying that this would be the most anticipated Orange-Cedar Ridge matchup in years if fans were allowed into Red Wolves Gymnasium. But reality has stepped in, once again, intruding our lives in ways that were unimaginable one year ago.

While Cedar Ridge isn’t a sure thing yet to win the Big 8, or even make the state playoffs, one thing is certain. This road to the conference championship runs through Cedar Ridge’s backyard this year.