Orange Football

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is freshman wide receiver Kayden Bradsher. The defensive player of the week is senior linebacker Jayden Medley. On September 8, Bradsher scored three touchdowns in Orange’s 22-0 win over Montgomery Central at Auman Stadium. It was the first three touchdowns of his career. In the first half for the Timberwolves, Medley had a fumble recovery. He created two fumbles on the night and also had a sack. Orange pitched its first shutout against a non conference team since they defeated Granville Central last year in Stem, which was head coach’s DeVante Pettiford’s first win as Orange coach. Bradsher led the team with four receptions for 40 yards and three touchdowns. Bradsher’s first touchdown of the night came on a 12-yard run up the middle. Medley finished the game with seven tackles. Medley is a native of Maryland who moved to Hillsborough. Orange’s young group will face Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Stadium on Friday night in the annual Battle for the Bell.

Darius Satterfield; Satterfield is serving as Mr. Sophomore during his second year at Elizabeth City State this academic year. Satterfield is a part of the Royal Court at ECSU, which is comprised of eight students. Last week, Winston-Salem State defeated the Vikings 24-7 in ECSU’s CIAA opener. Satterfield was busy. He had seven punts for an average of an average of 41 yards. He had a career-high 88 yard punt. Elizabeth City State’s game against Shaw has been moved to tomorrow (Sunday) due to inclement weather by the coast.

Payton Wilson: The N.C. State football team had a wild 24-21 win over Virginia at Scott Stadium on Friday night. Once again, Wilson led the Wolfpack with 13 tackles, including one-half of a sack. Wilson had led the Wolfpack in tackles in each of its four games thus far in 2023. Last Saturday, in a 45-7 win over VMI, Wilson had nine tackles and a pass breakup. N.C. State is 3-1 and will host Louisville next Friday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Braxton Mergenthal: The Division III Hampden-Sydney football team rolled past Greensboro College 58-28 at Pride Field last week. Mergenthal, a former Cedar Ridge interior lineman, had a tackle. The Tigers are 2-1 and will host Bridgewater next Saturday.

Bryse Wilson: The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the National League Central division championship. On Friday, the Brewers routed the Miami Marlins 16-1 at loanDepot Park. Wilson threw the eighth inning and allowed one home run, the only Marlins tally of the game. He struck out one. This will be Wilson’s second trip to the playoff in his Major League career. In 2020, he helped the Atlanta Braves reach the National League Championship Series, where he defeated Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of that best-of-seven series. On Wednesday, Wilson threw a shutout inning of relief with one walk in a 8-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Last Monday, Wilson threw the eighth inning in St.Louis’ 1-0 win over the Brewers. He allowed one hit.

Ivy Garner: The Liberty women’s soccer team is now 10-0. The Flames defeated VMI 2-0 at Drill Field on Sunday. Garner started and played 39 minutes. On Thursday, Liberty defeated Middle Tennessee 1-0 in its Conference USA opener at Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, TN. Garner started as a midfielder and played 60 minutes, firing three shots. She has started all ten of the Flames’ games thus far.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team remains undefeated at 4-0-3. On Wednesday, the Bears defeated Anderson 3-0 at Spero Financial Field in Anderson, SC. Talley started as a midfielder and played 41 minutes. Last Sunday, the Bears won its South Atlantic Conference opener when they defeated Limestone 3-0 at Saints Field. Talley had two shots, one of them on net. She played the full 90 minutes. Lenoir-Rhyne is 2-0 in the SAC and faces Mars Hill today.

Allie Wilkerson: The Division III Averett University volleyball team defeated Randolph College 3-1 on scores of 25-13, 25-17, 23-25 and 25-23 on Tuesday at Giles Gymnasium in Lynchburg, VA. Wilkerson played all four sets and registered four kills, two digs and one ace. Averett is now 8-4 overall, 3-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. They will face Eastern Mennonite University later today (Saturday).

ELON–In 2000, when Florida State was at the peak of its powers winning nine straight ACC Championships, Bobby Bowden said “We already play in the toughest conference. The Florida Conference.”

He was referring to annual nonconference battles against Miami and Florida, who was still coached by Steve Spurrier.

While Orange High won six conference championships across the fall, winter and spring last academic year, and Cedar Ridge had numerous individual athletes make strong runs towards state crowns, football has been it’s own entity since the formation of the Central Carolina Conference in 2022.

It has been the Alamance Conference and it won’t be any different this year.

Though Western Alamance handed Orange a 27-9 loss at Primm Stadium on Friday night, the Panthers asked no quarter and gave none. They held Western Alamance quarterback Evan Kuehnel to a season-low 132 yards passing. Kuehnel started the season throwing for 491 yards in a loss to perennial power Reidsville.

Behind a strong pass rush, the Panthers defense forced six three-and-outs against a normally potent Warriors offense. However, Western’s defense directly generated points. Senior safety Josh Long had two interception returns for touchdowns. The Warriors (4-1, 1-0 in the CCC) also forced an Orange fumble for a safety late in the first half. All told, Western Alamance’s defense scored 16 points.

“That score says 27-9, but anybody watching knows our defense gave up two touchdowns tonight,” said Orange coach DeVante Pettiford. “This is an Alamance County powerhouse, a big, strong team. Bigger and faster than us and that’s a testament of this defense. But there’s three phases to football: offense, defense and special teams. I think we’re doing good on the defensive end, but we’ve got to pick up the others.”

It was a frustrating offensive night on both sidelines. Orange (2-2, 0-1 in the CCC) was held to three first downs and 91 yards. Late in the second quarter, punter, placekicker and safety Tyler Narold added “quarterback” to his resume, replacing starter Hank Nunnery after Orange failed to generate a first down in the opening 20 minutes.

Kuehnel, in his third year as starting quarterback, found top receiver James Newton twice on the Warriors first scoring drive. After a 23-yard pickup on the initial play of the Warriors second series, Kuehnel hit Newton again on 3rd-and-10 from the Orange 28-yard line. Senior running back Cam Cottn rushed up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown with 8:31 remaining in the first quarter.

With 5:20 remaining in the frame, Narold pinned the Warriors to the 14-yard line following a 36-yard punt. Kuehnel, also the Western punter, had one go off the side of his foot from the back of the end zone that wound out of bounds at his own 15-yard line. Orange was unable to move forward, but Narold kicked a season-long 34-yard field goal to reduce the Warriors lead to 6-3. The “scoring drive” was negative two yards.

Late in the first quarter, Long picked off a pass by Nunnery and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. Camden Oliveria’s extra point put the Warriors ahead 13-3.

Orange’s defense put up another stand after Cotton reeled off a 45-yard run, his longest of the night. Oliveria’s 37-yard field goal banged off the bottom of the crossbar with 4:12 remaining in the first half. On the subsequent drive, the Panthers went backwards. An errant snap to Nunnery wound up in the end zone, where running back Nate Sorrells covered it up before Western linebacker Nick McGhee could get to it, leading to a Western safety.

The ensuing free kick led to the best Western drive of the night. Cotton reeled off runs of 15, 7 and nine yards before junior Marquele Harvey scored on a 16-yard juke around right end with 1:41 remaining in the first half.

After Sorrells picked up Orange’s initial first down of the game with a 12-yard carry to open the third quarter, the Panthers’ drive fizzled after two penalties. With 4:28 remaining, Narold’s pass slipped through Crawford Farmer’s hands and was picked off by Long, who streaked up the left sideline 45 yards for his second touchdown.

Nunnery returned at quarterback in the third quarter and generated the Panthers only touchdown. He hit Ja’Ki McDaniels for a 44-yard pass to the Warriors 13-yard line. After the Warriors were called for a defensive holding penalty, DeAndre Brown bolted forward for a four-yard touchdown run, his first of the season.

“I’m beyond proud of those guys,” Pettiford said. “It shows progress. We’re getting better. Last year, (Western Alamance) won 38-3. Tonight’s we got it down to 27 points. It’s just making progress.”

WESTERN ALAMANCE 27, ORANGE 9

WA–13     8       6   0-27

OR–3       0       0    6-9

WA–Cam Cotton 3 run (kick blocked)

OR–Tyler Narold 34 FG

WA–Josh Long 32 interception return (Camden Oliveria kick)

WA–Safety, Nate Sorrells tackled in end zone

WA–Marquelle Harvey 16 run (pass failed)

WA–Long 45 interception return (kick failed)

OR–DeAndre Brown 4 run (kick failed)

RUSHING: ORANGE (Sorrells 22-33, Brown 2-5 TD, Jaylen Starks 2-(-2), Kayden Bradsher 1-(-6), team 1-(-14).

WESTERN ALAMANCE (Cam Cotton 13-94 TD, Marquelle Harvey 2-28 TD, Collin Moylan 2-6, Kuehnel 3(-4), Ethan Oakley 1-(-6) James Newton 1-(-6),

PASSING: ORANGE 5-26 73 yards 2 INT (Hank Narold 5-19 73 yards INT, Narold 0-7 INT).

WESTERN ALAMANCE 10-31 132 (Kuehnel 10-29 132, Oakley 0-2)

RECEIVING: ORANGE (Ja’Ki McDaniels 1-44, Brandon Cummings 1-16, Kayden Bradsher 1-7, Crawford Farmer 1-4, Sorrells 1-2)

WESTERN ALAMANCE: (Newton 5-61, Jacob Miles 2-49, Long 2-8, William Clinkscales 1-14)

Just like that, we’re a month into high school sports season.

Why does one month of summer feel like three months? Maybe it’s the inactivity.

One thing that isn’t inactive is the Orange volleyball team. The Lady Panthers are currently #2 in the 3A East RPI rankings. Stop me if this sounds familiar, but the only team ahead of Orange in the RPI rankings is J.H. Rose, the defending regional champions who defeated Cedar Ridge last year for a trip to Raleigh and the 3A State Championship match. Orange is not only winning, but they’re dominant. On Wednesday night, the Lady Panthers swept Roxboro Community School for their 23rd consecutive set victory. Orange is alone atop the Central Carolina Conference.

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team could wind up making this a memorable final season for head coach Steve Mayhew. While the Red Wolves lost to Walter Williams on Wednesday night in a match that determined first place in the CCC, Cedar Ridge is still in second place. They haven’t reached the 3A State Dual Team playoff since 2016, when they won the Big 8 Conference championship. Cedar Ridge certainly has the depth to make a run at Williams in the rematch next month in Hillsborough.

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is also trying to reach the 3A State Playoffs for the first time in seven years. The Red Wolves took another step on Wednesday night with a victory over Orange in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby. Cedar Ridge has already surpassed its win total from last season. Next week, the Red Wolves will travel to Eastern Alamance, then host Western Alamance at Red Wolves Stadium.

Let’s look at the Magnificent Seven for the week of September 3-9th. The seven best performances by Cedar Ridge and Orange in no particular order.

1. Kayden Bradsher, Orange, Fres: Scored three touchdowns in the Orange football team’s 22-0 win over Montgomery Central on Friday night. Bradsher had a career-high six receptions for 58 yards. He scored the first touchdown of his varsity career on a 12-yard run to conclude the Panthers first possession of the night against the Timberwolves.
2. Ella Caltabiano, Cedar Ridge, Sr.: Won three matches in a big week for Red Wolves women’s tennis. Cedar Ridge defeated Orange for the first time since 2019. Caltabiano teamed with Catherine Ballenger to clinch the match against Orange at #2 doubles. Against Eno River Academy on September 7, Caltabiano defeated Rebecca Kelly at #2 singles 8-2. Later, she teamed with Ballenger to defeat Rebecca Kirby and Chiara Menolascino 8-1.
3. Katie Silcott, Orange, Soph.: The Orange volleyball team is off to its best start ever as a 3A team. Silcott, a setter, had 46 assists in a win over Cedar Ridge that ended the Red Wolves 42-game conference winning streak. Two night later, Silcott had 35 assists and eight digs in a sweep of Person. The next night, Silcott had 41 assists, nine digs and three aces in a sweep of Roxboro Community School.
4. Alejandro Macero-Ramos, Cedar Ridge, Jr.: Scored two goals for the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team in a 5-0 win over Person. Macero-Ramos helped Cedar Ridge tie its win total from all of last season with their fifth victory of 2023.
5. Makayla Davis, Orange, Sr.: Davis won her singles match for the Orange women’s tennis against Cedar Ridge against Adeline Cummings 10-7. She also captured her doubles match against the Red Wolves, teaming with Kyla Mehl to win 9-8, taking the tiebreaker 7-6. Two days later, Davis won her singles match against Person 10-0.
6. Rachel Alverson, Cedar Ridge, Sr: Recorded 28 assists, six digs and three aces for the Cedar Ridge volleyball team in a win over Eastern Alamance on September 7. Against Orange, Alverson had 25 assists, two aces and four digs. Alverson leads the team in assists.
7. Jayden Medley, Orange, Sr.: Racked up seven tackles for Orange against Montgomery Central. Medley also had a fumble recovery against the Timberwolves on their second series of the game. Medley finished with a sack as Orange notched its first shutout of the season.

After the Montgomery Central Timberwolves scored 151 points over its first three games, they sauntered into Auman Stadium with a 3-0 mark on Friday night. But the Orange Panthers were up to the challenge and shutout the Timberwolves 22-0 in Hillsborough. It was a standout game for freshman Kayden Bradsher, who scored all three Orange touchdowns. In the first quarter, Bradsher delivered his first varsity touchdown off an option pitch from quarterback Hank Nunnery. In the second quarter with Orange leading 6-0. Immediately after the score, the Panthers forced the first of five Timbervolves turnovers in the game when Jayden Medley recovered a fumble inside Montgomery real estate. Medley went into the game with 16 tackles and two sacks through the Panthers first three games. In the second quarter, Nunnery found Bradsher on a crucial 3rd-and-goal in the left corner of the end zone. Bradsher would score his third touchdown off a 29-yard pass from Nunnery in the third quarter. The Panthers were able to win a battle of field position because of punter Tyler Narold, who delivered several solid punts that forced the Timberwolves to start drive in the shodow of their own goalposts. Narold capped off the night in style with an interception on the final Central offensive play. Orange goes into Central Carolina Conference portion of its schedule with a 2-2 record. They will travel to David Wade Stadium to face Western Alamance next Friday night.

The joyous crowd had all gone home and the Montgomery Central visitor’s bus had just faded away into the darkness when DeVante Pettiford walked up the empty bleachers.

In his heart, the young Orange football head coach is still defensive oriented. Shutouts don’t come as often inside Auman Stadium as they used to, so he wanted to savor this one as long as he could.

With a rare moment of solitude, he pulled out his phone and took a shot of the scoreboard that read “Orange 22, Visitors 0” before athletic director Jason Knapp shut down the lights.

During a week where his team could barely hold practices outside because of the oppressive heat, Pettiford was concerned that Montgomery’s split back offensive system would give his team fits.

Instead, Pettiford’s Panthers put together its most complete performance in its final non-conference game, holding the Timberwolves to a season-low 95 yards total offense in a 22-0 win at Auman Stadium.

In the midst of the stifling defense, promising Orange freshman Kayden Bradsher had his coming out party, scoring three touchdowns. His opening rushing touchdown from 12 yards out with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter put Orange ahead for good.

“He is a pure athlete no matter what he does,” Pettiford said of Bradsher. “Football, basketball and baseball, he’s just a pure talent. In our first jamboree (in Siler City), he had a great catch for a touchdown. I saw it then. Let’s look past all the talent. Kayden is a leader. I have seniors that won’t speak up. Kayden speaks up.”

Bradsher was Orange’s leading receiver with a career-high six catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns.

The Panther defense forced five turnovers, the first of which came on a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Jayden Medley, who pounced on the ball coughed up by quarterback Aidan Goodman. Orange had several opportunities to add on to its 6-0 lead throughout the first quarter, starting drives in Timberwolf real estate twice to no avail.

Orange won a battle of field position thanks to punter Tyler Narold, who enjoyed a big all-around night. Late in the second quarter, Narold blasted a 47-yard punt to pin the Timberwolves back to its 6-yard line. After a sack by DeAndre Brown for a six-yard loss, Orange quarterback Hank Nunnery found running back Nate Sorrells for a 40-yard gain off a swing pass, tackled at the doorstep of the goal line. On 3rd-and-goal from the Timberwolf 3-yard line, Nunnery extended the play long enough to find Bradsher in the left corner of the end zone. Harold’s extra point gave Orange a 13-0 halftime lead.

Montgomery Central (3-1), who scored a combined 151 points in wins over J.F. Webb, Carrboro and East Chapel Hill, was held to ten yard total offense at halftime.

“I actually was a bit worried because we weren’t able to practice outside all week,” Pettiford said. “We practiced in the gym every day this week and I was worried because this is a different style of offense. They have some option, they have some veer-type tendencies. You never know how it’s going to be until its full speed. I think taking that time back grew the hunger within us and got us more locked in.”

Montgomery Central got into its only offensive rhythm at the outset of the second half when they morphed into a wishbone offense, leading to consecutive first down runs by running back Brandon Powell. They advanced to the Orange 31-yard line before Narold nearly picked off a pass in the end zone. After Powell was tackled by Daylin Ford and Brown for three yards on 3rd-and-15, Goodman lost the ball as he attempted to throw on the run. Jaylin Starks recovered the fumble.

With Orange leading 13-0, it appeared the Panthers had squandered another chance to extend its lead after Brown was wrestled down for no gain on 3rd-and-10. In a bizarre sequence, Narold punted the ball out of bounds at the Montgomery 3-yard line, but the Timberwolves were called for a personal foul while the ball was rolling dead, extending the Orange drive. On 4th-and-4, Nunnery found Bradsher along the near sideline at the 20-yard line. Bradsher split between two linebackers up the field and raced into the end zone for his third touchdown.

Orange forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter. Garrett Sawyer picked off an Andrews pass with 11:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. After the Timberwolves Jayshawn Stewart recorded a fumble, a Montgomery snap slipped through punter James Andrews hands for a safety, extending the Orange lead to 22-0.

Narold picked off a pass on the Timberwolves final offensive play.

“This was assignment football tonight,” Pettiford said. “Last week (against Vance County), we made dumb mistakes. Our defensive line wasn’t attacking. We had the wrong shoulder pulls. We didn’t flow. We made day one mistakes. This week, we honed in on those things that we fixed and we locked in. When everybody does their job, tonight is the outcome.”

ORANGE 22, MONTGOMERY CENTRAL 0

MC–0   0    0   0-0

OR–6    7     7    2-22

ORA–Kayden Bradsher 12 run (kick failed)

ORA–Bradsher 3 pass from Hank Nunnery (Tyler Narold kick)

ORA–Bradsher 29 pass from Nunnery (Narold kick)

ORA-safety, ball snapped out of end zone.

RUSHING: MONTGOMERY CENTRAL 32-35 (Brandon Powell 10-62, Nytavis Powell 12-23, Jayshawn Stewart 1-2, Aidan Goodman 5-(-26). team 4-(-22).

ORANGE: 22-46 TD (Nate Sorrells 12-25, Jaylan Starks 5-6, Bradsher 1-12 TD, DeAndre Brown 4-3)

PASSING: MONTGOMERY CENTRAL (ANDERSON 4-12 56 Yards INT, Noah Rodriguez 0-1)

ORANGE (Nunnery 14-25 166 2 TD, INT)

RECEIVING: MONTGOMERY CENTRAL (Brandon Weiss 2-5, RaRa Jemison 1-50, N. Powell 1-1)

ORANGE: (Bradsher 6-58 2 TD, Sorrells 3-57, Daylin Ford 3-24, Brandon Cummings 2-27)

Payton Wilson: N.C. State started its season with a 24-14 win over Connecticut at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, CT on Thursday night. Wilson, a redshirt senior linebacker for the Wolfpack, clinched the game with an interception on the Wolfpack’s final defensive play of the night. Wilson led N.C. State with ten tackles. He also had a pass breakup and a tackle for loss. The Wolfpack will host Notre Dame in its home opener at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh next Saturday.

Darius Satterfield: Catawba defeated Division II Elizabeth City State 31-23 at Roebuck Stadium in Elizabeth City on Saturday. Satterfield averaged 32.4 yards on five punts. His longest was 56 yards and one was downed inside the 20-yard line.

Trenton Gill: In what was a mere formality, Gill made the final roster of the Chicago Bears after cutdown day across the NFL on Tuesday. Gill’s season will start agains the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on September 10.

Braxton Mergenthal: The Division III Hampton-Sydney football team started its season with a 29-28 loss to Wabash (Indiana) in the Gentleman’s Classic at Everett Stadium in Hampden Sydney, VA on Saturday. Mergenthal, a former Cedar Ridge interior lineman, started his senior season with one tackle.

Mia Davidson-Smith: Davidson was announced as a member of Team USA Softball that will play in the Pan American Games this fall. Davidson was one of 16 players who will play in Santiago, Chile on October 29-November 4. This will be the second time this year that Davidson has played in an international competition for Team USA. In June, she played during the WBSC World Cup Group A event in Dublin, Ireland, where the Americans went undefeated to qualify for the World Cup Finals next year.

Cameron Lloyd: The Bucknell volleyball team hosted the Bucknell Invitational at Davis Gym in Lewisburg, PA. The Bison went 1-2 in the two-day event. William & Mary defeated the Bison 3-1 on scores of 25-22, 19-25, 25-23 and 25-19. Lloyd played all four sets and had two aces with eight digs. Bucknell defeated Cornell 3-0 on scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 26-24. Lloyd had her biggest college game thus far with six kills, 13 digs and one ace. On Saturday, Princeton swept Bucknell 3-0 on scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-11. Lloyd had six kids, a block and six digs. Bucknell is 2-4 and will face Akron in the Cleveland State Tournament on Friday.

Cameron Lanier: This weekend, the Elon volleyball team went 1-2 in the Wofford Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C. Georgia State defeated Elon 3-0 (25-17, 25-22 and 26-24). Lanier led the team with 14 kills on a whopping 37 attempts. She also finished with eight digs and one block. The Phoenix swept South Carolina State (25-12, 25-15 and 25-16). Once again, Lanier led the team with nine kills. She also had two digs. On Saturday, Wofford swept Elon (25-20, 25-20 and 25-17). Lanier finished with five kills, one ace and one dig. Elon is 1-5.

Grace Young: The UNC Asheville volleyball team lost two matches to Furman last week. On Wednesday, the Paladins defeated the Bulldogs 3-0 (25-17, 25-15 & 25-23) at Alley Gym in Greenville, SC. Young played in two of the sets and had two aces and two digs. In a rematch on Friday, the Paladins once again gained a sweep inside of the Justice Center in Asheville (25-17, 25-20 and 25-19). Young played in two sets and had five digs. The Bulldogs are 3-3 and will travel to Western Carolina on Tuesday.

Anaya Carter: The Division II UNC Pembroke volleyball team started its season by going 3-1 during the Cedarville Invitational in Cedarville, Ohio. On Saturday, Palm Beach Atlantic defeated the Braves 3-0. (25-17, 25-21, and 25-10). Carter played one set.

Julie Altieri: Altieri, the all-time assist leader in Cedar Ridge history, started her college career on Friday with the Division III Salisbury Seagulls with three wins. The Seagulls defeated William Peace University 3-1 in the first match of the Margie Knight Classic at the Maggs Physical Activities Center in Salisbury, MD (25-7, 25-23, 22-25 and 25-22) on Friday. In her first college game, Altieri had ten assists, five digs and one ace in three sets. On Saturday, Salisbury swept Drew (25-15, 25-22 and 25-14). Altieri played all three sets and finished with one kill, 12 assists, two aces and five digs. Salisbury completed the weekend with a 3-2 win over Stevenson (25-23, 16-25, 25-27, 27-25 and 15-11). Altieri registered 23 assists, one ace, and ten digs. The Seagulls will compete in the Garnet Invitational starting on Friday.

Melissa Benkowitz: Another former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf made her college debut this weekend. Benkowitz suited up for Division III Franklin & Marshall College at the Mayser Center in Lancaster, PA. Carnegie Mellon defeated the Diplomats 3-1 in the opening match (25-17, 25-18, 20-25, 25-17). Benkowitz played all four sets and finished with ten kills, seven digs and one ace. On Saturday, Franklin and Marshall defeated SUNY Geneso 3-0 (25-14, 25-17 and 25-21). Benkowitz tallied seven kills, eleven digs and one ace. Also on Saturday, the Diplomats swept Elizabethtown (25-17, 25-23 and 25-19). Benkowitz had two kills, two aces and seven digs.

Emerson Talley: The Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team opened its season with a 1-1 draw with Lee University at Moretz Sports-Athletic Complex in Hickory. Talley, the all-time goals scorer in Cedar Ridge history, started her first game and played all 90 minutes. On Saturday, the Bears played to a scoreless tie with Mount Olive. Talley started and played 73 minutes.