Orange Volleyball

The Orange volleyball team has cemented its status for second place in the Central Carolina Conference after sweeping Walter Williams 3-0 at Panthers Gymnasium on Tuesday night. As usual, a blend of seniors and freshman combined to help the Panthers to victory. Freshman Aubrey Jordan had a career-high eleven kills. Another freshman, Katie Silcott, switched between outside hitter and setter. She finished with 21 assists and six kills. Ellia Wimsatt had ten kills. Senior Erin Jordan-Cornell had five kills as the Panthers improved to 13-7, 7-1 in the CCC. Orange also rebounded following a disappointing loss to Jordan in Durham on Monday night, a team that the Panthers had swept last month. Now, Orange will get the rest of the week off. The Panthers were supposed to face Cedar Ridge with first place on the line in the CCC on Thursday night. But the game has been moved to October 12 because of Hurricane Ian. Orange will resume its season at East Chapel Hill on Monday night in a nonconfernce game. They will return home on Tuesday to face Person. 

For the first time since 2018, the Orange men’s soccer team has defeated Northwood. At the same time, the Panthers’ chances of making the 3A State Playoffs for the first time since 2017 are suddenly alive and well. The Panthers got a goal from Ryker Stein off a free kick from Cooper Zinn with 9:46 remaining as Orange defeated Northwood 3-2. Senior Tyler Mann finished with two goals, including the opener for the Panthers, who have won three in a row. Zinn added another goal to put the Panthers ahead 2-1 to close the first half. The Panthers lost a 3-1 lead after they surrendered two goals in the span of 48 seconds in the second half. Orange has won three in a row in Central Carolina Conference play and are 4-5 overall. Earlier this week, the Panthers defeated Person 4-0. Zinn, Bryan Membreno, Manny Mil Cruz and Angel Arroyo all scored for the Panthers. Coming up tonight, Orange will travel to Southern Durham in a non conference matchup. Orange is going for its first four-game winning streak since 2017. 

The Orange volleyball team earned possibly its most impressive win of the season on Monday night. The Lady Panthers defeated Carrboro 3-1 on scores of 25-19, 25-12, 16-25 and 26-24. Senior outside blocker Erin Jordan-Cornell had some huge moments down the stretch of a tight first set. Jordan-Cornell finished with seven kills and two blocks. Freshman Katie Silcott cam away with 19 assists, eight digs and an ace as the Lady Panthers improved to 10-6. Jordan-Cornell is currently a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. The Lady Panthers are on the verge of tying last season win total and have a chance to surpass it this week. Orange will travel to Mebane to face Eastern Alamance on Tuesday night, followed by a trek to Elon to face Western Alamance on Thursday. Orange will complete the first half of its Central Carolina Conference scheduled on Tuesday against the Eagles. Orange is 4-1 and have a chance to remain one game behind Cedar Ridge for first place in the CCC. Orange will travel to Cedar Ridge on September 29. 

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior volleyball outside hitter Ella WImsatt. Last week, Wimsatt helped Orange to its first win at Person since 2014 in a 3-0 victory. WImsatt is among the top attackers for Orange, even though she didn’t start playing volleyball until the seventh grade. Her first sport was soccer. Last spring, Wimsatt helped the Orange women’s soccer team reach the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs for the first-time ever. Orange defeated Harnett Central 5-3 in Lillington in the opening round of the state playoffs. Wimsatt scored a goal and assisted on another. In volleyball last season, Orange reached the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs after beating West Johnston 3-0. It was the first playoff win for the Orange volleyball team since 2016. Wimsatt had seven kills, two aces and two blocks last week against defending 3A State Champion Cedar Ridge. On Tuesday night, the Lady Panthers defeated Northwood in Hillsborough to improve its record to 8-5, 3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. Orange travels to face Chapel Hill tonight. 

Orange 3, Person 0: During the 2001-2002 UNC men’s basketball season, generally considered by all Carolina fans as the nadir of the program that finished 8-20, they lost to Ohio University in the Smith Center.

It was a fact brought up to then-Bobcats Coach Tim O’Shea in the postgame press conference, who responded “Yeah, but it’s still Carolina. And this win will be on the front of our basketball program next year.”

And it was.

Likewise, the Person volleyball team may have lost nine players from last year’s squad that reached the state quarterfinals. But it’s still Person volleyball, and that fact alone makes Orange’s win on Thursday night special.

The Lady Panthers swept the Rockets 3-0 on scores of 25-19, 25-13 and 25-19. It was the first time that Orange won in Roxboro since 2014.

Going into Thursday night, the Rockets had beaten the Lady Panthers in nine of its previous ten matches.

Senior Allie Wilkerson finished with ten kills and five digs. Junior Ella Wimsatt came away with ten kills and 14 digs as Orange won its fifth match in seven attempts. Senior Caitlin Carden had 19 assists, 16 digs and four aces.

The opening set was tied 13-13 when Orange went on a 6-1 run. It started when junior libero Josie Crawford led Wimsatt for a kill at the net, which kept the Lady Panthers in the lead for the rest of the frame. Allie Wilkerson got a kill from an assist from Carden. Later, Carden scored her own kill off a feed from Wimsatt, while Wilkerson served up an ace to give Orange its largest lead of the set at 19-14. Carden clinched set point with her third ace.

Orange broke up the second set with a 10-1 run to go ahead 17-8. Wilkerson and Wimsatt each had five kills in the frame, while Aubrey Jordan has four. Allie Wilkerson had an unassisted dunk at the net to vault the Lady Panthers’ ahead 19-9. Jordan’s kill, off an assist from Carden, put the Lady Panthers ahead 24-13.

Orange never trailed in the final set, which started with back-to-back kills from Wimsatt. Freshman Ava Wilkerson dunked home a point, them immediately followed with a block to put Orange ahead 9-4.

The Lady Panthers (8-5 overall, 3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) host Northwood on Tuesday in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge 3, Eastern Alamance 0: Cedar Ridge got creative with its celebrations during the third set of Thursday’s win over Eastern Alamance at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves won its 29th consecutive conference match on scores of 25-12, 25-6 and 25-11.

It was the ninth straight win for the Red Wolves this season, not having lost a set since its season-opener against J.H. Rose, a 3-1 Rampants win. Cedar Ridge remains atop the CCC at 4-0.

Senior Cameron Lloyd finished with eight kills and six digs. Julie Altieri had 12 assists, six digs and two aces.

Lloyd and Lanier didn’t play in the third set, so reserves got their opportunities to show their stuff while many of the starters watched on. Graylinn Serge, normally a regular on defense, came away with a career-high four kills. After every successful kill, several Cedar Ridge players did the worm (which became fashionable around the mid-1980s) on the bench. The consensus was that Addie Reid had the best form on her worm (By the way, Form on her Worm will be opening for Heim next summer).

When junior Cecilia Kenan scored two kills in the third set, each Cedar Ridge reserve ran a lap around on the sidelines around acting head coach Megan Skouby, who was in for Fiona Cunningham.

Cedar Ridge (9-1, 4-0) will travel to Western Alamance on Tuesday night. The Red Wolves will host Southern Alamance on Wednesday as part of three games in three days. Cedar Ridge will also face Walter Williams in Hillsborough on Thursday.

Ava and Allie Wilkerson helped the Orange volleyball team take its Central Carolina Conference opener on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers defeated Western Alamance 3-1 on scores of 25-20, 25-18, 18-25 and 25-22. Senior Allie Wilkerson finished with five kills, seven digs and two blocks as the Lady Panthers improved to 6-4. Allie’s younger sister, Ava, is a freshman on this year’s team. Together, local photographer Jan DeYoung have dubbed the tandem “Sister Strength.” Allie, a 6’2” freshman, had six kills against the Warriors. The two started playing together in the backyard of their home in northern Orange County and now have their sights set on taking the Lady Panthers back to the 3A State Playoffs. Orange will continue its CCC schedule against Walter Williams in Burlington on Thursday night. Orange will host defending 3A State Champions Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium.