Orange Volleyball

MEBANE–The public address announcer inside Tal Jobe Gymnasium ripped off Michael Buffer and bellowed “Let’s get ready to rumble” to conclude pregame festivities for Orange vs. Eastern Alamance volleyball on Tuesday night.

Orange did most of the rumbling.

The Lady Panthers concluded the first half of its Central Conference schedule with a 3-0 sweep of the Eagles on scores of 25-11, 25-6 and 25-15. It was Orange’s (7-6, 5-1 in the Central Conference) sixth sweep of the year.

Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 15 kills while outside hitter Aubrey Jordan came away with seven kills. Setter Katie Silcott finished with 27 assists, eleven digs and four kills.

Playing with blowing fans on both ends of the court, Orange didn’t leave any room for suspense early on. The roared out to a 6-1 lead after an ace from sophomore Addison Guentensberger and a kill from Milleka Purcell, who earned her first varsity start. After the Eagles got to within 7-5, Orange took control with an 8-1 run that started when Wilkerson slammed down a spike onto the light brown hardwood off an assist from Silcott. Mariah Poole delivered consecutive aces to put Orange ahead 15-6. Wilkerson had an unassisted kill on set point.

Wilkerson had eight kills in the second set, which started with Orange leading 13-2. It wouldn’t get any closer as Poole delivered two more aces. The Lady Panthers scored the final four points with Wilkerson scoring consecutive kills to close out the set.

Eastern Alamance’s Kayden Manning gave the Eagles its first lead of the night when she scored a block on the opening point of the third set. Orange would easily overcome that with a 7-1 run, which included an ace from Abby Silinski and a kill from Sawyer White. Orange led 16-13 before they closed out the match with nine consecutive points. Guentensberger served Orange out and White had back-to-back kills leading up to match point.

Orange will travel to Western Alamance for a crucial Central Conference match on Thursday night.

Cedar Ridge 3, Roxboro Community School 0: Cedar Ridge honored seniors Charlotte Lowry, Ellie Miller, Alleah Fredrick and Leah Pritchard before sweeping Roxboro Community School on Monday night. The Red Wolves won on scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-13 to improve to 9-3 overall.

Junior Ellamarie Perel finished with nine kills, while outside hitter Claire Hargett had eight kills and five digs. Setter Mia Marty finished with eleven digs, 18 assists and four aces.

With Hargett serving, Cedar Ridge scored eleven consecutive points in the opening set to take an 11-1 lead. Hargett had four aces in that run, while Perel had two kills assisted by Marty. Roxboro’s Delayna Welch had consecutive aces during a 5-0 Bulldog run, but Cedar Ridge reeled off seven straight points behind an ace from Miller and a block from Kayla Stoll. Cedar Ridge built its lead up to 23-14 and withstood a late charge by RCS, who got three aces from Welch. Perel scored set point off a feed from Marty.

Hargett had six kills in the second set, where the Red Wolves jumped out to a 5-2 lead. The Bulldogs came back to even the frame at 11-11 after two aces from Cecelia Fitzgerald. Marty delivered consecutive aces to start a 7-1 Red Wolf splurge. Hargett and Fredrick had kills to push the Red Wolves lead to 18-14. Marty scored back-to-back points, including an ace to make it 24-18. An attack by the Bulldogs went wide on set point.

The two teams split the opening ten points in the third set before Cedar Ridge went on a 6-0 run. Hargett scored a block, followed by consecutive aces by Miller that made it 11-5. Pritchard closed out the match with two aces.

Midway through the Central Conference slate, the Red Wolves are in first place at 6-0. They will host Person on Thursday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

For the first time this year in the midst of one of the toughest schedules in the state, the Orange volleyball team has won consecutive games. On Tuesday night, the Lady Panthers swept Southern Alamance on scores of 27-25, 25-18 and 25-13. Sophomore Sawyer White finished with eleven kills, 12 digs and four assists as Orange improved to 6-5 overall, 4-1 in the Central Conference. Senior libero Abby Silinski had 19 digs, two assists and two aces. Southern Alamance led most of the first set until Orange tied it at 18 after a block by Aubry Hodges. The Lady Panthers fought off a set point when Poole got a kill off an assist from Katie Silcott, which triggered a 4-1 run to finish the set. Ava Wilkerson gave Orange its first lead of the set off a powerful spike set up by Silcott. Orange would win the set 27-25. Coming up tonight, Orange will venture to Pittsboro to face Seaforth. Wilkerson had 12 kills in the second set, which Orange won 25-18, a set where Silinski had nine kills. Orange wrapped up the match by winning the third set 25-13. Poole had an ace on match point. The Panthers had ten aces against the Patriots. Last year, the Hawks won the Mid-Carolina Conference championship with a 12-0 record and are currently 9-1.

Orange volleyball’s Sawyer White & Abby Silinski discuss sweep of Southern Alamance

For the first time this year in the midst of one of the toughest schedules in the state, the Orange volleyball team has won consecutive games. On Tuesday night, the Lady Panthers swept Southern Alamance on scores of 27-25, 25-18 and 25-13.

Orange 3, Western Alamance 0: Two weeks into the season, the Orange volleyball team has had one demanding test after another.

There have been two matches with D.H. Conley and another against Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champion. It left the Lady Panthers with a 2-3 record, but Orange found its dominant form in its Central Conference opener on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 16 kills while Kaine Silcott registered six kills, 18 digs and 26 assists as the Lady Panthers swept Western Alamance on scores of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-21. Orange (3-3, 1-0 in the Central Conference) claimed its eleventh straight win over the Warriors since the two teams became conference rivals in 2021.

The Warriors, who came into the match with a 5-0 record, put the pressure on Orange early after junior Taliah Walker got back-to-back blocks in the first set that triggered a 7-1 Western Alamance run. A kill by sophomore Reese Walker put the Warriors ahead 14-11 and forced an Orange timeout. The Panthers reeled off eight straight points off the serve of senior Abby Silinski, who had consecutive aces. A kill by Mariah Poole assisted by Silinski put Orange ahead 19-14. Wilkerson had an ace on set point.

Orange had five aces in the second set, where they jumped out to an 9-3 lead. The Warriors closed its deficit to 11-10 after a kill by Haley Clayton, but Aubrey Jordan scored two straight kills, followed by another from freshman Aubrey Hodges to build Orange’s lead to 17-13. Hodges stuffed down a lobbed return to close out the second set.

Western Alamance led the third set 12-8, but Orange peeled off eleven straight points. Silcott had four aces in the run which vaulted the Panthers ahead 19-12. Jordan scored on a kill to put Orange ahead 24-18. Western Alamance scored four straight points before Silcott slammed down match point off a feed from White.

Orange will continue a challenging nonconference slate with a trip to Raleigh tonight (Wednesday) to face Millbrook.

Cedar Ridge 3, Person 0: Junior Kayla Stoll had a career-high 13 kills as Cedar Ridge won its Central Conference opener in Roxboro over the Rockets on Tuesday night. Sophomore Claire Hargett, who leads the team in kills, spent much of the night on the backline and had a team-high 23 digs. She also had 12 kills. Mia Marty, a setter, had 23 assists and 12 digs.

Cedar Ridge improved to 3-1, 1-0 in the Central Conference. Person falls to 2-3, 0-1 in the Centra.

Person scored the first three points of the opening set, which was also its largest lead of the night. Stoll had seven kills in the first game as the Red Wolves built a 17-10 lead following an ace from Marty. A finish by Hargett, assisted by Marty, put Cedar Ridge ahead 21-12. A return by Person went wide on set point.

Cedar Ridge had six aces in the second set, where Person had a 2-1 advantage. Stoll had an unassisted kill on a dunk at the middle of the floor to put the Red Wolves ahead. Cedar Ridge scored ten straight points to take control of the set, which included another ace from Marty and consecutive kills from Stoll. On set point, Stoll had an ace as Cedar Ridge won 25-12.

Cedar Ridge took a 5-2 lead to start the third set. Person fought back with five consecutive points, its longest run of the match, to briefly hold the lead at 7-6. Cedar Ridge responded with four in a row off kills from Marty, Hargett and a block from Charlotte Lowry to take a 10-7 lead. Hargett slammed down an attack from eleven feet away to give Cedar Ridge an 19-14 lead. Cedar Ridge scored the final three points of the match with Marty scoring match point off an assist from senior Ellie Miller.

Cedar Ridge will host Southern Alamance on Thursday night in Hillsborough.

When Orange and Cedar Ridge have been in the same conference for volleyball, one or the other has claimed the last four league championships. Orange, the defending Central Conference regular season champions, opened league play with a sweep of Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. Orange has won 16 consecutive Central Conference regular season matches. Junior Ava Wilkerson finished with 16 kills and eight digs. Junior setter Katie Silcott finished with 18 digs, 26 assists, seven aces and six kills. Orange opened the season playing a rigorous nonconference schedule, facing D.H. Conley twice and Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champions, once. Orange, the defending 3A Eastern Regional champions, has had a strong start to the season from Wilkerson, a middle blocked who committed to play at UCF last month. Silcott alternates with sophomore Sawyer White as setter and had a triple-double in the season-opener against Roxboro Community School on August 13. The Lady Panthers will return to a demanding nonconference schedule with a trip to Raleigh to face Millbrook on Wednesday night. Orange will have another road trip to Burlington to face Williams in Central Conference play on Thursday. The Lady Panthers improved to 3-3 with the win over the Warriors. Orange has beaten Western Alamance eleven straight times.

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When Orange and Cedar Ridge have been in the same conference for volleyball, one or the other has claimed the last four league championships. Orange, the defending Central Conference regular season champions, opened league play with a sweep of Western Alamance on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

This week, college sports fall season gets underway. Here are some of the graduates from Orange and Cedar Ridge High Schools that will continue or start their college careers in various sports this week. (There are other athletes who will start next week.)

Darius Satterfield: A former Orange High punter and kicker, Satterfield will start his junior season at Elizabeth City State University when the Vikings face Shaw University in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon. Darius has also been selected as a student representative for the NCAA Division II Student-Advisory Committee. He currently serves as Elizabeth City State’s SAAC Vice President. He will lead a new CIAA SAAC Executive Board.

Nate Sorrells and Jaylan Sorrells: Nate is a former Orange High running back/defensive back. Jaylan is a former offensive and defensive lineman. They are now at Division II Mars Hill, who will start the season against Delta State at Meares Stadium in Mars Hill this Thursday night.

Malachi Justice: St. Andrew University, a NAIA team, will open against Erskine University, an NCAA Division II squad, at J.W. Babb Stadium in Greenwood, S.C. Justice led Orange in sacks last season and is a freshman.

Cameron Lloyd: The all-time kills leader in Cedar Ridge volleyball history, Lloyd starts her sophomore season for the Bucknell volleyball team. The Bison will open with two matches in the Bearcat Classic in Vestal, NY on Friday. They start with Toledo on Friday afternoon, then will take on Merrimack. To show how small a world it is, Lloyd will face a former Orange High product when Bucknell faces Binghamton on Saturday. As we’ll detail later, Binghamton’s setter is former Orange High product Lottie Scully. Last season, Lloyd had 168 kills for Bucknell, who finished 15-11.

Cameron Lanier: The former Cedar Ridge middle blocker will start her sophomore season at Elon University in the Wildcat Classic at Davidson on Friday. Last year, Lanier started 23 matches for the Phoenix and was second on the team with 223 kills in her freshman year. That included 14 kills against Georgia State on September 1. Elon finished 5-22 last season.

Lottie Scully: Binghamton will host the Bearcat Classic at the Bearcats Event Center starting on Friday. They will face Merrimack and Toledo in a doubleheader, then face Bucknell in the aforementioned matchup on Saturday. Scully is a junior from Hurdle Mills who was named second-team All-America East Conference last season. She was named the America East Setter of the Week four times and led the conference with 679 assists.

Addie Reid: The 2023 Cedar Ridge Homecoming Queen, Reid will start her freshman year at North Carolina Central against longtime rival North Carolina A&T at the Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro on Friday. Reid was the middle blocker for the 2021 3A State Championship team.

Graylinn Serge: Serge, who was a starting outside hitter for Cedar Ridge last season, will start her freshman year at UNC Greensboro on Friday. UNCG will host the Spartan Classic and begin with Robert Morris. Later that day, the Spartans will face Missouri State at Fleming Gymnasium. Serge helped the Red Wolves win the 2023 Central Conference Tournament.

Julie Altieri: Along with Lloyd, Lanier, Reid, Serge and Grace Young, Altieri won the 2021 3A State Championship with Cedar Ridge. Altieri was the starting setter for Division III Salisbury Sea Gulls when they won the Coast to Coast Conference championship last season. Salisbury will start its season in the Margie Knight Classic in the Maggs Physical Activities Center against Catholic University on Friday. As a freshman, Altieri was second in the conference averaging 6.54 assists per set. She played in 29 matches and recorded 225 digs.

Grace Young: Last spring, Young transferred from UNC Asheville to Division III Greensboro College. The Pride will start its season in Atlanta in the Emory Invitational. Greensboro will open with Emory University on Friday.

Ivy Garner: After helping the North Carolina Courage U-23 team win the United Soccer League W League Championship, Garner has started her junior year at Liberty University with a flourish. The Flames are 4-0 after wins over Old Dominion, High Point, VCU and East Tennessee State. Garner scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute in a 2-1 win over VCU on Thursday.  Garner started and has six shots in the win over the Buccaneers on Sunday, a 3-1 Flames victory in Summers-Taylor Stadium in Johnson City, TN. Garner had two Scots on goal as the Flames defeated High Point 3-1 on August 15, which was the season-opener. Garner assisted on the game-winning goal scored by Hallie Engel in a 2-0 win over Old Dominion at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg, VA.

Fiona Cunningham: The former Cedar Ridge volleyball coach is now an assistant coach at East Carolina. Cunningham was an assistant at North Carolina Central, where she recruited Reid, for one season. Cunningham led Cedar Ridge to three regular season conference championships, two Central Conference Tournament championships, the 2021 3A State Championship and Eastern Regional championship during her three seasons at Cedar Ridge from 2020-2023.

Photo by Jacques Morin 

The embryonic stages of any team’s season is a time to grow, develop and learn.

Coming off winning the 3A Eastern Regional championship in 2023, Orange volleyball coach Hope Heverly started this season by scheduling four non-conference opponents, three of whom went undefeated in their respective leagues last year.

Right away, her team started to learn about itself, first in victory, then in defeat against a traditional powerhouse.

On Tuesday, Orange defeated Roxboro Community School in four sets, winning 25-15, 21-25, 25-11 and 25-17. Junior Katie Silcott, who alternates between setter and outside hitter, finished with a triple-double of ten kills, 22 assists and ten digs. She also served Orange out of a competitive opening set with three straight aces to go ahead 24-16. Junior Aubrey Jordan ended the frame off an attack set up by Silcott.

The Bulldogs, who went 12-0 to win the 1A Triangle North Conference in 2023, captured the second set when they opened up a 12-7 lead following consecutive blocks by senior Kynlee Brooks. The third set was tied 11-11 before Ava Wilkerson swatted down a set by Silcott, which triggered a 7-3 Orange run. Freshman Aubrey Hodges, the latest protege in the lengthy (in several ways) Hodges/Wilson family tree that includes her older cousins Bryse and Payton Wilson, blocked an attack from Brooks for the 24th point, and Orange closed out the set a point later when a Bulldog spike went wide.

Orange sophomore Sawyer White had five kills in the final set, where Orange jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Wilkerson added four more kills and Orange pressed the Bulldogs into attacking miscues to take the final set for its first win of the season.

The following night, D.H. Conley’s Britni Silver racked up 17 kills to pave the way for the Vikings to beat Orange 3-1 in Hillsborough. The Vikings, who improved to 3-0 after beating Hoggard on Friday, ended Orange’s 18-game regular season home court winning streak. Cedar Ridge was the last team to beat Orange in a regular season game on September 6, 2022 (The Red Wolves also defeated Orange in the Central Conference Tournament championship game last year in a postseason matchup).

Each of the first three sets came down to the wire. Wilkerson evened the opening game at 21-21 following an assist from Silcott. Conley took the final four points of the game off a serve from Olivia Jones, which included an ace and a kill by Emilee Wilson.

“With the start of this season, I think we’re a little bit out of shape,” Heverly said. “Their #15 (Silver) found her swing, for sure, in the fourth game. So that helped them on their side.”

Orange evened the match by taking the second set 25-23. The frame was even at 17-17 when Sawyer blocked an attack by Silver, followed by consecutive kills from Wilkerson. Orange had four sets points, but Conley narrowed the lead until a serve by Wilson went wide on set point.

“I was proud of the girls that they didn’t give up, no matter what the score difference was,” Heverly said. “So it was exciting to see the grit that they’re already showing three weeks into our season. So it will be interesting to see how that progresses throughout that season.”

Neither team could get consecutive points to open the third set. There were ten ties before Conley reeled off four straight to take a 14-10 lead, which included consecutive blocks by Olivia Jones. Hodges stuffed an attack by Silver, which led to the largest crowd reaction of the night, to give Orange a side out.

“She’s stepping up big time as a freshman,” Heverly said of Hodges. “She has a really big drive where she wants to continue to get better so we’re excited about the growth she’s gonna have throughout this season.”

Conley won four of the last five points to win the third 25-20. Silver had three kills in the final four points, along with an ace from Olivia Jones.

The Vikings roared out to a 8-2 lead to start the fourth as it appeared Orange was worn down. The Panthers didn’t any closer than 13-6 following a kill by Jordan. Conley’s Emilee Wilson spiked home match point to win the fourth 25-12.

“We always want the win,” Heverly said. “But I was very pleased with how the girls played. They all worked hard. They came together as a team, even in the tough moments. With it being the second match, it wasn’t too bad.”

Orange will travel to Jordan on Tuesday. Falls Lake, the defending 1A Eastern Regional champion, will visit Orange on Thursday.

Without so much as a scrimmage to prepare for its opening game, the Orange volleyball team shook off the rust to win its first game since playing for the state championship last year. The Panthers defeated Roxboro Community School 3-1 in the season opener at Panther Gymnasium on Tuesday night on scores of 25-15. 21-25, 25-16 and 25-17. Junior Katie Silcott finished with a triple-double of ten kills, 22 assists, and ten digs. She also had four aces late in the first set as the Panthers took control of the opening frame after tight moments early. Junior Ava Wilkerson, who just committed to play at UCF, finished with 12 kills. Sophomore Sawyer White had eight kills and nine assists. It was the first time that Orange played against an outside opponent this year. Two scrimmages scheduled for last week were both canceled due to Tropical Storm Debby. It was a solid win over a Roxboro Community School team that finished undefeated in winning the Triangle North Conference championship in 2023 and made it all the way to the state quarterfinals of the state tournament. Orange’s demanding non conference schedule will continue tonight (Wednesday) when they host perennial 4A power D.H. Conley in Hillsborough. The first serve will be immediately following the junior varsity game, which should be around 6:20-6:30. While school hasn’t started yet, it will be a big-game atmosphere in August. Your presence would be welcome. 

Orange volleyball’s Aubrey Jordan and Sawyer White discuss win over Roxboro Community School

Without so much as a scrimmage to prepare for its opening game, the Orange volleyball team shook off the rust to win its first game since playing for the state championship last year. The Panthers defeated Roxboro Community School 3-1 in the season opener at Panther Gymnasium on Tuesday night on scores of 25-15.