Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN)- The Lady Ironmen volleyball team produced some of their best performances of the season this week; unfortunately, that did not always result in victory. These girls had an amazing week and came oh so close to knocking off a powerhouse, won one, and fell in a heartbreaker.
Players and coaches are closing in on some milestones. There were three matches this week, two of them at home in Nixon Gym. These young ladies are beginning to gel as a team, and the timing is perfect, as they head into the waning moments of the regular season and gear up for the postseason.
The Rams of Highland Tech entered Nixon Gym with an undefeated conference record on September 30, expecting an easy match against Cherryville; what they got was just the opposite. Although the final score was 3-1 in favor of the Rams, that does little to reflect the fierce battle that ensued within each set. The first set saw the Lady Ironmen lead by as much as 7. They had the lead late into the set, before Highland was able to bounce back and take that one 25-21. The second set was a battle royale.
Cherryville jumped out to an early 3-point lead before seeing the Rams tie the score three times. The Lady Ironmen then led by as much as 8 points, at one point running off six straight scores. The set would be tied at 24-24 before Higland squeaked out a 26-24 win. The third set was more of the same. It went back and forth, tied at 13 and then at 15. The Rams were looking to close out the set and take the match as they led 23-21 and then 24-22. The Cherryville ladies said, Not so fast.
They kept fighting and pulled away with a 26-24 victory. Momentum was seemingly shifting toward Cherryville, opening a 4-0 lead to begin the fourth set. The lead would grow to as much as seven, and the Rams were on their heels. Highland Tech is leading the conference for a reason, and they showed why as they fought back to tie the score at 24 all. They would go on to close out the match by winning this set 26-24.
In volleyball, you cannot have four sets that are much more competitive than these. After the match, Coach Leigh Kiser said her Team played as hard as it could and pushed the visitors before falling 3-1. “Our team is playing well lately as the season heads towards the home stretch.” Coach Kiser commented on her Team’s recent play.
Coach Leigh Kiser. September 30th,2025
Brian Kiser
The match was led by some very impressive individual efforts, as well as the Team. Defensively, Camryn Shirley had a career high with 29 digs. Other team leaders included Emily Allen with 22 assists and 17 digs. Kate Mulvey had seven kills, and Sophie Williams and Kennedy Weathers, with 6 kills each, were offensive leaders.
The following night, on October 1, the Storm of Stuart W. Cramer invaded Nixon Gym. Coach Kiser had to prepare her Team to avoid emotional fatigue and letdown after such a draining match against Highland on Tuesday night.
The Lady Ironmen came out a little sluggish; however, they quickly got on track as the night progressed. Cherryville would go on to win the match by a score of 3 sets to 1. The set scores were as follows: set one, 26-24 CHS; set two, 25-17 Stuart Cramer; set three, 25-18 Cherryville; and set four, 25-23 also Cherryville. Coach Leigh Kiser picked up career victory #198, as she closes in on hitting the 200-win milestone. After the match, she stated, “The Team came out a little flat after a hard match with Highland Tech Tuesday night. It feels good to be back in the win column.”
Coach Kiser instructing her team against Highland Tech. September 30th,2025
Brian Kiser
Part of that good feeling was due to the Team serving up 10 aces on the night. This makes at least seven aces served in five straight matches. Senior Kate Bookout had 4 of those aces and set a career high with nine kills. Her fellow senior, Emily Allen, had 23 assists, and Kate Mulvey rounded out the offense with nine assists, and Raylei Gidney contributed 11 kills. Defensively, Raylei had five blocks, and Camryn Shirley recorded 16 digs.
On October 2, the Lady Ironmen played a third consecutive night as they traveled to Lawndale to take on the Lady Bulldogs. This was yet another dog fight as Cherryville once again proved to be a formidable force.
These ladies do not go down without a fight. It took Burns five sets to hand Cherryville a heartbreaking loss. CHS won sets two and four by scores of 25-16 and 25-19. Burns took sets one, three, and five 25-13, 25-15, and 15-11. Cherryville is now 11-8 overall and 7-8 in conference play.
Three regular-season matches remain next week, and with two of those in Nixon Gym, there is a chance Coach Kiser can get her 200th career victory in front of the home crowd. There are also players closing in on career milestones as well. The next chance to catch these young ladies in action is Monday, October 6, at home in Nixon Gym at 6 pm as they take on Piedmont Community Charter in non-conference action.
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