Sports

Lady Ironmen Split Two Volleyball Matches, Tennis Team Drops to Third Place

Posted Sunday, September 27, 2026 5:42 pm

By: Roger Sigmon - Wise News Network

Cherryville, NC (WNN) - Bye weeks and rainy weather reduced the number of Ironmen athletic events on this week's schedule. Ironmen football had a bye week, both cross-country teams were scheduled off, and soccer, along with one tennis match, were rained out. All postponed events will be made up in the coming week. It'll be a busy week with many teams' regular seasons drawing quickly to a close.

Volleyball

After a rough stretch in which the Lady Ironmen dropped eight straight matches, they rebounded to go 3-1 before dropping their most recent match to the number one team in the conference. This young team is beginning to develop some cohesion, which will be beneficial heading into the postseason in a few weeks.

Cherryville 3 Lincolnton 1 – September 22, 2026

The Lady Ironmen continued their winning streak by downing the Lady Wolves in Nixon Gym 3-1. The first set began with a very close game early. After a few ties, Cherryville took control and put the set away, winning 25-17. Set number two was all Cherryville as they won 25-16. The third set was a dog fight. The set was tied at 18-18 before Lincolnton took a 2-point lead. The score was again tied at 20-20, 21-21, and 23-23. The Lady Wolves were finally able to close it out at 25-23, forcing a fourth set. The final set started with the Lady Wolves up by 4 points. Cherryville fought back and took a 5-point lead twice before winning the set 25-22. Leading players for Lincolnton in the loss were Keira Bryant with 10 kills, Torie Lykins with 9 kills, and Aerilyn Armstrong with 4 assists and 24 digs. Fabiana Villalobos-Espinoza contributed 35 digs.

East Gaston 3 Cherryville 0 – September 24, 2026

Lady Ironmen Volleyball vs East Gaston | September 25, 2026

The Lady Warriors hosted the Lady Ironmen and solidified their hold on first place, improving to 11-1. Cherryville played tough but was unable to overcome the more experienced East Gaston. The Lady Warriors won, set one 25-10, set two 25-11, and set three 25-11. Cherryville's next two games will be on the road: September 29 at Highland Tech and September 30 at Stuart W. Cramer.

Tennis

The Lady Ironmen were only able to complete one of their scheduled matches for this week due to heavy rain. The rearranged schedule will result in a busy week for Cherryville, as they will travel to East Gaston on September 28, return home to face Burns on September 29, and then be back on the road to Stuart W. Cramer on October 1.

Cherryville dropped to third place in the Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A Conference after falling to West Lincoln 9-0 on September 22.

Lady Ironmen Tennis Team vs Thomas Jefferson | August, 20, 2026

Results in singles: Kennedy McCumber (WL) defeated Morgan Wray 6-0 and 6-0. Madison Parks (WL) defeated Laney Spangler 6-1 and 6-0. Payton Hood (WL) defeated Laney Jones 6-1 and 6-0. Raylan Morrison (WL) defeated Bailey Bryant 6-1 and 6-4. Ensley Woods (WL) defeated Maddie Avery 6-1 and 6-0. Grace Hoyle (WL) defeated Ava Freeman 6-2 and 6-3.

Doubles Results: Madison Parks/Payton Hood (WL) defeated Morgan Wray/Laney Jones 8-2. Raylon Morrison/Grace Hoyle (WL) defeated Laney Spangler/Bailey Bryant 8-6. Ava Godfrey/Katie West (WL) defeated Maddie Avery/Ava Freeman 8-4.

All Ironmen Fall Sports teams will be back in action in the upcoming week. It will be a full schedule with several events added to the week as makeup dates from this week's rainouts. A reminder that all events are subject to change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances.