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Cherryville, NC (WNN)- A hungry Stuart Cramer Storm blew into Nixon Gym on October 13th for the first round of the Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A conference tournament. More than a few hearts skipped a couple of beats as the cardiac kids of Cherryville fought through 5 intense, excitement-filled sets to take a 3-2 victory and advance to the second round of the tournament at Highland Tech on Tuesday, October 14th. They improve their record to 15-8. Along the way, Emily Allen set a new school record for career kills with 708. A kill is a successful, unreturnable attack that scores a point for her team. A large vocal crowd for both teams added to the intensity of the battle.
Emily Allen celebrating breaking Cherryville High School's volleyball record for the most kills. October 13th,2025
Kelly Rent
The Storm surged to an early 5-point lead in the first set. After a few ties and several lead changes, the Lady Ironmen were leading late 20-19. The set was tied at 21-21, Stuart Cramer pulled ahead 22-21, then tied once more at 23, before the Storm would close the set at 26-24. Set two began close, Cherryville led early by as many as three before Stuart Cramer would score four straight points.
CHS then tied and earned four straight of their own. The Storm battled back and took the lead before Cherryville tied it at 14-14. The set would go back and forth until the Lady Ironmen took control, scoring eight straight points to end the set 25-17. After the conclusion of the second set, Emily Allen was recognized for setting a new school record for kills at 708. Set three was tight down to the wire. There were ties at 15-15, 16-16, 19-19, and 21-21. CHS gained momentum and won 25-22. Set four started much the same as the others, with quite a bit of back and forth, and was tied as late as 14-14.
The CHS volleyball team playing against Stuart Cramer. October 13th,2025
Kelly Rent
The Storm gathered strength and pulled away after scoring six straight points before putting away Cherryville 25-17. The tie-breaking fifth set was even more heart-stopping than the previous four. The fifth set is played to 15, and a team must win by 2. It looked a little bleak early on for the Lady Ironmen as they trailed by four several times. The girls were not to be denied as they chipped away little by little.
After the set was tied at 11-11, it seemed momentum swung in favor of Cherryville. There would be four more ties at 13-13, 14-14, 15-15, and 16-16. A few calls from the officials were met with some groans from the home crowd; The Lady Ironmen put that out of their minds and went on to win the set 18-16 and the match 3-2.
Emily Allen set a new school career record with her 708th kill. A few weeks ago, she became the third player in school history to hit 1000 career assists. She added 31 more tonight, bringing her total to 592 on the year. By the end of the season, she will be in the top five in four categories. Getting in on the action with multiple kills were Kate Mulvey with 14 kills, the newly crowned Homecoming Queen, Raylei Gidney, added 9, and Kennedy Weathers had seven kills.
Despite having a broken ankle and being confined to a wheelchair, Coach Leigh Kiser was able to attend the match. The team seemed to mirror her determination and resilience. After the game, Coach Kiser said, “Our team was adjusting without me being able to practice or sit on the bench, but I’m proud of how they never gave in and fought till the last point.” The Lady Ironmen advance to the second round on Tuesday, October 14th, as they travel to Highland Tech at 6 pm.
Coach Leigh Kiser with Emily Allen. October 13th,2025
Kelly Rent
The state tournament will begin next week. Cherryville has a chance to secure a first-round bye; however, we will take it one tournament at a time and keep you updated on the schedule. Congratulations to Emily Allen on the new school record and to the Lady Ironmen on a victory well earned.
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