By Dylan Branscome
August 27, 2025 -The Davidson-Davie STORM lost a hard-fought matchup against the #5 ranked Division III Sandhills Community College Flyers in three sets, 25-13 25-20 25-23, at Brinkley Gym on Wednesday night.
Davidson was led by Carly Edwards with 12 kills, Anna Edwards with seven kills, Cameron Ostle with five kills, and Lydia Jones with four kills and blocks. Chloe Painter also tallied 31 assists in the match.
After a mostly Flyers-led first set, the STORM were able to come back on a 4-0 run powered by two Ostle kills and two other kills by Carly Edwards to give Davidson some much-needed momentum. Both Sandhills and Davidson defended well against each other with digs and blocks on both sides, including Jones’ incredible defense at the net. Even though the STORM led 19-17 because of a Kaitlyn McCoy kill, they were unable to win the second set.
The third set was back and forth until another Jones block gave the STORM an early lead of 7-6. While the previous two sets were ruled by the Edwards’ twins and Ostle attacking, Ciara Major exploded for four kills in this set alone. Carly Edwards still had five kills, and one of them tied the game at 21. Both teams were defending really well, leading to entertaining volleys. While the STORM truly battled behind a raucous Brinkley Gym crowd, the Flyers were able to edge out the third set to get the victory.
“All three sets had moments where we brought a lot of fight through our offense,” head coach Emma Carter said post-game. “However, this loss is a great learning opportunity for this young group. It was good to see how we responded to challenges and find what we need to work on moving forward.”
The STORM return to action next Thursday, Sep. 4 on the road against the Forsyth Tech Trailblazers at 6:00 p.m. EST.