By Dylan Branscome
August 21, 2025 – The Davidson-Davie STORM routed the Central Carolina Community College Cougars in three sets: 25-11 25-21 25-10, Thursday night at Brinkley Gym. They were led by freshmen Anna and Carly Edwards with 20 kills combined and sophomore Chloe Painter with eight aces and 25 assists, starting off the season 1-0.
The first set started off back and forth as both the Cougars and the STORM were settling back to playing competitively, but the attacks at the net by Davidson-Davie were proving to be too much for Central Carolina to handle. Six of Anna Edwards’ 13 kills came from this set alone, and Carly Edwards also added three of her seven. Painter also grabbed five of her eight aces in this set, including three in a row, leading to an explosive 12-point run by the STORM to win the first set 25-11. Freshman Ciara Major also had two kills.
After a dominant first set, the second set was much tighter because of Central Carolina adjusting well to Davidson-Davie’s attacks. However, the young STORM team were able to stay poised in the heat of it and snuck away with the 25-21 win. The Anna Edwards domination continued as the Pfafftown, N.C. native had another five kills in this set. Freshman Kaitlyn McCoy also exploded for four kills in this set, and Painter grabbed another ace and added 10 assists.
The third set was all STORM, as it kicked off on a 5-0 run to give them an early lead. It then went back and forth for a spell, but after back-to-back kills from freshman Cameron Ostle to give Davidson a 10-4 lead, the victory was within reach. Ostle would add another two kills to explode for four in this set, while the Edwards’ had 5 kills together, three from Carly and two from Anna. Painter also added another two aces and six assists, Faith Powell grabbed an ace and three digs, and Lydia Jones had two kills, making for another impressive set by this completely new group.
“A lot of the team has had high level volleyball experience that has helped prepare them for these moments,” STORM head coach Emma Carter said post-game. “They are extremely hard workers and determined to win.”
“Fans can expect our team to come in and work hard, hustle, and fight together no matter who is on the other side of the net,” Carter added. “This is a new group and we have a lot of options, so things will switch up on our side because everyone is capable of contributing.”
The Davidson-Davie STORM will return to action this Saturday, Aug. 23 at Brinkley Gym in a tri-match where they’ll face the USC-Salkahatchie Indians and the Patrick & Henry Patriots, with the first game starting at 10:00 a.m. and the second at 2:00 p.m.