Ashley is 9-1 against New Hanover since September of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Screaming Eagle are taking a road trip to challenge the Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. New Hanover took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Ashley, who comes in off a win.
Ashley took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 3-1 win over North Brunswick. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Screaming Eagle as it put an end to their three-match losing streak.
The match finished with set scores of 25-22, 25-16, 19-25, 25-21.
Sarah Brannin
| 09/30/25 vs North Brunswick | 27 |
| 09/23/25 @ Laney | 43 |
| 09/18/25 vs Topsail | 39 |
Ashley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sarah Brannin led the charge by getting 27 assists and nine digs. Brannin has been hot recently, having posted 27 or more assists the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Rylan Putnam, who had 19 assists and six digs.
Meanwhile, New Hanover was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They came up short against West Brunswick, falling 3-0.
While New Hanover was kept off the board, it wasn't for a lack of trying: they cut into West Brunswick's winning margin in every set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-13, 25-16, 25-19.
Ashley's win bumped their record up to 12-8. As for New Hanover, their loss dropped their record down to 5-13.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Ashley has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.8 aces per game. However, it's not like New Hanover struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Ashley was able to grind out a solid victory over New Hanover when the teams last played back in September, winning 3-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Screaming Eagle since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
