LAURINBURG — Scotland volleyball coach Molly Hayes has raved all preseason about the improvement several players on her team have made this summer, and the Scots showcased that on the court in their season opener Tuesday night.

Scotland swept Whiteville in the first game of the year for both teams, winning 25-14, 25-21, 25-18.

“Overall, I was pleased,” Hayes said. “I thought our hitters performed well, our defense was good, and we made some excellent plays and digs where they thought the volley was over and there we were. I thought we had a strong first game.”

The Scots dispatched a 1A program that won 14 matches in 2014 with relative ease, showcasing a deep bench and better cohesion in between the lines since last taking the floor in a first round playoff loss to Ragsdale last year.

“It makes it nice when you’ve got four or five girls who can hit the ball over on a consistent basis,” Hayes said. “They’ve been working hard, and hard work pays off.”

The Scots faced an early 3-1 deficit in the first set before winning nine of the next 11 points to take a 10-5 advantage, forcing Whiteville coach Greer Inman to call a timeout.

Strong play by the Pegues sisters, Nahir and Amaya, allowed the Scots to extend the lead and cruise to the first set victory.

The action was much more nip-and-tuck in the second set, as Scotland and Whiteville traded points early on until Hayes called a timeout with the score 11-11.

“There were a few times times I was starting to get frustrated with a lack of ball control,” Hayes said. “When you’re even and they win, we win, they win, we win, and you’re rotating constantly, that’s something we need to avoid with teams. We need to get the serves, and score three or four in a row before we give it back.”

Scotland responded well after the huddle, scoring four straight points and eight of the next nine to take a 19-12 lead.

But Whiteville answered to win seven of eight points to close within one before the Scots tacked on four straight points during a stretch that saw Nahir Pegues notch a big-time kill to halt the Wolfpack’s momentum.

A serving error by Whiteville’s Ashlin Floyd eventually ended the set.

The Wolfpack took a 3-0 lead in the third game before Scotland rallied to gain control once again.

Macie Gibson had the play of the set when she used her athleticism to save a ball blocked by the tall front line of the Wolfpack, and she managed to put it back in play, eventually allowing the Scots to earn the point.

Kaitlin Lewis had 10 kills, 12 digs and one ace to lead the Scots while Nahir Pegues tallied seven kills and two solo blocks. Emma Gray Beacham paced the squad with 20 assists, and Kenleigh Callahan contributed 10 digs.

Hayes also highlighted the play of Mason Roberts, who had 13 passes to target and 13 digs.

“She’s just improved so much, I thought she had a great game,” she said.

Scotland will return to action tonight against Southern Lee in Sanford.

In the junior varsity game, the Scots were defeated by the Wolfpack 21-25, 25-19, 25-19.

Boys’ soccer falls to Pine Forest

LAURINBURG — The Scotland boys’ soccer team fell for the second time in as many days Tuesday, losing to Pine Forest 7-1.

The Scots were defeated by Cape Fear 9-0 Monday.

Tripp Wells scored Scotland’s lone goal in the defeat to the Patriots, who improved to 2-0 with the victory while the Scots dropped to 0-2 on the season.

Scotland returns to the pitch next Wednesday on the road against E.E. Smith.

Logan Martinez can be reached at 910-506-3170. Follow him on Twitter @L_Martinez13.

Scotland’s Amaya Pegues records one of her three kills Wednesday in the Scots’ opening night victory against Whiteville.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_IMG_66991.jpgScotland’s Amaya Pegues records one of her three kills Wednesday in the Scots’ opening night victory against Whiteville. Logan Martinez | The Laurinburg Exchange

Nahir Pegues goes up for one of her two solo blocks against the Wolfpack.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_IMG_67441.jpgNahir Pegues goes up for one of her two solo blocks against the Wolfpack. Logan Martinez | The Laurinburg Exchange

By Logan Martinez

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