Lady Scots’ effort falls short in five-set thriller

LAURINBURG — When will the Scots’ hard-fought rallies turn into a finish on top? Despite their relentless effort, the Lady Scots once again come up short, falling 3-2 at home to the Cape Fear Colts on Tuesday. The results were the same, but their energy on the court was undeniable.

“They [Scotland] wanted to win, and Cape Fear overlooked us,” head coach Adam Romain said. “Once we recognized that Cape Fear wasn’t as strong as we initially believed, the game shifted in our favor.”

The match would be a back-and-forth all night, with both teams equally showing their skills. As the favorites, the Colts faced significant pressure during their match at Scotland High and ultimately secured a win; however, the victory was not without controversy.

The fifth set became the pivotal moment of the match. With the Scots trailing 11-10, they seemed to catch a fortunate break when a Colts spike appeared to sail wide. However, the referees ruled the spike in bounds, which sparked chaos throughout the gymnasium.

“That call in the fifth set completely changed the whole momentum of the game for us,” Romain said. “All the way up to the bad call, we played focused, relaxed and we didn’t let anything eat at us.”

“We can only control our play,” he added. “But we need to minimize our mistakes because our schedule doesn’t get any easier.”

Cape Fear ultimately closed out the Scots in the fifth set, 15-11. The Colts also captured the first and third sets, 25-12 and 25-21, while Scotland won the second and fourth, 25-23 and 25-21.

The Lady Scots (7-7) fell once again in a heartbreaking loss, but can they rise and reclaim their fire against Gray’s Creek at home Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.?