CHARLOTTE — The Scotland volleyball team was eliminated in the first round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs for the second consecutive season Saturday.
The Scots, who entered the tournament as the No. 21 seed in the West Region, were defeated in three games by No. 12 Mallard Creek. The host Mavericks won 25-19, 25-13, 25-15.
The victory advanced Mallard Creek to the second round, where it will play No. 5 Hough today. The Huskies swept No. 28 East Forsyth 25-9, 25-15, 25-10 in their first round matchup.
Scotland ends its season with a 13-10 overall record. The Scots tied for second with Richmond Senior in the Southeastern Conference regular season standings, finishing with a 7-3 mark in conference play. The Raiders defeated the Scots last week in the semifinals of the SEC tournament to claim the No. 2 seed in the conference.
Last year, Molly Hayes’ program was bested by Ragsdale in four games in the opening round.
This season, the Scots were the only SEC team that failed to advance to the round of 32.
SEC regular season and conference tournament champion Pinecrest, a No. 9 seed in the West Region, beat No. 24 Southern Alamance 25-21, 25-23, 25-0 in Southern Pines. The Patriots will play No. 8 Watauga in Boone today. The Pioneers cruised to a 25-8, 25-14, 25-15 victory against No. 25 West Forsyth.
No. 16 Richmond edged No. 17 Ragsdale at home 26-24, 21-25, 16-25, 25-17, 15-12. Also in the west bracket, the Raiders are set to travel to Pfafftown today to battle No. 1 Reagan. A perfect 27-0 this season, Reagan handled No. 32 High Point Central 25-12, 25-12, 25-13 in its first playoff tilt.