Lady Scots volleyball opens up season 3-0

LAURINBURG —The Lady Scots volleyball team improved to 3-0 on the young season Monday night with a win over visiting Lumberton at Scotland High School. In a game between two unbeaten teams, Scotland swept the Pirates three sets to none to complete their three-game home stand undefeated. Head Coach Adam Romaine was pleased to keep their winning streak going to start the season and build confidence for the rest of the year but admitted they have to do a better job of not letting opponents back in sets when they have them on the ropes.

“It helps with our mindset of winning and knowing that if we take care of business each set, it makes that a whole lot easier,” Romaine said. “The problem is we got a little bit of a lead and got a little complacent, which we can’t do with anybody especially as we get into conference games and the opponents continue to get tougher.”

The Scots controlled the first set for the most part but limped to the finish line. After the Pirates got the first point, Scotland would get the next six. Lumberton would get within three at 8-5 before the Scots got seven unanswered points to put some distance between the teams at 15-5. Lumberton wasn’t done, eventually managing to tie the set at 23 but Scotland led by as many as eight points during the set, which proved to be enough as they still took the first set 25-23. Even with the win, Romaine wasn’t happy with letting the Pirates tie the set after falling so far behind.

“I’m concerned about it because I know we have even tougher teams that we’re going to play eventually,” Romaine said. “We just can’t get complacent with a lead because it can get away from you quick.”

The second set was tight for the most part with lots of momentum changes. Neither team held a lead larger than two until Lumberton was up 12-9, which didn’t last very long with the Scots immediately responding with four in a row to grab the lead back at 13-12. Scotland would take charge from there by outscoring the Pirates 12-5 the rest of the way on their way to a 25-17 win in the second set. The front line for Scotland imposed their will with several timely blocks, something Romaine was pleased to see as they showed they can make adjustments and win sets in different ways.

“I have to give Lumberton credit, they made a change in the second set that saw some areas they could exploit,” Romaine said. “I had to call a timeout after they had a little run and make our adjustments, it’s good to know we can find quality points other than regular smash and kill.”

The third set saw the Scots take the first three points but give up the next four. They would then proceed to go on a lengthy 11-3 run to take control and go up 14-7. Lumberton never gave up, going on a 6-2 run that included four unanswered points to get within two at 15-13, leading to a timeout from Romaine. Scotland never panicked, going on a 5-1 run out of that timeout to fatten their lead back up to five at 19-14. They would eventually take the final set 25-23 to complete the sweep and finish their home stand without losing a single set. These tough and competitive sets were something Romaine said was good for the team as they learn how to play through adversity.

“This game was a good experience builder,” Romaine said. “There were a few times I decided not to call a timeout because these girls have to learn to play through the pressure, when you give up a few points, don’t panic.”

Senior Addison Johnson had a dominant performance with 15 kills, four digs and assisted three blocks. Freshman Nora Teasley contributed five blocks while senior Reagan Malpass had 23 assists

The Lady Scots won’t have any time to rest, traveling to South View for the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday. Scotland swept the Tigers in their season opener a week ago.

They will return home next Tuesday, Aug. 27 for their first conference matchup of the season with Hoke County. The game is scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m. The Scots won’t have their second matchup with Lumberton until Oct. 1.