Molly Gallagher (9) sends the ball over two Pinecrest blockers on Wednesday night at Pinecrest High School.
                                 Andrew Smolar | The Laurinburg Exchange

Molly Gallagher (9) sends the ball over two Pinecrest blockers on Wednesday night at Pinecrest High School.

Andrew Smolar | The Laurinburg Exchange

<p>Reagan Malpass (1) sets up a teammate with a pass during Scotland’s conference title game matchup with Pinecrest.</p>
                                 <p>Andrew Smolar | The Laurinburg Exchange</p>

Reagan Malpass (1) sets up a teammate with a pass during Scotland’s conference title game matchup with Pinecrest.

Andrew Smolar | The Laurinburg Exchange

<p>Addison Johnson prepares to serve the ball.</p>
                                 <p>Andrew Smolar | The Laurinburg Exchange</p>

Addison Johnson prepares to serve the ball.

Andrew Smolar | The Laurinburg Exchange

SOUTHERN PINES — The Lady Scots volleyball team was defeated 3-0 by top seeded Pinecrest on the road Wednesday night in the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament championship game. Scotland has lost all three matchups with the Patriots this season, including both regular season meetings and Wednesday’s title game. Head Coach Adam Romaine boiled the loss down to simply not playing the type of game Scotland has been used to playing over the course of the season and allowing Pinecrest to control the tempo.

“We let the fast pace of the game early dictate how we played,” Romaine said. “You don’t want to play another team’s game that you’re not used to playing, we have to play the game we know how to play and that we’ve won with.”

The first set of the night saw the teams trade two-point swings for the first six points with Scotland having 2-0 and 4-2 leads with a 2-2 tie mixed in. Scotland eventually lost their momentum with Pinecrest going on a 10-4 run that put them up 15-9. The Scots managed to trim the deficit down to three at 18-15 but couldn’t get any closer to even than that as the Patriots scored the final four points of the set to take it 25-17.

The ensuing set was very similar in that Scotland had some initial momentum but just couldn’t hold it throughout. After trailing 1-0, the Scots would get three unanswered points to go up 3-1. They would also hold a 5-4 advantage but that would end the good times for Scotland. The Scots then fell behind 12-8, though they did manage to tie the set at 12 with a 4-0 run. However, Pinecrest stole the momentum with 10 straight points and never looked back, eventually winning the set 25-17, ironically the same score as the first set.

The final set was all about the momentum swings. Scotland initially fell behind 3-1 and 4-7, looking like they were headed for a quick sweep. They then seemed to find something that was working with seven unanswered points to go up 11-7. The Scots further stretched the lead up to seven at 17-10, looking to be in firm control and resulting in a timeout from Pinecrest. The Patriots then responded immediately with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the set at 17. The teams then continued to trade points with each other until Pinecrest eventually got the 26-24 win to complete the sweep. Romaine admitted that not having freshman Nora Teasley hurt them in this game, pointing out how they played them a little differently earlier in the regular season.

“We knew they had two big hitters, and we cheated on the blocks with them earlier this year at home,” Romaine said. “Here tonight not having the six-foot Nora and having a shorter girl made a difference, they had a lot of free swings and we just couldn’t get the touches on the ball we needed to make an impact.”

Molly Gallagher had 13 kills to lead the team with Addison Johnson adding 10 of her own. Jordyn Walker paced the Scots in digs with six while Gallagher and Johnson contributed five each.

The Scots will now turn their attention to the state playoffs. Seeds will be announced on Sunday, Oct. 20 with the first round beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 22. The full list of important dates for the volleyball season going forward can be found on the NCHSAA website here: Volleyball – NCHSAA. Romaine kept the message for his team after the game simple: move forward and get ready to go back to work with more still out there to accomplish.

“This game doesn’t define our season I told them that from the start,” Romaine said. “We know what we’re capable of and what we have to get back to doing at practice on Thursday and Monday.”