LAURINBURG —As the volleyball season nears, the Scotland High volleyball team is focused on turning last year’s playoff disappointment into a Tri-County 6A/7A conference championship.
After graduating key contributors Kinsey Hamilton, Addison Lewis and Ramsey Hale, the 2026-27 Lady Scots will have their work cut out for them. However, seniors Molly Gallagher and Jordyn Walker, who return from last year’s team, are ready to step up and be the leaders for the unit.
“We’ve come into workouts with the mindset to be the best,” Walker said. “We feel confident about this season. It’s our senior year, and we want to go out with a bang.”
“There’s a level of respect we have because we’ve been doing this longer, but this is a team effort; for us to go far, we need the entire team to buy in,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher and Walker were both named to the Tri-County 6A/7A All-Conference team last season. Gallagher anchored the Lady Scots offensively, leading in kills, hitting percentage and serving aces, while Walker anchored the defense, leading in digs and receptions.
“I’m leaning on Molly Gallagher and Jordyn Walker to bring that energy,” head coach Adam Romaine said. “Ramsey Hale was the energy of our team last year, and there’s a void to fill, but Molly and Jordyn, we’re putting a lot of pressure on them to be our leaders.”
One of the biggest issues the team ran into last year was the lack of size at middle hitter. Hale was the tallest player on last year’s roster at 5-foot-8, which presented a challenge. In a conference with Gray’s Creek, Cape Fear and Lumberton, size is vital. This season, however, the Scots welcome back Nora Teasley, a huge addition off the injury report.
Teasley, a 6-foot middle hitter, missed her entire sophomore season after tearing her PCL and LCL. As a freshman in 2024-25, she was third in total blocks (106) and kills (106); with her presence and alongside young up-and-coming talent, the Scots believe they have what it takes to compete for a conference championship.
“This team can be better than last year,” Romaine said. “We kept the same core and added back Nora Teasley, who was hurt all last year. Having her aggressiveness will be huge for us this year.”
“We can make a deeper playoff run this year, with the young talent and returning pieces we have that went under the radar. We have a chance to be conference champions,” Walker said.
Scotland opens the season on the road versus the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.