There were moments when the storm nearly pulled Hoggard volleyball under. Moments when a two-set cushion against rival Topsail started to crumble, the noise rising, the momentum shifting.

But the only moment that truly mattered came at the very end, when the Vikings slammed home their 15th point in a winner-take-all fifth set, sealing a 3-2 victory and the 2025 Carolina Coast Conference title, their third in five years.

"When we were down for those two sets, we weren't together," coach Emily Coleman said. "We were on edge, we were nervous. We had to come together, and they did. They figured it out."

Early on, it looked like Hoggard would dethrone Topsail of its 2024 conference title with ease. After a tight opening frame, the Vikings rolled through the second and had the Pirates on th

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