The Hoggard girls tennis team has waited decades for this moment.

Under a clear, calm October sky in Wilmington, the top-seeded Vikings (20-0) finished what generations before them had started, defeating No. 3 Broughton 5-1 in the NCHSAA 8A East dual-team regional final on Wednesday, Oct. 22, to secure a long-awaited trip to the state championship.

For coach Michael Bowen, now in his 19th year coaching at Hoggard, it's a moment long in the making.

"This has been in the making since we started workouts in mid-July," Bowen said. "This is the epitome of what hard work looks like to be able to play for a state championship."

The match was sealed before doubles play ever began. Freshman Zoe Ten Brink delivered the decisive point after a tense, two-hour battle on the No. 3 singles court. H

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