Game of the Year: Hoggard drops Topsail 3-2 to pull away in Carolina Coast

HAMPSTEAD, N.C. (WWAY) — The highest stakes of any volleyball match this season did not disappoint as Hoggard picked up a road win on Tuesday over Topsail in five sets.

The set scores were 25-22, 16-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-4.

Topsail trailed 20-12 in the 1st, but managed to tie things up at 21. The Vikings responded by taking four of the next five points to take the lead.

The Pirates then faced an 8-2 deficit in the 2nd only to go on a 23-8 run and hand Hoggard just their second set defeat all season in Carolina Coast Conference play.

That momentum carried to the 3rd for Topsail only for the Vikings to take the 4th.

Once the 5th began, it was all Hoggard as they found themselves with a 12-1 lead that they wouldn’t come close to letting go.

Norah Davis led the visitors with 23 kills. Rylie Howard added another 14 while Lily Voth posted 37 assists and seven digs.

“I think in the third set and the fourth set, we were playing very independently,” Davis said. “I think we all just started to trust each other and rely on each other. We just came together as a team and really pulled off that last set. We’re a good team. They’re an amazing team. It was a really fun game. I think it was really important for us to see our potential going forward in the playoffs.”

“I think as we go farther into the season, as we keep pushing, we’re playing for each other now,” Sydney Jarrett said. “I think that’s why we haven’t let as many sets drop.”

Nothing becomes official with the win, but it does give the Vikings a two-game lead in the conference standings with just three contests to go. A home win over Laney on Thursday would clinch a share of the Carolina Coast regular season title.