LEXINGTON, S.C. — Carolina Forest High School is the new Class 5A boys volleyball state champion after a 3-1 win over Rock Hill on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Lexington, S.C., bringing the trophy back to the Myrtle Beach area.
The Panthers took the opening set 25-22. Rock Hill answered by winning a marathon second set 45-43, a game that ran to 88 total points. Carolina Forest then pulled away, taking the third set 25-16 and the fourth 25-17.
Both the Class 4A and Class 5A boys finals were played at Lexington High School, 2463 Augusta Highway in Lexington.
The title caps a turnaround from a season ago, when the Panthers reached the 2025 final and lost. This year the team dropped eight matches overall, including three in region play, two of them to Wando and one to Socastee.
In the playoffs, Carolina Forest swept Cane Bay, outlasted Socastee in five sets and beat Summerville 3-1 to reach the championship match under coach Joe Goodwin.
Boys volleyball is still young in South Carolina, with the league crowning its first champion in 2023. Carolina Forest High School sits at 700 Gardner Lacy Road in Myrtle Beach.
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