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It felt much more like spring than winter Friday evening outside Polk County’s gymnasium.

Inside, though, there were no doubts about the season in full bloom.

Ring season, once again, had arrived.

Polk County’s volleyball team returned to its home floor to collect the state championship rings it earned in November. The Wolverines won their second straight 1A title with a straight-set sweep of Perquimans.

With family members in hand, each player walked onto the court and to head coach Molly Hill, who greeted each player with a hug and a box containing a ring. Inside each ring, Hill had inscribed two team sayings – “Mentally Tough” and “We Are Family” – as well as a small broom signifying that Polk County swept all of its playoff opponents en route to its title.

Each family member also received a small medallion with “Back to Back State Champions” written on the back, along with “We Are Family” and small images of the team’s two state championship banners.

Polk capped a 22-3 season in November with its 25-15, 27-25, 25-12 win over Perquimans in Raleigh. The Wolverines became the first public school to win back-to-back 1A titles since Pender in 2009-10 and just the second team in school history to win repeat crowns, matching the feat first accomplished by the Wolverines’ girls track program in 1998-99.