Hopewell’s Season Ends in WPIAL 3A First Round Playoff Loss to Seton LaSalle

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PITTSBURGH, PA – The No. 12 Hopewell Vikings saw their volleyball season come to an end Tuesday evening, falling to No. 5 Seton LaSalle in straight sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-13) in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 3A Playoffs.

Despite the final result, the Vikings pushed the higher-seeded Rebels throughout the opening two sets before Seton LaSalle pulled away in the third to advance to the quarterfinals.

Hopewell came out strong in the opening set, overcoming an early deficit behind kills and blocks from Mikayla Kurta and Hannah McDowell. The Vikings built a 17-13 advantage behind aggressive net play and timely offense from Addison Blosnick and Avery Boyd.

Seton LaSalle rallied to even the score, but Hopewell regained control late. A key block from Ariana Fischer and a powerful kill from Blosnick put the Vikings ahead 23-21. However, the Rebels responded with four consecutive points to steal the opening set, 25-23.

The second set saw Seton LaSalle establish an early lead, but Hopewell continued to battle. McDowell provided several strong swings, while Boyd and Blosnick contributed key kills. Marina Pinchotti and Teagan Murray helped direct the offense as the Vikings pulled within two at 14-12.

Trailing 24-18 late, Hopewell made one final push, fending off three set points behind a McDowell kill, a Murray ace, and a Rebels error before Seton LaSalle closed out the set, 25-21.

Facing elimination, the Vikings struggled to overcome Seton LaSalle’s strong blocking and offensive attack in the third set. Kurta, McDowell, and Blosnick continued to provide glimpses of offense, but the Rebels built an early advantage that Hopewell was unable to overcome, securing the match with a 25-13 victory.

The loss brings an end to Hopewell’s 2026 campaign and the high school volleyball careers of seniors Avery Boyd, Mikayla Kurta, Marina Pinchotti, and Ayla Pisano. The four seniors helped lead the Vikings back to the WPIAL postseason, leaving behind a lasting impact on the program through their leadership, commitment, and dedication.

Following the match, Head Coach Borkovic reflected on the contributions of his graduating seniors and the memories they will carry beyond the volleyball court.

“I would like to thank our seniors for all their hard work and dedication. I hope that they have many fond memories of their time in the Hopewell Lady Viking Volleyball program. We’ll miss them. God bless and good luck!”

While the Vikings’ postseason run came to an end, they closed their season battling one of Class 3A’s top seeds, displaying the determination, resilience, and competitive spirit that carried them into the WPIAL Playoffs.

It has been a pleasure covering this team throughout the season and highlighting the hard work, dedication, and memorable moments that made this year special.

 

Here’s the play-by-play recap from tonight’s playoff matchup:

Set #1

1-3 Hopewell on the board off a kill from Mikayla Kurta

2-3 Kurta with a huge block finding the floor

3-3 Teagen Murray with an ace

4-3 Hannah McDowell with a block that catches the line

5-6 Avery Boyd with a kill to stop a small run

6-6 McDowell with a huge swing through the block

7-6 Kurta on the serve, back in front off the error

8-6 Murray with a great read off a long block from Seton LaSalle

9-6 Seton with a wide return

10-7 Seton with a long return

12-9 Addison Blosnick tips one over forcing the error

12-11 Seton with a nice offensive kill to the corner

13-11 Murray with a beautiful backrow set to McDowell for the kill

14-11 Blosnick winds up with a massive swing for a kill

15-12 McDowell with a nice read on a long return

16-13 Kurta hammers a kill off Murray’s set

17-13 A long return from Seton LaSalle forcing a timeout

17-16 Seton with 3 points out of the timeout

17-17 Tied up

18-17 Murray with an excellent dump to the middle

19-17 A wide return from Seton

21-18 McDowell on the serve, error from Seton LaSalle

22-20 Ariana Fischer with a block at the net

23-21 Blosnick hammers a kill through the block.  Timeout Seton.

23-23 Tied back up.  Timeout Hopewell

23-24 Seton LaSalle gets to set point

23-25 Seton LaSalle finishes the comeback to take Set #1

 

Set #2

1-0 Hopewell up early off Kurta’s kill

2-1 Kurta with a block at the net for a point

2-5 Seton LaSalle on an early run

3-5 Run stopped by a long serve

4-5 Blosnick with a nice tip off the wide set from Murray

4-8 Seton extending their early lead.  Timeout Hopewell

5-8 Boyd with a great cross court kill

6-8 Murray with a block at the net

7-10 McDowell with a backrow kill

8-10 Marina Pinchotti on the serve, wide return by Seton

9-11 Pinchotti with a great outside set to Blosnick for a kill

10-14 McDowell with a kill

11-14 McDowell hammers the overpass for a kill

12-14 Boyd with a kill off a great defensive play by Pinchotti and Murray

13-16 Seton with an error

13-18 Seton with 2 quick points forcing a Hopewell timeout

14-19 Fischer with a nice kill from the middle

14-20 Seton LaSalle with an excellent defense to offense transition for a point

15-21 Blosnick with another big swing for a kill

16-22 Serving error by Seton

17-22 Blosnick with a great kill off the cross court set from Murray

18-23 A long return keeps Hopewell alive

18-24 Seton gets to Set Point

19-24 McDowell with a kill

20-24 Murray with an ace

21-24 Seton with an error.  Hopewell fighting back

21-25 Seton finishes out Set #2.  

 

Set #3

0-3 Seton LaSalle in front early on some impressive blocks

1-3 An error gets Hopewell on the board

2-3 Kurta with a turnaround kill for a point

3-4 Boyd with a kill through the tip at the net

3-8 Seton on an early run.  Timeout Hopewell

4-8 Seton with a long return.  Great read by Tessa Burgess

5-10 McDowell with one of her pushes to the corner for a point

6-11 Seton with a long serve.  A nice read by McDowell

6-14 Seton LaSalle continues to pull away.  Timeout Hopewell

7-14 Kurta with a great kill off Murray’s set

8-17 Seton with a serving error to stop the run

9-17 Murray with an ace

10-17 McDowell with the kill off a great bump set from Murray.  Burgess with a great pass

11-19 Kurta stuffs an overpass for a point

12-20 A wide return from Seton

13-22 Blosnick with a kill

13-24 Seton LaSalle gets to match point

13-25 Seton LaSalle finishes off the match