Lillian Otto New Brighton traveled to Hopewell on Tuesday night for WPIAL 2A Section matchup. Tonight, Hopewell celebrated Senior Night, recognizing the 6 senior members of the team.
Hopewell Volleyball Senior Athletes:
#4 – Addison Davis – Libero
#6 – Sky Ross – Right Side Hitter
#9 – Briana Inderelst – Outside Hitter
#11 – Isabella Ceccarelli – Setter
#15 – Lahna Murray – Middle Hitter
#24 – Ella Goodrum – Defensive Specialist
As they stepped onto the Hopewell court for the final time in the regular season, everyone took a moment to recognize what this journey meant. The crowd, their families, their teammates, and their coaches, all were there to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and pride that these players have brought to Hopewell Volleyball.
Tonight wasn’t just about the score. It was about the effort, the growth, and the standard they’ve all helped to set for everyone who will follow. They’ve led with heart, with attitude, and with pride. They’ve represented Hopewell with class, on and off the court and will always be part of the Hopewell Volleyball family.
After the celebration, Hopewell took care of business, winning against New Brighton, 3-0, improving to 12-1 (10-1 in the Section).
Hopewell came out firing in Set 1, jumping to an 8-0 lead behind strong serving from Bella Ceccarelli and Brianna Inderelst, and dominant net play from Lahna Murray and Mikayla Kurta. The Vikings never looked back, cruising to a 25-8 win to open the match.
In Set 2, Hannah McDowell set the tone early with key defensive plays and a string of serves that built momentum. Hopewell’s balance showed as Murray, Inderelst, and Avery Boyd all chipped in kills, while Inderelst’s three straight aces helped seal a convincing 25-11 victory.
Set 3 saw New Brighton battle back, keeping things close through the midway point. Hopewell’s poise showed down the stretch. Ceccarelli’s sets & tips, Kurta’s blocks, and Pinchotti & Murray’s serving pushed the Vikings ahead for good, closing out the sweep 25-20.
Hopewell travels to Freedom on Thursday 10/9 for another 2A Section 1 matchup, looking to finish the season strong.
Here is a recap of each set:
Set 1:
1-0 Hopewell on the board first off of a Bella Ceccarelli serve
3-0 Ceccarelli with an ace
4-0 Mikayla Kurta hammers an overpass
5-0 Sky Ross with a kill
7-0 Brianna Inderelst with a kill off a great set from Ceccarelli
8-0 Ceccarelli with another ace, forcing a New Brighton timeout.
9-3 Ceccarelli dumps the pass from Inderelst into the campfire
11-4 Lahna Murray with a block
13-4 Inderelst with an ace
15-4 Murray with kill off the set from Ceccarelli.
17-7 Hannah McDowell with a block
20-7 Murray hammers another kill
21-7 Marina Pinchotti with a great serve that New Brighton returns out
22-7 Murray and Ceccarelli combine for an awesome block
23-8 Teagen Murray hammers a kill
24-8 Lahna Murray with an ace
25-8 Hopewell finishes out Set 1
Set 2:
1-0 Hopewell on the board with an awesome defensive play from McDowell
3-0 McDowell serves Hopewell out to an early lead
4-2 Kurta with a kill off a great back set from Ceccarelli
5-2 Ceccarelli follows it up with an ace
6-5 A New Brighton error stops an early run
7-5 Addison Davis with an ace
8-6 Davis with a great pass to Ceccarelli who sets up Inderelst for the kill
10-6 McDowell with a kill after a great defensive play by Murray at the net
12-6 Murray with a kill off the set from Ross
14-6 McDowell climbs the ladder again for a big kill
18-6 Inderelst with 3 straight aces
19-6 Avery Boyd with a kill
20-11 A serving error ends a New Brighton run
21-11 Pinchotti with an ace
23-12 A great Hopewell defensive rally forces a New Brighton error
25-11 Hopewell finishes out set 2
Set 3:
1-0 Hopewell on the board on a Ceccarelli serve
2-4 Davis with a great pass that ends up with an Inderelst kill
4-5 Murray with a block
6-6 Pinchotti with an ace
7-6 McDowell kills an overpass that she hit over
8-6 Pinchotti with another ace
9-9 Murray neatly places a tip over for a point
10-13 New Brighton fighting back with some tough serves
12-15 Kurta with a strong hit off a nice pass from Pinchotti
13-15 Ross with a hit that New Brighton passes to the rafters
14-16 Ceccarelli with a great tip off an even better pass from Inderelst
15-17 Hopewell keeping pace, Inderelst with a kill off the cross court set from Ceccareeli
16-17 Inderelst with an ace
17-17 Hopewell ties it up off a great defensive play from Inderelst and Ross
18-19 Ceccarelli with a dump to the middle
19-19 Tie game again off a Pinchotti serve
20-20 Back and forth we go
21-20 Hopewell back in front
23-20 Kurta with a block
24-20 Murray with an ace
25-20 Kurta and Ceccarelli with a combo block to finish the match
Earlier in the evening, the Junior Varsity continued their strong play. Coming off their 2nd Place finish in the Brownsville Rumble at the Nest Tournament over the weekend, they continued that strong momentum, sweeping New Brighton 2-0. Their season record now moves to 11-2.
Here’s a recap of the JV sets:
Set 1:
2-2 Jiselle Cain with a nice kill off a Teagen Murray set
5-3 Addison Blosnick with a kill off the Cici Smetana set
7-5 Abby Babinsack hammers a New Brighton overpass for a kill
10-6 Blosnick with an ace
12-7 Lily Oldham with a great cross court kill
14-13 A New Brighton error stops a run
15-14 Cain with a kill
16-14 Blosnick pushes one right into the middle
21-17 Madeline Earley with a nice play on an overpass
22-18 Murray with a dump that gets returned out
23-18 Sydney Malackanich with an ace
24-18 Malackanich with a dump pass for a point
25-18 Lillian Otto with a nice tip to end set 1
Set 2:
1-2 Hopewell on the board off an Otto kill
2-2 Murray with an ace
4-3 Ava Ray with back-to-back aces
6-5 Blosnick with a strong kill of the set from Murray
7-6 Earley with a kill
12-6 Mac on a great serving run with good defense behind it
13-6 Murray with a hard kill that gets returned out
14-11 A wide New Brighton serve stops a run
17-14 Murray with an ace
18-14 Tessa Burgess with a great defensive play leading to a New Brighton error
21-14 Murray with 3 straight aces
22-15 Cain with a kill that just catches the back line
24-15 Ray with 3 straight aces
25-15 Hopewell finishes out the match.
