vikingssportsn HOPEWELL TWP, PA — It was an evening of celebration and recognition at Hopewell High School Thursday night as the Vikings honored five seniors before taking the court against Avonworth. While the visiting Antelopes quieted the celebration with a three-set sweep, the night provided an opportunity to recognize a senior class that has helped to positively shape the Hopewell Volleyball Program over the years.
Prior to the match, Hopewell recognized team manager Chris Nguyen, along with Ayla Pisano, Marina Pinchotti, Avery Boyd, and Mikayla Kurta. Escorted by their families, each senior was honored for their dedication, leadership, and accomplishments both on and off the court. The ceremony highlighted academic and athletic achievements, memorable section championships and WPIAL playoff runs, and the lasting impact this group has made on the program. It was a fitting tribute to five seniors who have helped establish a standard for the next generation of Vikings.
Once play began, Avonworth quickly took control of the opening set, using an early scoring run to build a commanding lead as Hopewell struggled to establish its offense. Kills from Boyd, Addison Blosnick, and Kurta provided some bright spots, but the Vikings were unable to slow the Antelopes momentum.
Hopewell (7-8 / 6-5) responded with a much stronger effort in the second set, building a 14-10 advantage behind strong play from Hannah McDowell, who delivered several key kills and a pair of aces. Boyd and Ariana Fischer contributed at the net, while Pisano helped distribute the offense. However, Avonworth battled back to tie the score at 15 before pulling away late for a 25-19 victory.
The third set saw Hopewell continue to battle, with Blosnick leading the offensive charge through several aggressive attacks. Kurta added an ace and a kill, Fischer contributed a block, and Teagen Murray kept Avonworth off balance with well-placed dump shots. Another mid-set scoring run, however, allowed the Antelopes to pull away and complete the sweep with a 25-17 victory.
While the final result wasn’t what Hopewell had hoped for, Senior Night served as a reminder of the dedication and success this group has brought to the program. With just one regular season match remaining Tuesday at Ellwood City, the Vikings will look to fine-tune their game and build momentum for what they hope will be a deep postseason run.
Here is a play-by-play recap:
Set #1
1-0 Hopewell on the board first. Tessa Burgess on the serve.
2-2 Marina Pinchotti and Tessa Burgess with a good read on a long serve
3-3 Avery Boyd places a down ball for a kill
4-5 Avonworth with a wide return
5-8 Hannah McDowell with a good read on a long return
6-8 Cici Smetana with an ace
6-11 Avonworth grabs a lead, timeout Hopewell
6-14 Avonworth continuing to widen the gap
7-14 Addison Blosnick with the kill off the Teagen Murray set
7-18 Hopewell struggling to get their offense started. Timeout Hopewell
8-18 Mikayla Kurta with the kill
9-19 Burgess with an excellent read on a long serve
10-20 Boyd with a nice shot from out wide for a kill
11-22 McDowell with the right side kill off the Pinchotti pass and Ayla Pisano set.
11-24 Avonworth gets to set point on an overpass
11-25 Avonworth finishes off Set #1
Set #2
1-0 Murray on the serve, Hopewell forces the error.
3-4 McDowell with a kill off the Pisano set
4-4 Boyd and Ariana Fischer team up for a block
5-4 McDowell with an ace
6-5 McDowell with a backrow kill off Pisano’s set. Boyd with the pass
7-5 Smetana with a great pass, that Fischer tips over forcing the error. Timeout Lopes.
9-6 Marina Pinchotti on the serve. Smetana with a nice read on a wide return
11-8 Avonworth with a serving error
12-9 Boyd with a block for a point
13-10 Avonworth with a long return
14-10 McDowell with an ace
15-13 Fischer with a nice kill off Pisano’s set. Boyd with a nice pass up
15-15 Avonworth ties it up
15-17 Avonworth grabs a lead. Timeout Hopewell.
16-18 Blosnick places a shot to the middle for a kill
17-19 Murray with a great one-handed dump for a point
18-20 McDowell with a nice down ball forcing the error
19-21 Kurta with a flip to the side causing chaos
19-23 Avonworth grabs a lead. Timeout Hopewell
19-24 Avonworth gets to set point
19-25 Avonworth takes Set #2
Set #3
1-1 McDowell with the kill off a deep pass from Murray
2-3 McDowell hits one through the tip for a kill
3-3 Burgess with a great dig, that lands for a point
4-3 Kurta with an ace
5-5 Tied up after an Avonworth serving error
5-10 Avonworth on a serving run. Timeout Hopewell
6-10 Blosnick with a down ball for a point
7-10 Blosnick drops another shot to the floor
8-11 Blosnick with a cross-court kill this time
9-14 Avonworth with a serving error stopping a short run
10-15 Pinchotti with a great pass to Murray setting Kurta for the kill
11-16 Boyd places a shot to the middle for a kill
11-18 Avonworth extending their lead. Timeout Hopewell
12-18 Fischer with a block
13-18 Fischer drops an overpass
13-21 Avonworth responds with 3 straight points
14-21 Blosnick with a big swing for a kill
15-21 Smetana on the serve, then a good read on a wide return
16-22 Blosnick with another hard shot, forcing the error
17-23 Murray with a tip shot dump for a point
17-24 Avonworth reaches match point
17-25 Avonworth finishes out the set and match.
