Lillian Otto Hopewell hit the road again on Tuesday night, traveling to Northgate for another Section matchup. Back-to-back away games can be tough, especially following Monday’s long, high-intensity battle, but the Vikings handled the challenge well.
In the opening set, Hopewell shook off some early rust while Northgate kept things close. The Vikings edged ahead 8–5 on a sharp offensive combo, with Mikayla Kurta and Bella Ceccarelli connecting on a give-and-go to stretch the lead. From there, Hannah McDowell took over at the service line with the score at 14–9, reeling off 11 straight points. Her run included several aces, and strong finishing plays from both herself and Brianna Inderelst, helping Hopewell secure the set.
Two started with a burst of energy as Addison Davis delivered strong serves and Sky Ross and McDowell powered the offense. The Vikings kept the momentum rolling, controlling the middle of the set with steady pressure. Davis and McDowell added more aces late, while Lahna Murray and Avery Boyd chipped in with timely kills to seal the frame.
Hopewell wasted no time in the third, jumping out to an 8–1 lead behind a balanced offensive and defensive attack. They maintained command throughout, building an 18–6 advantage on an Inderelst back-row kill. The end of the set slowed into a scrappy stretch of play from both sides, perhaps a sign of two straight road nights, but the Vikings closed it out in style on a McDowell kill, wrapping up a 3-0 sweep.
With the win, Hopewell improves to 9–1 in Section play (11–1 overall) and enjoys an early finish to the week’s match schedule. Next week features their final home match of the regular season, Senior Night against New Brighton on Tuesday, October 7, followed by a road trip to Freedom on Thursday, October 9.
Here is a recap of tonight’s sets:
Set 1
1-0 Hopewell on the board off a Hannah McDowell serve
3-3 After an early run from Northgate, Hopewell ties it up
4-4 Mikayla Kurta with a kill
8-5 McDowell with a kill. Pass from Brianna Inderelst to a Bella Ceccarelli set
11-6 Marina Pinchotti with an ace
13-7 Kurta with a set to Ceccarelli who sets it right back to Kurta for the kill
14-9 McDowell with another kill
15-9 Inderelst with a nice kill
18-9 McDowell on a nice serving run
19-9 Inderelst with another big swing from the left side
21-9 Hopewell continuing to pour on the offense
22-9 Inderelst with a kill on the set from Ayla Pisana
23-9 McDowell with an ace
25-9 McDowell with another ace, serving for 11 straight points to finish set 1
Set 2
2-0 Hopewell with an early lead on a nice finesse play from Kurta
5-3 Addison Davis with back-to-back strong serves, including an ace
7-4 Sky Ross with a huge swing on a kill that overwhelms the Northgate passer
8-4 McDowell winds up on another kill
11-5 Inderelst with a back row kill
12-5 Pinchotti with an ace
14-6 Davis with a nice pass to Ceccarelli who sets up Lahna Murray for a tip to the middle
16-7 McDowell with an ace
19-10 Davis with an ace
22-10 Davis with another ace
23-10 Murray drops an overpass for a point
24-11 Avery Boyd with a strong kill
25-11 Addison Blosnick serves to a Northgate error to win set
Set 3
2-0 Kurta returns an overpass for a point
4-1 Inderelst with a strong kill
7-1 Ceccarelli with back-to-back aces
8-1 Northgate with a nice defensive play, but Kurta ruins their fun with a kill
9-2 Ella Goodrum with a nice read on a long serve. She also 2 great passes on the previous rally
12-3 Davis with a nice pass up to Ceccarelli who sets Murray for the kill
15-4 Pinchotti with an ace
16-6 McDowell places a cross court set from Ceccarelli right into the middle
17-6 Murray with an ace
18-6 Inderelst winds up on a huge back row kill
23-14 A strange stretch for both teams to finish this set, with Hopewell and Northgate alternating points with no momentum on either side.
25-15 McDowell with a kill to finish out the set and sweep the match.
Earlier in the evening, the Junior Varsity won in a 2-0 victory, getting back on track from last night’s loss at Avonworth. Hopewell was strong from the serve line tonight, with a high volume of quality serves and aces. Hopewell’s front line also played well, controlling Northgate’s offense with a strong blocking game.
Below is a recap of the JV sets:
Set 1
1-0 Hopewell on the board after a nice defensive return
3-0 Jiselle Cain with a kill off a Teagen Murray set
4-0 Lillian Otto with a kill off the double set from Madeline Earley and Murray
5-1 Ace from Ava Ray
6-2 Kill by Earley off set from Murray
11-3 Addison Blosnick with a kill with a set from Sydney Malackanich
12-4 Murray with a kill off the set from Malackanich
14-5 Blosnick with back-to-back aces
16-5 Cain with a block.
19-5 Babinsack with back-to-back aces
21-5 Kill on the line for Otto
22-5 Hard kill for Murray
23-5 Ace from Murray
Hopewell wins first set 25-7
Set 2
3-1 Lily Oldham with back-to-back aces
4-1 Cain with kill from an overpass
7-1 Kill from Blosnick off a set from Murray
8-1 Oldham with another ace
12-2 Oldham with 11 serves in a row
14-3 Blosnick with another kill and Murray with the set
16-6 Oldham with a great defensive dig to Babinsack with the dump
18-6 Babinsack with back-to-back aces
19-7 Kill by Murray off set from Bella Cipolla
20-7 Cain with another block
21-8 Kill straight into the ground from Cain
22-8 Kill from Blosnick right on the line
25-10 Murray with the kill to win the set
Hopewell sweeps the match 2-0
