vikingssportsn Ellwood City, PA –Â Hopewell (2-4/1-2) knew it would have its hands full Tuesday night against an undefeated Riverside squad that had yet to even drop a set this season.
The Vikings didn’t end Riverside’s unbeaten run, but they certainly made the Panthers work to keep it intact.
Hopewell became the first team this season to take a set from Riverside, winning the second set 25-22 and battling deep into the third set before eventually falling in four sets, 19-25, 25-22, 24-26, 19-25.
The Vikings showed early that they weren’t going to be intimidated by Riverside’s perfect start. In the opening set, Avery Boyd delivered a pair of early kills, Mikayla Kurta added two aces, and Addison Blosnick began what would become a big night at the net. Hopewell built a 16-14 advantage before Riverside finally pulled even at 16-16.
From there, the Panthers took control late. Blosnick kept Hopewell alive with a kill at 19-23, but Riverside closed out the opening set, 25-19.
The Vikings found themselves in an immediate hole in Set 2, falling behind 5-0 before beginning an impressive response.
Kurta stopped the run with a kill, Hannah McDowell began finding success from the right side, and Hopewell gradually erased the deficit. Boyd’s ace gave the Vikings their first lead at 9-8, and from there the teams traded punches.
Hopewell’s defense was a difference maker. Tessa Burgess and Marina Pinchotti provided excellent passing during one of the night’s longest rallies, while Kurta came up with a huge block at the net. Blosnick continued to attack aggressively, and McDowell delivered a huge kill late to put Hopewell ahead 22-21. Then came the finish. Teagan Murray dropped in an ace for a 23-21 advantage, Boyd followed with a block to reach set point, and Hopewell finished off a 25-22 victory.
After falling behind 7-4 in the third, the Vikings again battled back. McDowell ripped a backrow kill at a difficult angle, Boyd served an ace to tie things up at 8-8, and Pinchotti delivered a strong stretch from the service line as Hopewell moved ahead.
Blosnick and McDowell continued supplying the offense, while Murray distributed the ball and Vikings maintained a narrow advantage deep into the set. Riverside finally surged ahead 23-20, but Hopewell wasn’t finished.
Kurta’s kill made it 23-21, Murray forced an error from the service line, and after Riverside reached set point, the Vikings fought all the way back to 24-24 behind a big play from Arianna Fischer at the net.
Riverside escaped with the next two points, taking a hard-fought 26-24 victory and a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set followed a similar script. Hopewell fell behind early before battling back behind Boyd, Blosnick, Kurta and Fischer. Burgess served an ace to tie the score at 9-9. Murray followed with one of her own for an 11-10 lead, and the teams continued trading points through 15-15.
This was when Riverside finally created some seperation.
The Panthers scored five straight points to build a 20-15 advantage, and despite late kills from Kurta and continued pressure from the Vikings, Riverside closed out the set, 25-19 and the match 3-1.
The final score doesn’t completely capture how competitive the night was. Hopewell played Riverside even for long stretches, pushed the Panthers to 24-24 in a pivotal third set and became the first opponent this season to take a set from an undefeated Riverside team. Blosnick provided consistent power throughout the match, while Boyd, Kurta and McDowell gave the Vikings multiple attacking options. Murray directed the offense, and Pinchotti, Burgess and Cici Smetana helped keep rallies alive with strong passing and defensive work.
Here’s a play-by-play recap:
Set #1
1-1 Both teams trade serving errors to start
2-3 Another serving error from Riverside.
4-3 Avery Boyd hammers a kill through the block for a point
5-3 Mikayla Kurta with an ace
6-3 Arianna Fischer with a big swing. Nice set from Teagan Murray
7-3 Kurta with another ace
9-7 Boyd with another kill to the backline stopping a run
11-8 Kurta tips a pass from Marina Pinchotti for a point
12-8 Addison Blosnick with a great play at the net
13-8 Blosnick with a great cross court kill. Great pass up from Cici Smetana.
14-11 Blosnick with another big swing, getting it to just flip over the net
15-12 Kurta with a huge kill off the Murray set
16-14 A Riverside serving error keeps Hopewell in front
16-16 Tied up
16-17 Riverside grabs the lead
17-18 Another long serve
18-19 A nice defensive sequence from Hopewell
18-21 Serving errors plaguing both squads. Timeout Hopewell.
19-23 Blosnick with a needed kill to keep Hopewell in the set
19-24 Riverside gets to set point. Timeout Hopewell
19-25 Riverside wins Set #1 on a block at the net.
Set #2
0-5 Hopewell in trouble early in Set #2
1-5 Kurta with a quick kill to stop the early run
2-6 McDowell with a big swing that Riverside sends into the rafters
3-6 Kurta with a long serve that forces the error
5-6 Riverside tries to tip away from the block sending it wide
6-7 McDowell with a big right-side swing catching the line
7-7 McDowell with a nice serve, returned wide.
8-8 Hopewell ties it up on a long return
9-8 Boyd with an ace
10-10 Riverside serving error ties it back up
11-10 Pinchotti with an ace
12-11 Blosnick with a big kill overpowering the defense
13-12 A good read by Smetana on a wide serve
14-12 Kurta with a huge block
16-14 A great back and forth rally. Excellent passes from Burgess and Pinchotti.
17-15 Fischer with a nice kill
18-15 Boyd on the serve. A nice defensive play at the net.
19-17 Blosnick with another hard swing that rides the net and drops
20-17 A net error by Riverside, timeout Panthers.
21-20 Blosnick tips one just over the block.
22-21 McDowell with a huge kill
23-21 Murray with an ace
24-21 Boyd with a block at the net
25-22 Hopewell wins Set #2
Set #3
1-1 McDowell with a kill off a great pass forward from Tessa Burgess
2-1 Boyd and Kurta team up for a block
2-2 Riverside with the point, but Pinchotti with an awesome dig beforehand
4-7 A serve error by Riverside stops their run
5-7 Boyd with a big hit forcing the error
6-8 Fischer with a nice block at the net
7-8 McDowell with incredible angle on a backrow kill
8-8 Boyd with an ace ties it up
9-9 Blosnick places a shot right on the backline
10-9 Pinchotti with a nice serve, returned wide
11-9 Another great serve from Pinchotti
12-10 Blosnick with another huge swing for a kill
14-11 McDowell with a big swing for the kill
15-13 Serving error from Riverside keeps Hopewell in the lead
16-15 Boyd with a kill off the set Murray set
18-16 A long return from Riverside
20-20 Back and forth for a few points, Blosnick with a big kill
20-23 Riverside with a late lead, timeout Hopewell
21-23 Kurta with a kill to stay in it
22-23 Murray with a serve causing an error
23-24 Serving error by Riverside on set point
24-24 Tie game, great play at the net by Fischer on the block
24-26 Riverside wins Set #3
Set #4
1-1 Kurta with the quick reaction to drill an overpass
2-5 Errors hurting Hopewell early this set
3-6 A nice shot from Boyd
4-6 Blosnick fires one to the back row that just catches the passer
5-7 Boyd skies for a beautiful kill
6-8 Fischer sets one over causing chaos
7-8 Blosnick with the kill. Great pass up from Smetana and set from Murray
8-9 Kurta with a nice play at the net for a kill
9-9 Burgess with an ace to tie it up
10-10 Kurta with a nice block at the net
11-10 Murray with an ace
11-11 A wild rally back and forth resulting in a Hopewell error
13-13 McDowell with a right-side kill
14-14 Boyd with a nice play on the right-side for a kill
15-15 Back and forth we go in the 4th
15-18 Riverside with a tip shot to the middle, on a run. Timeout Hopewell
15-20 Riverside with 2 quick points out of the timeout
16-20 A long return from Riverside
17-21 Riverside error
18-22 Kurta with a kill in the middle
19-23 A wide return from Riverside.
19-25 Hopewell loses Set #4 and the Match.
Monday night’s action also deserves a quick mention, as Hopewell stepped up in competition in a non-section matchup against Canon-McMillan, a 6A program with plenty of talent throughout
its lineup. The Vikings ultimately fell in three sets, but the Hopewell squad competed hard against a significantly larger school and showed plenty of fight throughout the match.
There’s something to be said for taking on that kind of challenge. Good programs aren’t built by being afraid to play someone. They’re built by seeking out tough competition, seeing where you
stand and getting better because of it.
Between Mondays test against Canon-McMillan and Tuesdays battle with undefeated Riverside, Hopewell has faced some serious competition the past 2 days and has shown it belongs on the court with it.
Hopewell returns home on Thursday, in a 3A Section 2 matchup vs Beaver Falls, looking to get back on track as they navigate the first half of their schedule.
