vikingssportsn HOPEWELL TWP, PA — Hopewell’s Junior Varsity Volleyball team (9-6) delivered one of its strongest performances of the season Thursday evening, rolling past Avonworth in straight sets, 25-10 and 25-14, to set the tone for the Senior Night festivities that followed.
The Vikings wasted little time taking control, racing to a 6-0 lead behind three early kills from Abby Babinsack and strong serving from Liliana Katcher. Hopewell’s offense continued to roll as Lillian Otto delivered several powerful attacks off sets from Brooke Otto, while Alyssa Phillips and Ellie McCoy contributed at the net. Strong defensive play and consistent serving kept Avonworth on its heels throughout the opening set, with the Vikings cruising to a 25-10 victory in arguably their most complete set of the season.
Avonworth briefly grabbed a 5-3 lead in the second set, but Hopewell responded with a commanding run behind Katcher’s serving, turning the deficit into a 15-5 advantage. Babinsack and Lillian Otto continued to lead the attack, while Ava Ray and McCoy added key plays offensively. Bella Cipolla, Sam Holsinger, and Gianna Rossi contributed to a strong defensive effort as the Vikings closed out the match, 25-14.
The victory showcased Hopewell’s offensive balance, aggressive serving, and improved consistency, with contributions throughout the lineup. As the regular season winds down, the Vikings will look to carry that same level of execution into Tuesday’s season finale at Ellwood City.
Here’s the play-by-play recap:
Set #1
1-0 Abby Babinsack gets it started with a kill.
2-0 Babinsack again, hammers it through the block.
3-0 Lillian Otto with a kill off the Brooke Otto set
4-0 Katcher on the serve. Bella Cipolla with a nice read on the wide return
5-0 Babinsack places a kill on the right side for another kill.
6-0 Katcher with an ace. Timeout Avonworth
7-2 Katcher and Ava Ray with a good read on a long serve
8-2 Sam Holsinger on the serve. Avonworth with an error
9-3 Ray with another good read on a long serve
10-3 Avonworth with a wide return
11-3 Brooke Otto on the serve. Ellie McCoy buries the overpass
12-3 Lillian Otto with a kill. Great pass from Holsinger, Otto with the set. Timeout Lopes
13-4 Otto with another kill off the Otto backset
14-4 A great defensive rally. Brooke Otto finishes it with dump forcing the error
15-4 Alyssa Philips with a kill
16-4 Lillian Otto with an ace
17-5 Sophia Catanzarite with a down ball forcing an error
18-5 Bella Cipolla with an ace
19-6 Katcher with a nice read on a long freeball from Avonworth
20-6 Ray with an ace
21-8 Philips with a kill off a great outside set from Otto
22-9 Otto & Otto connect for another set & kill
23-9 Holsinger with an ace
24-10 Hopewell reaches set point on a net error by Avonworth
25-10 Brooke Otto on the serve, McCoy drops the overpass. Best set of the year for Hopewell JV
Set #2
1-0 Hopewell on the board off an Avonworth error
2-0 Holsinger on the serve. Long return by the Lopes
3-0 Holsinger with an ace
3-5 Avonworth on an early run, grabs a lead
5-5 Katcher with an ace
6-5 Katcher with another serve. Forcing the error
7-5 Cipolla with a great pass, Otto sets Otto for the kill
8-5 Katcher with another ace
9-5 Babinsack with a strong kill. Timeout Avonworth
10-5 Katcher with an ace out of the timeout
12-5 Katcher dodges a long return
13-5 Avonworth with another wide return. Katcher on a nice run serving
15-5 Katcher with deep serve, forcing an error
16-7 Otto with a strong hit, forcing another error
17-9 Avonworth with a serving error
19-10 Ray places a kill in the back corner off the Otto backset
20-10 Lillian Otto on the serve, forcing the error
21-10 McCoy with the block
22-10 McCoy with the rare set to Ray forcing an error
23-12 Gianna Rossi with a good read on a long serve
24-12 Brooke Otto; Babinsack with a give and go for a kill. Match point.
25-14 Cipolla with an excellent pass. Hopewell finishes off a dominant performance!
