vikingssportsn BEAVER FALLS, Pa. — Hopewell (7-7 / 6-4) turned in a strong all-around performance Tuesday night, sweeping Beaver Falls in straight sets, 25-15, 25-20 and 25-13, behind an aggressive offensive attack and solid defensive play.
The Vikings wasted little time taking control of the opening set. Teagen Murray sparked an early run with three service aces, helping Hopewell build an 8-1 advantage. Hannah McDowell added several aces and a kill from the right side, while Avery Boyd and Ariana Fischer provided plenty of offense at the net. Hopewell extended its lead to 20- 5 in an impressive start to the night. Beaver Falls closed the gap slightly before Hopewell closed out the set, 25-15.
Beaver Falls put up a stronger fight in the second set, battling back to tie the score at 10-10. Hopewell responded behind key kills from Addison Blosnick, Boyd and McDowell, while Tessa Burgess and Murray contributed strong defensive efforts. Cici Smetana added an ace, and Mikayla Kurta delivered a kill through the block. Beaver Falls continued to push though, getting the set back to 21-19, before Hopewell took control late to reach set point. McDowell finished the 25-20 victory with a powerful swing off a Murray set.
The Vikings regained control of the night early in the third set as Kurta delivered back- to-back aces to force a Beaver Falls timeout at 7-2. Fischer continued her strong play at the net, while Blosnick and Boyd kept the offensive pressure on the Tigers. McDowell added several kills and back-to-back aces to reach match point before Blosnick sealed the sweep with a well-placed tip for the 25-13 victory.
Hopewell received contributions throughout its lineup, with Murray directing the offense, McDowell and Boyd providing consistent attacking power, and Fischer, Kurta and Blosnick making their presence felt at the net. Burgess and Marina Pinchotti also contributed defensively.
With the postseason approaching, maintaining offensive balance and defensive consistency will be key for Hopewell as the Vikings prepare to face the top teams in Class 3A. One of those teams comes to town Thursday when Avonworth visits for Hopewell’s Senior Night. Junior Varsity action begins at 6 p.m., with Senior Night festivities taking place immediately following the JV match. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to help cheer on the Junior Varsity and then recognize these Vikings’ seniors!
Here’s a play-by-play recap from tonight:
Set #1
1-0 Hopewell on the board. Burgess with the serve, wide return from Beaver Falls
2-1 Mikayla Kurta with a nice kill off the Teagen Murray set
3-1 Murray with an ace
4-1 Murray with another serve, error by Beaver Falls
5-1 Murray sets up Boyd for a huge swing
6-1 Murray with another ace. Early timeout Beaver Falls
7-1 Murray with an ace out of the timeout
8-1 Marina Pinchotti with a nice defensive play, forcing the error
9-3 A wide return from Beaver Falls
10-5 Hannah McDowell with a kill from the right side
12-5 McDowell with back-to-back aces
13-5 Boyd with another big swing off the Murray set
14-5 Fischer with a great block for a point
15-5 Fischer with a quick kill to the middle. Great middle-set from Murray
16-5 McDowell with another ace
17-5 Fischer lines up another kill to the middle
18-5 Boyd with a nice read on a wide tip shot from Beaver Falls
19-5 McDowell with another strong serve. Boyd waiting to drop the overpass.
20-5 The best rally of the night. Great defense from Pinchotti & Murray
22-8 Fischer with a nice play at the net, ending a Beaver Falls run
23-11 Fischer with a kill off the Ayla Pisano set
24-11 Pinchotti on the serve, forcing a Beaver Falls error
24-14 Beaver Falls taking advantage of some Hopewell errors
25-15 Beaver Falls with a serving error to end Set #1
Set #2
1-1 Hopewell on the board off a serving error
2-1 Boyd with another big kill from the right side
3-1 Murray on the serve, forcing an error
4-1 McDowell hits one fading away
5-1 Murray sets Kurta for a quick kill to the middle
6-3 McDowell with a big swing, and is ready for the overpass coming back
7-4 McDowell with a nice dig, that Murray sets to Boyd for a kill
8-4 McDowell with an ace
8-7 Beaver Falls
9-7 Pinchotti with a backset to Addison Blosnick for a tip shot over
10-8 Fischer with a block
10-10 Tied up in Set #2
11-10 Blosnick with a big swing to the backline
12-10 Tessa Burgess on the serve. Beaver Falls error
13-10 A wide return from the Tigers
14-12 Beaver Falls with a serving error
15-12 Burgess and Murray with a great defensive effort
16-12 Murray with a great serve, forcing an error
17-13 Boyd places a down-ball right to the middle
18-14 McDowell with a great finesse shot to the middle
19-15 Blosnick with another down-ball for a point. Timeout Tigers
20-15 Cici Smetana with an ace
21-15 Blosnick drills one down the line for a kill
21-18 Beaver Falls capitalizing on more Hopewell errors
22-19 Murray with a backwards dump for a point
23-20 Beaver Falls with an error
24-20 Kurta hits one through the block to get to Set point
25-20 McDowell ends Set 2 soundly with a big kill off the Murray set.
Set #3
1-1 McDowell gets Hopewell started with a kill to the backline
2-1 Beaver Falls with a long return
3-2 Kurta powers one through the block for a kill
4-2 Boyd ready for the overpass
5-2 Boyd with a kill off Murray’s set
7-2 Kurta with back-to-back aces. Timeout Beaver Falls
8-2 Kurta with another good serve, returned long
9-4 McDowell finds the floor on a kill to the backrow
11-5 Fischer with a great block at the net
12-5 Blosnick pulls back on another big swing through the block
13-5 Smetana with an ace
14-6 Blosnick with another kill
15-6 Pinchotti on the serve, Beaver Falls with an error
16-6 Hopewell taking control in Set #3
17-8 Beaver Falls with a wide return
17-10 Beaver Falls hanging around.
18-10 Kurta with a kill. Nice pass from Burgess and set from Murray
19-10 Boyd with a nice dig and Kurta with a heads-up flip over the net
20-10 McDowell kills one through the block
21-11 McDowell with another kill
22-12 Pinchotti with a nice pass up. Murray sets Fischer for a kill
24-12 McDowell with back-to-back aces. Match point Hopewell
25-13 Blosnick tips one to the middle to finish out the match.
