Lillian Otto In their 2nd Home Playoff game of the week, Hopewell started strong in Set #1, setting the tone right from the start, and taking the win in straight sets. The energy in the gym was awesome with a packed student section cheering the team on.
In Set 1, Burrell hung around early, but Hopewell quickly got the offense going. Mikayla Kurta and Lahna Murray were unstoppable at the net, with some huge blocks and kills helped grab an early lead. Addison Davis and Brianna Inderelst both served up aces, and Ceccarelli’s sneaky dump passes were dropping perfectly. Hopewell rolled through the first set 25–14.
In Set 2, Burrell tried to push back, but Hopewell kept answering every run. Kurta and Inderelst both came up with big swings, and Ceccarelli continued to mix things up with smart sets and dumps. Avery Boyd had a nice touch kill late, and the defense held strong through a couple of long rallies with some great back row passes from Marina Pinchotti and Ella Goodrum. The 2nd set got tight at the end, with Burrell getting within 2 points at 21-19, but Hopewell was able to hang on for a 25-23 win.
Hannah McDowell opened the 3rd set with an ace, while Murray & Kurta were all over the net, with some strong blocks and kills to help Hopewell grab a lead. Burrell pushed back though, getting on a run midway through the game with some excellent serves and actually took a small lead at 16-17. Hopewell called a well-placed timeout and regrouped to come roaring back. Murray and McDowell teamed up for a massive block and a couple of clutch kills to reach match point. Once again, Burrell sent their serve long, sealing the win 25–22, and sending Hopewell to the Semi-Finals!
It was a total team effort, with big plays all around and a ton of energy from start to finish from both the team and the crowd.
Now the Vikings hit the road for a semi-final matchup with #4 OLSH, which will be played next Tuesday at Peters Township, starting at 7:30 pm. Coming off the 5-set reverse sweep comeback against OLSH from last week, Hopewell will aim to keep that late match and playoff opening momentum from this week going, right from the start.
Do yourself a favor and clear your Wednesday evening schedule to come support these girls!
Here is a recap from tonight’s sets:
Set 1:
1-1 Hopewell on the board off a Burrell error
2-3 Mikalya Kurta with a kill
4-3 Addison Davis with an ace
6-4 Burrell with a long return that Brianna Inderelst reads correctly
7-4 Lahna Murray with a block
9-4 Inderelst with an ace
11-5 McDowell with the kill on an overpass
12-8 A long serve stops a Burrell run
14-8 Murray with an ace
15-8 Ceccarelli with a dump pass that just catches the line
16-8 Kurta with a huge block
18-8 Burrell with a pair of errors off of Murray’s serves
19-9 McDowell buries a kill in the corner off the Davis pass
21-11 Ceccarelli with an ace
23-13 Avery Boyd with a nice block
24-14 McDowell hammers the overpass for a kill
25-14 Marina Pinchotti with the serve that Burrell returns long. Set#1 goes to Hopewell.
Set 2:
1-0 Kurta gets Hopewell on front early with a big swing off the set from Ceccarelli
2-1 Inderelst with a kill to the back corner
5-2 Boyd quietly rolls it over the net on an overpass
6-4 Ceccarelli with another dump pass that fools everyone
7-4 Inderelst with a great down ball from the back for a kill
9-5 Murray drops a hammer kill for a point
10-7 Ceccarelli dumps another one to the middle
11-7 McDowell with an ace
13-8 Kurta with another hit causing a Burrell error
14-8 Hopewell with a great defensive rally leading to another error.
16-13 Burrell pushing back in Set #2
17-13 Ceccarelli with another dump finding the floor
19-13 Ceccarelli with a tip at the net
21-17 Another long serve ends a Burrell run
21-19 Hopewell with a timeout
22-20 Kurta with a kill to keep Hopewell in front
23-21 Boyd places one just over for a kill
24-22 Burrell with an error off the Inderelst serve
25-23 Hopewell wins Set# 2 on a long serve from Burrell
Set 3:
1-0 McDowell with an ace to start Set #3
2-2 Inderelst with a nice swing off the set from Ceccarelli
3-3 Ella Goodrum with 2 great passes that rally
5-3 Hopewell with a strong blocking game tonight
7-4 Murray with a great kill to the back corner
8-6 Another great rally ends with a long return from Burrell
10-6 A great pass from Inderelst that Ceccarelli sets for a Murray kill
12-6 Murray hammers a block for a point
13-8 Murray with a great tip shot to the middle
15-10 Kurta drops a hammer kill for a point
16-11 Ceccarelli with a beautiful back set to Inderelst for a kill
16-14 Burrell with a mid-set push here
16-17 Burrell ties it up and then grabs a lead forcing a timeout
18-17 Hopewell back in front on a Burrell error
19-17 Murray and McDowell with a combo block
20-18 McDowell with a great kill down the line
22-20 Murray with a great swing forcing the error
23-20 McDowell with another big swing that Burrell sends to the rafters
24-20 McDowell with another kill for a point.
24-22 Burrell fights back with 2 straight points
25-22 Hopewell ends the match on a long serve from Burrell.
