Hopewell HS Girls Volleyball

Hopewell made the 3-hour road trip east on Tuesday, to Bellefonte, PA to take on Bald Eagle in their PIAA State Playoff First Round matchup.

The energy was high right from the start for both teams, eager to get the match started.

Set 1-

Hopewell got on the board early after a missed serve from Bald Eagle and kept things close with kills from Hannah McDowell and Mikayla Kurta. Kurta was on fire with back-to-back kills to keep Hopewell within reach, but Bald Eagle went on a big run late and took the first set 25–11.

Set 2-

The second set was a totally different story as Hopewell pushed back. Lahna Murray and Avery Boyd opened things up with a huge block, and Brianna Inderelst started racking up kills. Marina Pinchotti came through clutch with 2 aces in a row to put Hopewell ahead. McDowell and Kurta kept the momentum going, and Inderelst was unstoppable down the stretch with clutch kills. Hopewell got the set to 24-20, but somehow Bald Eagle was able to pull off one of the best comebacks seen all season. The set went down to the wire, but Bald Eagle just barely pulled it out 27–25 after a crazy back-and-forth finish.

Set 3-

After a difficult loss in Set 2, Hopewell didn’t back down one bit in Set 3. McDowell and Boyd had big swings early, and Addison Davis dropped in a perfect ace to keep the momentum going. Later in the set, McDowell fired off 2 more aces to bring Hopewell within five, and Bella Ceccarelli pulled off one of her signature backwards tips for a point. Inderlest stayed clutch at the end with back-to-back kills, helping Hopewell to stay within reach. In the end though, Bald Eagle was able to put together a late rally to close out the match with a 25-21 Set 3 win.

With the loss, the 2025 Hopewell Girls Volleyball season officially comes to an end. Tonight’s match had its challenges. A 3+ hour bus ride, a loud away gym packed with fans, and facing a really strong District Champion team. The girls gave it everything they had, and even though there’s definitely some disappointment, making it all the way to the PIAA State Playoffs is something to be extremely proud of. It’s been such an awesome experience being part of this season on Junior Varsity while also being able to cover and write about the Varsity team. This group had an incredible run and represented Hopewell with so much heart.

Great job ladies!

Here is a recap of tonight’s sets:

Set 1-

1-2 Hopewell scores on a Bald Eagle missed serve

3-3 Hopewell ties it up with an error from Bald Eagle

4-5 Hannah McDowell gets a kill

5-5 Tied again with a Mikayla Kurta kill

7-8 Another Kurta kill brings Hopewell within one

9-13 Hopewell scores on a Bald Eagle error

10-15 Bald Eagle serving error

10-19 Bald Eagle on a run forcing a Hopewell timeout.

11-21 Bald Eagle continuing to extend their lead

FINAL SET SCORE: Hopewell 11, Bald Eagle 25

Set 2-

1-0 Lahna Murray and Avery Boyd block

2-4 Murray tip over the block

4-6 Hopewell scores on a Bald Eagle serving error

7-7 Brianna Inderelst with a spike

10-8 Kurta with a nice block

11-8 Hopewell takes a three-point lead with a Boyd kill

12-11 Brianna Inderelst kill

13-11 Another Inderelst kill to the corner

15-15 Bald Eagle error ties it up

17-15 Marina Pinchotti with two aces in a row

18-16 McDowell pushes it to the gap

19-17 McDowell with a nice kill

21-18 Hopewell pulls ahead by three off two kills in a row by Kurta

22-19 Hopewell scores on a long rally

23-20 Inderelst with a sweet kill

24-20 Hopewell reaches set point with a Boyd and Murray block

24-24 Bald Eagle pulls off an incredible comeback to tie up the match.

25-25 Tied again at 25

FINAL SET SCORE: Hopewell 25, Bald Eagle 27

Set 3-

2-2 McDowell with a kill

4-6 Bald Eagle error gives Hopewell a point

5-7 Inderelst with a sweet kill

6-7 Hopewell gets within one with a Boyd kill

7-11 McDowell with another spike

8-11 Addison Davis gets an ace

10-13 Bald Eagle hits one into the net

13-19 Bald Eagle with a serving error gives Hopewell a point

14-21 An ace for McDowell

16-21 Another ace for McDowell to pull them within five

18-22 Bella Ceccarelli with her signature backwards tip

19-22 Hopewell fights back with another Inderelst kill

20-23 Another Inderelst kill in crunch time

21-23 Bald Eagle hitting error

21-25 Bald Eagle closes out the match.

FINAL SET SCORE: Hopewell 21, Bald Eagle 25

PETERS TOWNSHIP- The Hopewell Vikings took on the Avonworth Antelopes in the WPIAL 2A Championship Game on Saturday. The familiar section foes battled hard, in an intense four-set match. Both teams, student sections and fans showed tons of energy and fight, but ultimately Avonworth came out on top 3–1, winning their first WPIAL Volleyball Championship in school history. Here’s how the match played out.

Set 1: Hopewell came out fired up in the opening set. Lahna Murray got them on the board with a big kill, and the teams traded points early. Hannah McDowell and Avery Boyd teamed up for some great blocks, keeping the Vikings even at 7–7, 8-8 & 9-9.

McDowell then delivered an ace that barely made it over the net, giving Hopewell a small edge. The Vikings’ front line kept pressure on Avonworth, with strong plays from Murray, Boyd, and Mikayla Kurta. Late in the set, Murray’s serve caused an error, and Brianna Inderelst added a clutch tip shot to get Hopewell to set point.

Hopewell finished strong, with Bella Ceccarelli making an awesome play at the net to seal the 25–20 Set 1 win.

Set 2: Avonworth bounced back fast in the second set. Despite early kills from Murray, Inderelst, and Kurta, Avonworth built a solid lead through an aggressive offensive attack that is difficult to slow down. Hopewell called a timeout down 4–8 but struggled to stop the momentum.

Addison Davis gave the Vikings a spark with an ace, and Murray added another big swing, but Avonworth kept rolling. Hopewell couldn’t recover and dropped the set 12–25, tying the match 1–1.

Set 3: The third set started tight, with Murray hammering a kill to give Hopewell the early lead. Avonworth responded though with a few strong attacks to go up 6–2. The Vikings kept fighting though, with Boyd, Inderelst, and McDowell each having big plays to keep the team in it.

Hopewell showed great defense, especially from Davis, Ceccarelli and Marina Pinchotti, who helped turn several rallies into points. Down 14–19, the Vikings went on a run with kills from Murray and Kurta plus an ace from Davis and another kill from Murray to pull within one, 21–22.

Hopewell nearly completed the comeback, but Avonworth managed to close it out 25–21 to take a 2–1 match lead.

Set 4: Building of that late momentum in Set 3, Avonworth came out red hot in the fourth set, jumping ahead 8–0 before Hopewell could get on the board. Inderelst finally broke the run with a strong kill, and the Vikings tried to climb back in.

Boyd and Kurta teamed up for a big block, and McDowell delivered an ace to bring some life back into the team. Ceccarelli and Davis made several great defensive plays, but Avonworth just kept answering with strong offense that put Hopewell’s back row constantly under siege.

Hopewell made a late push with Murray tipping to the middle and Ceccarelli scoring on a serve, but Avonworth held on to win 25–16 and claim the WPIAL Championship.

Even though it’s difficult in this moment and they came up short of their ultimate goal, the Hopewell ladies should be extremely proud of their accomplishments this season and hold their heads high. Getting to the WPIAL Championship game 2 years in a row is a significant achievement and shows that the Hopewell Volleyball program is one of sustained success across several years of students.

The Vikings’ amazing season isn’t over yet! By finishing as WPIAL runner-up, Hopewell has officially qualified for the PIAA 2A State Playoffs. They’ll represent District 7 as they begin their state tournament run next week against the winner from District 6.

Best of luck to the team as they continue their incredible journey, the entire Hopewell community is behind you! Let’s Go Vikings!

Here is a set recap of the WPIAL Championship Match:

Set #1-

1-2 Hopewell on the board off a kill from Lahna Murray

2-2 Hopewell ties it up on an Avonworth error

4-5 Avery Boyd and Mikayla Kurta with a great block

5-5 Hannah McDowell with another block

7-7 Back and forth we go

8-8 Avonworth with an error

9-9 Murray with a tip shot into the middle

10-9 McDowell with an ace that just cries over the net

11-9 McDowell with another strong serve

11-11 Tied back up

12-11 Brianna Inderelst with a nice touch shot for a kill

14-12 Kurta stuffs an overpass

15-13 Boyd hammers a cross-court kill

16-16 Tied up again

18-16 McDowell mixing it up with back-to-back touch shots for kills

19-17 McDowell with another big swing

20-17 Avonworth error for a point

23-19 Murray with a great serve causing an error

24-19 Inderelst with a tip shot

25-20 Ceccarelli with an awesome play at the net on a tip shot to seal Set #1

Set #2-

1-1 Hopewell on the board on a long return from Avonworth

2-3 Murray with a sneaky turnaround dump shot

3-4 Inderelst with a great shot down the line

4-5 Kurta with a hammer shot for a kill

4-8 Avonworth on an early run, timeout Hopewell

5-11 Hopewell grabs a point to stop the run

7-11 Davis with an ace

8-12 Murray with a big swing for a point

8-15 Avonworth on another run, timeout Hopewell

9-15 Inderelst with a rocket shot for a kill

9-18 Avonworth with an ace

10-19 Avonworth with a long return

12-23 Hopewell in trouble in Set #2

12-25 Avonworth wins Set #2

Set #3–

1-1 Hopewell on the board off a long serve from Avonworth

2-1 Murray with a big swing for a kill

2-6 Avonworth with some strong offense to start

5-7 Boyd with great kill for a point

6-9 Hopewell trying to find a way to defensive setup to stop #10

6-11 Timeout Hopewell

7-11 Avonworth returns one wide

8-11 McDowell and Murray team up for a great block

9-13 Hopewell with a good read on a long serve

10-14 Inderelst with a great shot down the line

11-15 Hopewell trying to grind back

12-19 Davis with a great dig that gets over causing an error

13-19 Inderelst with an ace

14-19 Ceccarelli with an incredible pass that Hopewell converts

16-20 Hopewell clawing back

17-21 Kurta with a big kill

18-21 Davis with an ace, timeout Avonworth

19-22 Murray hammers a kill

20-22 McDowell with an ace

21-22 Murray hammers an overkill

21-24 Avonworth gets to Set point

21-25 Avonworth wins Set #3

Set #4-

0-4 Avonworth in front early forcing an early timeout

0-8 Every bounce going Avonworth’s way early

1-8 Inderelst gets Hopewell on the board with a kill

3-10 Hopewell trying to climb back

3-14 Avonworth extending the lead, timeout Hopewell

4-14 Boyd and Kurta team up for a great block on 10

5-15 Ceccarelli dumps a pass to the middle

6-16 Hopewell with a great defensive set. Davis with a great dig

7-15 Hopewell climbing back in it

7-19 Avonworth responding with a run

9-19 Hopewell stops a small run

10-21 Avonworth with a wide return

11-21 A good defensive set from Hopewell leads to an error

12-21 Murray tips one to the middle

14-21 McDowell with an ace

14-23 Avonworth responds again

16-23 Ceccarelli serves for 2 straight points

16-24 Avonworth with a huge block to reach match point

16-25 Avonworth wins the match.

Here are the girls receiving their medals and the runner-up trophy.

(By Mike Vukovcan)-
Despite being very emotional and falling short of their ultimate goal, two seniors Bella Ceccarelli and Brianna Inderelst were willing to talk to Vikings Sports Now’s Mike Vukovcan after the match. Doing something like shows true character and it’s what leaders do.

It’s easy to do an interview after you win, but it shows heart and guts to do so right after a moment like this. Things in life aren’t always going to go your way and you’re going to fall short; champions/winners understand that, hurt for a bit but ultimately move on and get better.

Impressive stuff Bri and Bella, that’s the stuff of champions, thanks ladies.

PETERS TOWNSHIP- Hopewell took on OLSH in the semifinals Tuesday night at Peters Township High School, playing for the third time this season. From the start, it was clear that Hopewell came to play. The student section was loud, and the Vikings played like they were not going to be denied a ticket to the championship match.

Learning from their previous thrilling 5-set match vs OLSH where they fell behind early, Hopewell started off hot in Set #1. Bella Ceccarelli’s serve caused chaos for OLSH, and Lahna Murray followed with an ace to quickly make it 4–1. Hannah McDowell stuffed an overpass right back at them, and Addison Davis kept things rolling with a great mix of rocket and float serves to keep OLSH guessing and burning timeouts. The Vikings just kept piling it on though, with Murray and Ceccarelli teaming up for a combo block. McDowell and Avery Boyd added some nice kills, and Bree Inderelst crushed one from the back row. Hopewell took the first set 25–15 after another long OLSH serve ended it.

In Set 2, OLSH tried to bounce back early, but Hopewell’s defense was locked in. Ceccarelli, Pinchotti, Goodrum and Inderelst made some great passes & saves to keep plays alive, and soon the Vikings were back in front. Mikayla Kurta came up big at the net with a monster block, and McDowell followed with a huge ace. Murray and Boyd then both added kills off perfect sets from Ceccarelli. OLSH made a little run late, but Hopewell called timeout, regrouped, and Boyd came out of it with a clutch down ball. Inderelst and McDowell finished strong, and Hopewell took Set 2, 25–22.

The third set was a battle early, with both teams trading points. Ceccarelli fired off an ace, Murray hammered a kill at the net, and Inderelst hit one down the line for an excellent kill. McDowell kept OLSH guessing with tough serves, and Boyd had an insane left-handed dive that led to a point. Kurta, Boyd and Murray came up huge at the net, continuing to get hands on every OLSH hit to hold their offense at bay.

OLSH tried to fight back late behind some strong serves, closing the gap all the way to 23–21, but Ceccarelli stepped up with a great block to get Hopewell to match point. A few plays later, the Vikings closed it out 25–23 and punched their return ticket to the WPIAL 2A Championship Match on Saturday 11/2 vs Avonworth.

The match start time has yet to be determined, but it will again be played at Peters Township High School. Stay tuned to Vikings Sports Now over the next few days, where we’ll update the starting time as soon as it is known. Let’s pack the gym on Saturday, to support these girls in what will likely be an extremely competitive championship match.

On an exciting side note, the win Tuesday night does guarantee a berth in the PIAA Class 2A State Playoffs, which are scheduled to start early next week! More info to come on that after Saturday.

Here is a set recap from tonight’s semifinal match:

Set 1-

1-0 Hopewell on the board first on a long return from OLSH

3-1 Bella Ceccarelli with a serve causing an OLSH error

4-1 Lahna Murray with an ace

5-2 OLSH with another long return

6-2 Hannah McDowell stuff an overpass

9-4 Addison with a good read on a long serve

11-4 Murray & Ceccarelli with a combo block

12-4 Davis with a rocket serve causing an error

13-4 Davis floats a serve now causing another error

14-5 McDowell with the kill off a great pass from Davis and set from Ceccarelli

15-7 Ceccarelli with a beautiful tip that catches the line

16-7 Avery Boyd with a great tip shot

18-9 Ella Goodrum with a great read on a long serve

21-10 Bree Inderelst with a great back row kill

22-12 Pinchotti with a great pass

23-12 Davis with an ace

24-12 Murray hammers an overpass for a point

25-15 OLSH with a long serve to end Set #1

Set 2-

1-2 Hopewell stops an OLSH start with a great defensive set from Ceccarelli, Pinchotti and Inderelst

4-3 Hopewell back in front

5-4 Davis with another good read on a long serve

6-4 Mikayla Kurta with a huge block

8-6 McDowell with a hard cross court kill

9-7 Pinchotti with a great read on a serve to the side

10-8 Inderelst with a great play on a one-handed return leading to a point

11-8 McDowell with an ace

13-8 Murray with the kill off a Ceccarelli set

15-10 Goodrum reads another long hit well, point to Hopewell

16-10 Kurta buries another block for a point

17-10 Ceccarelli with a gorgeous back set to Boyd for a kill

18-13 Kurta with a nice defensive play at the net

19-17 OLSH pushing back here, timeout Hopewell

20-17 Boyd with a nice down ball out of the timeout

21-18 Kurta tips one over to the middle

22-20 McDowell with a big kill to keep the lead

23-20 Inderelst with a kill

23-22 OLSH fighting back

24-22 Hopewell gets to set point

25-22 Hopewell wins Set #2

Set #3-

1-1 Hopewell on the board on an OLSH error

2-1 Ceccarelli with an ace

3-1 Murray with a kill at the net

4-2 Goodrum with a great pass that gets flipped over leading to an error

5-3 Inderelst with a kill

6-6 Kurta with a block at the net

7-7 McDowell with a kill in a back-and-forth stretch

9-9 Back and forth again

10-9 McDowell with an ace

11-9 OLSH with an error

12-10 Inderelst hammers a kill down the line

13-10 Boyd times up a swing on high pass perfectly

15-10 Hopewell extending their lead on Ceccarelli’s serves and great defense behind them.

16-11 Boyd with an incredible left-handed dive leading to a long return from OLSH

17-12 Boyd with a great block

18-12 Boyd with another kill

20-12 Kurta smashes another overpass

22-12 Hopewell stretching it out late in the 3rd

22-19 OLSH with a run here on strong serves from #14

23-19 McDowell sneaks a kill over

23-21 OLSH continuing to hang around

24-22 Ceccarelli with a block getting Hopewell to Match point.

25-23 Hopewell closes out the match, winning Set #3, 25-23.

Hopewell senior girls’ volleyball standout Bella Ceccarelli is winding down her high school career, but we hope the Lady Vikings still have a handful of games left in the season.

Ceccarelli’s sole focus is on her team winning but Vikings Sports Now wanted to congratulate her on a tremendous recent individual accomplishment.

Bella is one of the top setters in the WPIAL as evidenced by the fact that she was just named a 1st team All-Section player.

Hopewell’s Bella Ceccarelli

How about these recent accomplishments.

*In Hopewell’s section clinching win over OLSH, Ceccarelli picked up her 1,000-career assist.

*In the playoff win against McGuffey, Ceccarelli collected 23 assists, 21 digs and 3 assists. That’s an incredible stat line.

*Against Hopewell’s last match against Burrell, Ceccarelli picked up 22 more assists and 5 kills.

Hopewell’s Bella Ceccarelli

So, in Hopewell’s last 2 matches, Ceccarelli has picked up 45 assists, that’s incredible. Way to go Bella!

Vikings Sports Now had the pleasure of speaking with Bella about these impressive accomplishments and what’s she’s been able to accomplish during her career.

“Achieving 1,000 career assists is more than just a number to me and is something I’m really proud of because it shows how far I’ve come as a setter and a teammate,” said Ceccarelli. “Every assist means I helped set up a point for my team, and that’s what I love most about my position: being the one who helps others succeed.”

Speaking of succeeding, that’s something that Bella and her teammates have done a lot over the last few years. Consider that over the last two years, Ceccarelli and her teammates have combined to go Hopewell has compiled a record of 34-5.

This group of girls have lived, breathed and eaten volleyball and don’t want this journey to end.

“Volleyball has become more than just a sport to me,” Ceccarelli tells VSN. “It’s become a place where I learned resilience, especially when I faced an injury that temporarily sidelined me. That experience tested me patience and determination, but it also taught me how to support my team from the sidelines and come back stronger- both physically and mentally.”

Regardless of tomorrow night’s semifinal match, Ceccarelli is a winner and a player that all young Hopewell athletes should aspire to be, both on and off the court.

“I feel that I’ve grown into a better leader and teammate over my 4 years at Hopewell. I’ve learned how to communicate effectively, encourage others, and stay composed under pressure. One of the most meaningful parts of volleyball has been the bond I’ve built with my teammates. I play for them. Win or lose, we face it together, and that’s what makes this sport so special to me.”

Speaking of special, congratulations to Lou and Robin for raising a special girl.

Good luck tomorrow night to Bella and the entire Hopewell volleyball team. Let’s keep this magical season going.

One more step until the finals!

That’s the current mindset of the Hopewell HS Girls Volleyball program as they finish up final preparations for their semifinal match tomorrow night against rival OLSH. Just two weeks ago, these two teams battled on the last night of the regular season for the section championship, a match that Hopewell dramatically won in 5 sets.

This WPIAL semifinal matchup will get underway Tuesday night from Peters Township High School starting at 7:30 PM.

Tickets through semifinals are available online: https://gofan.co/WPIAL

Before we get to this huge match, VSN wanted to recognize some individuals from this 2025 Hopewell team what were named to the 2025 Class 2A Section 1 All-Star team.

Congrats ladies and best of luck tomorrow night!

FIRST TEAM:
-Bella Ceccarelli, Senior, Setter

-Bri Inderelst, Senior, Outside Hitter

-Mikayla Kurta, Junior, Middle Hitter

-Lahna Murray, Senior, Middle Hitter

SECOND TEAM:

-Addison Davis, Senior, Libero

–Hannah McDowell, Sophomore, Outside Hitter

-Marina Pinchotti, Junior, DS