Prior to head coach Rob Hall taking over the Hopewell Vikings HS Boys Volleyball program, any thoughts of a trip to the playoffs were almost a fallacy. The Vikings struggled, especially in section play, where they went years without winning a single game against a conference opponent.
But with Hall at the helm, things have changed as evidenced by the fact that the Vikings have earned their 3rd postseason berth under Hall in his five years as head coach. The two years they missed were by just by 1 game in 2021 and 2024.
Tomorrow night, Hopewell will take the long road as the No. 9 seed and will travel out to Westmoreland County to face No. 8 seed Derry Area. The winner faces No. 1 seed Shaler.
Vikings Sports Now spoke with Hall, who credits a tough early season schedule, which included the likes of Moon, Pine-Richland, Mars and Seton LaSalle, with helping his squad down the stretch of the season.
“We’ve gotten better as the season has gone on,” Hall said. “I would say we’re heating up at the right time and peeking at the right time.”
Despite this being in the 8/9 matchup, Derry isn’t your traditional 8th seed in the playoffs. The Trojans won their section with a perfect 8-0 record, while finishing 11-6 on the season. Coupled with having to travel over an hour for this matchup, it will be no easy outing for the Vikings, but Hall believes his team is up for the task thanks to the road they have already traveled.
“They are a really good team as they (Derry) won their section,” said Hall. “We were third out of our section, but our section is very tough. I think we’re battle tested, and I think it should be a pretty good match. It is gonna be a long bus rude for us, but I think our guys are up for the challenge.”
Playing up in competition early in the season and tough playing in a tough section definitely helped the Vikings get to this point, as they finished 6-4 and 9-8 overall. And for 2025, they saw some new faces in their conference. Both South Fayette and Trinity joined their section while North Catholic moved to a different section. Facing bigger schools can be a change, but the Vikings were able to take care of business, thanks in large part to their big three.
Jake Pollick, Paul Thompson and Alex Alvarado have been a big reason why the Vikings find themselves in the playoffs. Pollock, a junior outside hitter, and Thompson, a senior center, both made first team all-section this season. Alvardo, another junior outside hitter, also made all-section team.
Not only will Pollick and Alvardo be back next season, but the Vikings return their entire roster minus Thompson. A win in the playoffs against Derry could go a long way entering next year.
“Anytime you make the playoffs, number one, it’s a big accomplishment,” Hall stated. “But a win in a playoff game is always big and, on the road, would make it even more special.”
Not only could a win against Derry help the Vikings heading into next season but could also help the Vikings Boys’ program for years to come by getting more kids involved at the junior high level.
“Our program has come a long way since I took over and we’ve been making some steady progress,” Hall said. “I think what would take us to the next level would be if we would get a junior high program going. We’re the only team sport at Hopewell that doesn’t have a junior high program. It would really help and that could really help take us to the next level. Getting kids started at a younger age and going to camp and clubs and stuff like that would really help us out.”
Check out the Hopewell Vikings Boys Volleyball 2025 roster:
-Alex Alvarado, junior
-Sebastian Blue, sophomore
-Dominic Buchanan, sophomore
-Luca Flitcraft, sophomore
-Nathan Frederick, junior
-Aaden Gonzalez, freshman
-Evan Lahtinen, junior
-Nykyeron Leonora, freshman
-Brayden Mowry, junior
-Landon Nelson, freshman
-Christopher Ngueyen, sophomore
-Justin Obeldobel, junior
-Oliver Pickens, junior
-Jacob Pollick, junior
-Quincy Sannan, sophomore
-Eric Sheller, sophomore
-Paul Thompson, senior
-Benjamin Wargula, freshman
-John Wargula, junior