Lillian Otto 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
