The Hinton volleyball team came up short of their first ever state championship to top-ranked and unbeaten Dike-New Hartford in three sets (25-14, 25-23, 25-16).
Hinton co-head coach Robin Mohr says the result in the title match does not tell the whole story of the Hinton season that reached heights they had never reached before.
Sophomore hitter Bailey Boeve says the championship match appearance shows the Blackhawks will never back down until they get to their goal.
Dike-New Hartford went 50-0 on their way to their 16th state championship in school history. The Wolverines lost just one set all season on their way to a dominant season. Senior setter Ashlyn Kovarna says Hinton gave them a great fight and did not cower to the top-team in the state.
Dike-New Hartford started things off by hitting for a .552 efficiency in the first set of the match. Boeve says their attacks were tough, but the Blackhawks never lost heart and kept their positivity high.
The Blackhawks were able to get Bailey Boeve going for the match as she finished with 22 kills and hit .208 for the match. Coach Mohr says that stat-line was nice, but he would have liked to get some other hitters going.
Boeve says she embraced the opportunity to be the one that got the majority of Hinton’s swings.
The second set proved to be an impressive battle for the Blackhawks who only lost the set by two points. It was only the second 25-23 set Dike-New Hartford had allowed all season. Coach Mohr says the girls proved that, even when they get down, they will not back down from anything.
Hinton thrived off a strong backing of community support all throughout the season and the tournament. Kovarna says she loves the community and how it embraces their teams and players.
The tournament run is the end of the road for eight seniors who brought the program to their first state title match. Coach Mohr knew this group would be special when he coached them in junior high.
As a voice of the class, Kovarna says the group was very tight-knit. She says her class might as well be family.
Hinton falls to 32-2 to end a historic season. Looking ahead to next season, the cupboard is not bare by any means for the Blackhawks. Boeve still has two years of high school volleyball to go and says these last two seasons make her hungry to get Hinton back here again and again.
Coach Mohr says this string of tournament runs has energized the younger levels of the program, making them motivated to keep the tradition going.
Dike-New Hartford finished the season 50-0 with their 16th state title, and Hinton finishes as 2A runner-up for the first time in school history.
