No. 10 Hinton volleyball completed another War Eagle Conference sweep on Thursday night. This time, the Blackhawks took down Gehlen Catholic in three sets at home.
After getting down 10-6 in the first set, it did not look like Hinton was going to be a sweeping team in this matchup. Hinton co-head coach Robin Mohr says the Jays were exploiting some weak spots, and the girls just needed to adjust.
Meanwhile, Gehlen Catholic was coming off a grueling five-set slugfest with Akron-Westfield on Tuesday night, so it was a bit of a mystery how much energy the girls would have. Gehlen Catholic head coach Dan Goebel says he was very pleased with the stamina the girls showed in the match.
Gehlen Catholic got a nice night offensively from Kate Bonderson. Bonderson averages just a touch more than a kill per set, but she exceeded that with six kills in the three-set match. Coach Goebel says she plays a tough position, and she plays it well.
Hinton’s momentum came in the second set when it felt like every Gehlen attack was being sent back with a block. In total, the Blackhawks recorded nine blocks as a team with many players getting their hands on multiple blocks in the match. Coach Mohr says that is an aspect of the game the team works tirelessly on.
Coach Goebel says Hinton’s height and experience makes them a tough team to find angles to hit against.
The Blackhawk offense ticked behind the stellar play of setter Katelyn Hoefling. She totaled 27 assists and got some swings herself with eight kills. Coach Mohr says the coaches ask a lot of her, and she answers every call.
Hinton improved to 16-4 and 8-0 in the league firmly taking the top spot. The Blackhawks will face a tough field this Saturday at the Western Christian tournament. Coach Mohr says it will be a great tune up before regionals start.
Gehlen Catholic drops to 12-11 and 6-2 in the War Eagle Conference race. They finish the regular season next week with two matches in conference play.
