No. 11-seeded Avonworth caps playoff run with WPIAL Class 2A volleyball championship

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, November 1, 2025 | 4:02 PM

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Julia Cernich had enough of the five-set wars. If No. 11 seed Avonworth was going to win its first WPIAL Class 2A girls volleyball title Saturday against top-seeded Hopewell, the Antelopes wanted to do so in tidy fashion in the fourth set.

Avonworth had a dream start, rolling off the first eight points of the set en route to closing out a 3-1 win (20-25, 25-12, 25-21, 25-16) over the Vikings.

“I think we knew we could do it and we’re like ‘We cannot go to five anymore’,” said Cernich, who is committed to play at Rice. “Whenever we go to five, it’s definitely tighter and we knew we just needed to get it done in four.”

On paper, Avonworth didn’t seem the part of a likely champion. The Antelopes finished in fourth place in Section 1, but did split a pair of matches with Hopewell in the regular season.

Avonworth coach John Skarupa said he thought the Antelopes’ regular-season win over the Vikings was the turning point in the season. Avonworth did follow that match up with a loss to OLSH.

“I thought we had the talent all year,” Skarupa said. “It was just a matter of time when we started to click, and it’s about peaking at the right time.”

On the way to the finals, the Antelopes (15-6) defeated No. 6 Riverside, No. 3 Seton LaSalle and No. 2 Waynesburg Central in five sets.

Cernich thought all the overtime Avonworth put in paid dividends.

“Because to win in five sets, you have to lose two sets,” Cernich said. “I think just losing sets in those five-set matches really showed us the grit and confidence that we could still prevail and we can still succeed despite losing sets.”

Hopewell, which lost in the final last season to Quaker Valley, was seeking its seventh title in program history. Vikings coach Terry Borkovic said Hopewell struggled to stay in the system.

“Our passing broke down and our serve-receive broke down,” Borkovic said. “When your serve-receive breaks down, you are limited in your options.”

Hopewell won the first set behind the strong play of Hannah McDowell. McDowell produced three kills and two aces.

Once the second set started, it was dominated by Cernich. She produced five kills in the second set and nine more in the third.

Cernich finished with 20 kills in the match.

“She leads our team every single day in practice,” Skarupa said. “She’s always a competitor. She is the heart and soul of the team. She works harder than anyone else in the entire WPIAL; she deserves this.”

Avonworth also had a strong start in the third set. The Antelopes shot out to a 6-1 lead, capped by a kill by Cernich. Avonworth’s Clementine Dutot-Lucs also had two kills during the run.

Hopewell battled back and cut the deficit to 22-21 following two kills from Lahna Murray. But the Vikings weren’t able to grab the set as Avonworth scored the winning point on an attack error.

“It means literally everything,” Cernich said. “Because we’ve worked so hard for this, this entire season, every single match. People definitely doubted us and I’m so happy that we were able to prove them wrong.”

Tags: Avonworth, Hopewell