It was an ominous start to the high school volleyball season for Hopewell girls' coach Terry Borkovic.

"We lost two players for the season with ACL injuries before the season even began," said Borkovic, in his 20th season as the Vikings coach. "I never had a season-ending injury with the girls' team, and certainly not two at the same time.

"It was a devastating thing to go through. It certainly affected me emotionally, but I couldn't show my emotions to the girls. There was nothing I could do. We just had to move on with the girls we had."

Rachel Martin, a 6-foot senior middle hitter, sustained her knee injury in team camp a week before the season began. Tara Testa, a 5-4 senior libero, was also hurt prior to the season.

"Rachel was a second team WPIAL [Class AA] All-Star last season," Borkovic said. "She had been a starter since her sophomore season. Losing Rachel and Tara were big losses, but the girls have been able to overcome the season-ending injuries."

And if that wasn't enough, the Vikings lost a third player for a stretch early in the season.

"Jamie Barkman has been bothered by an injury all season," said Borkovic, referring to a 6-0 senior outside hitter. "She missed almost two weeks early in the season. She's been playing in some discomfort, but is very devoted to the team."

With Martin and Testa on the disabled list, and Barkman playing hurt, it was no surprise that Hopewell didn't win the Section 1-AA title. Blackhawk claimed the title after a pair of victories against the Vikings. But the unfortunate circumstances didn't keep Hopewell from qualifying for the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.

"The improvement we've experienced since the start of the season has been phenomenal," Borkovic said. "The past couple weeks, the team has really been coming together. We finally have the chemistry a team needs in the WPIAL playoffs."

Borkovic would know. He has led Hopewell to the WPIAL Class AA title match six of the past seven years, and claimed five titles during that stretch.

Hopewell finished second in Section 1-AA and was seeded No. 7 in the 22-team bracket. The Vikings opened the playoffs with a convincing 3-0 victory against No. 10 seed Laurel Highlands in the first round. Hopewell lost to No. 2 seed Freeport, 3-1, Tuesday night in the quarterfinals.

"I've been especially impressed by the play of my underclassmen," Borkovic said.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, a 6-0 freshman, moved into the middle-hitting spot vacated by Martin.

"We knew Shatori was a promising freshman," Borkovic said. "We had planned to bring her along slowly, but that changed when Martin was lost for the season.

"We had to throw her into the fire and she responded very well. She has a phenomenal vertical jump and has really picked up the pace of the game. And she's getting better every day."

Alexis Rains, a 5-4 sophomore defensive specialist, has replaced Testa.

"Alexis did a nice job at team camp and moved right in to replace Tara," Borkovic said. "Our sophomores have been the surprise of the team."

Sophomores Courtney Kress and Isabella Vavrek have also played a roll in Hopewell's success. Kress is a 6-0 middle hitter, while Vavrek is a 5-9 right-side hitter.

The Vikings also have four players who started or lettered last year, 5-8 senior libero Chelsea Belcastro, 5-10 senior setter Alleisha Leadbitter, 5-8 junior outside hitter Vanessa Trombetta and 5-6 junior outside hitter Monique Smith.

"Chelsea played on the right side last year, but we moved her to libero this year because of her great back-row skills," Borkovic said.

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