Last Thursday, Tatnall visited Wilmington Christian and had a tough battle against the Warriors on their senior night. The Hornets would lose sets 1 and 2 but refused to roll over and die for set number 3. Bri Gautier '23 and Sophie Kirby '22 put the team on their backs to drive for a set 3 win. Bri tallied 8 Kills, and Sophie had 4 Kills, 3 Aces, and 2 Block kills. The set was tight the entire way, neither team wanting to give up. Emery Semke ’25 got her first start at outside hitter in set 3 as well and made the most of it. She chipped in 5 Kills, 2 Aces, and 5 Digs. The Hornets would eventually lose the final set 22-25. The Hornets showed their character and their depth with freshmen through seniors pitching in towards their solid play.
2 days later, the Hornets matched up against Red Lion on Saturday, October 30. Tatnall started off stunning the Lions in their gym with 6 unanswered points on a Niyah Kellman ’23 service run. The Hornets were riding high, but a seasoned Red Lion squad would not be denied. Fast plays and quality serving would give Red Lion set 1. During set 2, Tatnall would tweak its offense and defense to match the Lions’ firepower, but Red Lion won handily 25-10. The Hornets would not give up and started with a bang again. Sophie '22 and Emma Kirby '23 brought some thunderous attacks to balance out the Red Lion guns. Bri Gautier ’23 started to pick apart the defense with precision shots and a few powerful swings. Tatnall's serving strategy would keep the lions at bay as well. Ultimately, Red Lion took set 3 and won 3-0, but the Hornets again showed their depth and unwillingness to give.
Additionally, on Saturday, our JV Hornets faced Red Lion. The Hornets dominated from the beginning of the match. Gigi Echternach '24 started the team off with a service run, and Kayden Donnelly '25 followed suit with more points from the end line. Seniors Izzy Dini, Charlotte Jones, Aaliyah Campbell, and Annie Mowll provided solid leadership in both the front and back row. Tatnall took the set handily. The second set was tighter, with the Lions taking the set 23-25. However, the Hornets would not be denied and jumped out to an early lead. Margo Matlusky '23 would come to the service and put Red Lion’s game out of reach with 8+ service points. The match’s final point would be a kill from Charlotte Jones '22, and the players rushed the floor to celebrate with her. Our girls ended up winning 2-1 and continued their winning streak.
Our Volleyball season is now at a close, but we are so incredibly proud of how poised and hard-working our girls were this season. We look forward to seeing this grace carry into the next season.
