GATES MILLS–Hawken earned a hard-fought sweep of Hathaway Brown in a Division II sectional semifinal at Gilmour Academy on Monday.
The eighth-seeded Hawks won 25-16, 25-21, 25-18 and will move on to face top-seeded Gilmour Academy on Saturday.
“It feels great,” Hawken senior Jordan Kutash said after the game. “I think we came into this game a little bit hesitant because we haven’t been playing too well these past few games, but we really wanted to push through.”
After a back and forth start to the first set, the Hawks scored seven straight and eight of the last nine points to take the set 25-16.
The Hawks carried that momentum into the second set as they opened up a 22-11 lead. The Blazers rallied, scoring 10 of the last 13, but Hawken held on to take the set 25-21.
Hawken started strong again in the third set with 12-8 lead. The teams went back and forth until Hawken called a timeout with a 22-18. After the timeout, the Hawks scored three straight and took the set 25-18.
“I think, again, just working together as a team and building what have off the court on to the court and just keeping up what we’ve learned all season,” Kutash said when asked how the Hawks can continue their success.
The Hawks improved to 11-11 on the season.
