Hopewell volleyball coach Terry Borkovic refers to the McLaughlins as "the first family of Hopewell sports."

"I would be hard-pressed to find another Hopewell family that has been as successful as the McGlaughlins," said Borkovic, who has been coaching at Hopewell for 18 years. "Dana, Kayla and Mike have all had great careers at Hopewell."

Dana McLauglin was a four-year starter for Borkovic's girls volleyball team, which captured WPIAL titles in 2002 and 2003. She was also a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at Duquesne University.

Kayla McLauglin was a three-year starter for Hopewell's girls' basketball team, which claimed WPIAL and PIAA titles in 2006. She also played two years at Penn State Behrend.

Mike McLaughlin, the youngest but tallest member of the family, is a four-year starter on Borkovic's boys' volleyball team, which is seeded No. 3 in the WPIAL Class AA bracket.

"Mike is one of the hardest hitters I've come across in 18 years," said Borkovic of the 6-foot-4 senior outside hitter. "Plain and simple, he hits like a cannon. And his jump serve is lethal."

Mike McLaughin fell in love with the sport of volleyball while following his sister, Dana, to volleyball tournaments.

"I remember getting out of school early in fourth grade to go watch Dana play in tournaments," said Mike. "The more I watched her, the more I wanted to play."

Mike McLaughlin is now obsessed with the sport.

"I practice year-round with the Beaver Valley Premier club team," Mike said. "We travel to tournaments almost every weekend from December to March, then play in the national tournament in July. This year, the national tournament is in Salt Lake City, Utah. I've never been to Salt Lake before."

McLaughlin's best friend is Montour setter Ryan Williams, who was voted WPIAL Class AA most valuable player last season. They both plan to enroll at St. Francis University in Loretto.

McLaughlin is also a talented swimmer, but couldn't find enough time to work it into his busy schedule.

Hopewell will make its fourth consecutive WPIAL playoff appearance Monday. The Vikings have earned an automatic berth in the quarterfinals and will play host to the winner of tonight's match between Pine-Richland and Steel Valley.

"This is the fourth time I've played in the WPIAL playoffs, but we've never made it past the quarterfinals," McLaughlin said. "We only lost one player [to graduation] from last year's team, so we've all been here before. We're hoping our experience will allow us to take the next step."

Ambridge, last year's WPIAL third-place finisher, is the top seed. Latrobe, last year's runner-up, is seeded No. 2.

"I've been involved in volleyball for 30 years and Mike McLaughlin hits as hard as any player I've seen," Ambridge coach Dennis Damp said. "He's a threat to score every time he touches the ball."

McLaughlin averages more than 20 kills per match and has eclipsed the 400-mark. He is now closing in on the school record of 425, which is held by Sebastian Baatig, a 1997 foreign exchange student from Switzerland.

"Our setter is trained to know where Mike is at all times," said Borkovic. "We want him to have the ball 70 percent of the time when he's in the front row. He's also dangerous hitting from the back."

The success the McLaughlin family has had at Hopewell is no surprise when you consider their parents.

"My dad [Gary] won a WPIAL baseball title while attending Hopewell in 1979," said McLaughlin. "And my mom [Laura] won a section title for swimming. The three of us certainly got our love for sports from our parents."