Loveland handed Turpin a straight-set loss on Tuesday, Aug. 25, beating the Spartans in three sets in Turpin's Eastern Cincinnati Conference road opener.

The Tigers, ranked No. 16 in cleveland.com's preseason state Top 20, jumped out early in the first set and never trailed, taking it 25-17. Turpin battled back in the final set, pushing Loveland to 25-23 before the Tigers closed it out. Set scores for the first and third sets were 25-17 and 25-23; the second-set score was not available.

The result was not a surprise on paper. Loveland went 23-4 last season and reached the Division I state semifinals, and the Tigers return key contributors Gabbi Ciotti and Kylie and Ella George. The program is considered one of Southwest Ohio's strongest public-school volleyball teams heading into 2026.

Still, the third-set margin showed the Spartans can compete point-for-point with elite competition. Turpin trailed by just two points when the final set ended, a tighter finish than the opening frame suggested.

As we previewed earlier Tuesday, the trip to Loveland was always going to be one of the toughest draws on Turpin's early-season schedule. The Spartans now turn their attention to a home match where they'll look to get their first ECC win of the year.

Freshman, JV results

The varsity loss wasn't the full story for Turpin volleyball on Tuesday. The Turpin Spartans athletics account reported that the freshman squad swept Loveland 2-0, picking up a clean win before the upper-level matches began.

The JV team came up just short, falling 2-1 in a match that went the distance. Loveland took the deciding third set 25-22 to edge the young Spartans.

Up next

Turpin hosts the Walnut Hills Eagles on Friday, Aug. 28, for the Spartans' home ECC opener.