When it mattered the most the Del Norte High varsity volleyball team believed in themselves and their teammates in a battle on the court Thursday night.

Facing league rival McKinleyville in a crucial Big 5 contest, the Warriors came back from being down two games to one to win in five games  25-22, 24-26, 12-25, 25-13, 15-10 in front of the home fans.

Co-coach Debbie Lorenzi said the key difference in the final two games was a mental one. She noticed that when the Panthers got a lead on Del Norte in games two and three “they started to lose faith in themselves.”

Before the start of game four Lorenzi said she and the rest of the coaches told the girls they needed to “start to believe in themselves,” adding that they told the team that the coaches believed in them but it was up to the girls to go out and do it.

“I’m proud of the team and the way they recovered,” Lorenzi said. “It could have gone 50-50.”

Key players for the Warriors  included seniors Kristen DeBacker and Paula Rhodes. DeBacker had 32 kills and three blocks for kills, four digs and three aces. Rhodes had 28 assists, five kills and one block for a kill.

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Junior Brilynn Welch of Del Norte High gets ready to hit the ball in a match against Arcata in Crescent City Tuesday night. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

After falling to Fortuna on Thursday to lose a Big 5 Conference game for the first time since 2005, the Warriors played with a desire missing in their last game to win in their first conference home contest of the year. The Warriors downed the Tigers 25-21, 25-15, 25-21.

Warrior co-coach Debbie Lorenzi said it was encouraging to see the team bounce back and play with “spirit, intensity and desire.”

The squad did  all this without a player that Lorenzi said was “our team leader and captain”—senior Katie Rinkevicz.

After returning from an ACL injury to one of her knees that occurred last volleyball season, she reinjured that knee during practice on Friday and is out for the rest of the volleyball season.

Her teammates stepped up  and were able to come away with a convincing win to improve to 2-1 in the conference and 11-10 overall and still be in the thick of winning their 21st straight Big 5 title. 

While the squad lost 8-1, head coach Trudi Zottola-Gugliemini said that she was pleased with the “great effort by all the girls against Eureka.”

“I am very impressed with the consistent improvement of the girls,” she said. “It is so exciting to see their games develop and their confidence level continually increase.”

Del Norte is now 3-5 for the year.

 In the No. 1 singles match Kathryn Gustafson won against   Jenna Madsen 6-3, 6-3 to improve to 7-1 for the year.

“Katheryn Gustafson played her best game tonight and was able to beat the number one seed of the league,” Zottola-Gugliemini  said. “Her court coverage was unbeatable.” 

No. 2 seed Meghan Webb lost to Tori Edwards 6-0, 5-1, while Warrior Samantha Bausch lost to Risa Lutzow 6-2, 5-1.

Kaitlyn Stephens, the No. 4 seed for Del Norte, fell to Elise Adams 6-1, 6-0, while  Whitney Gamboa, the No. 5 seed, lost to Siera Kaup 6-4, 6-2. No. 6 seed Severin Walston fell in her match to Laurel Schmalz 6-2, 6-1.

In doubles play Gustafson  and Bausch lost 4-8, Webb  and Hannah Seaton fell in their match 3-8, and Walston and Stephens lost 8-1.

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Triplicate file photo

For the first time since losing to McKinleyville in 2005, the Del Norte High varsity volleyball team lost a Big 5 Conference volleyball game, falling to Fortuna 22-25, 21-25, 23-25.

While the Warriors opened the Big 5 season Tuesday with a convincing three game win over Eureka, nothing went right on Thursday as the Huskies dominated things from the start to earn the surprise win.

“It was the complete opposite of the Eureka match,” Warrior co-coach Pablo Lorenzi said. “Everything we did right in that game we did the opposite.”

The Warriors made countless service errors, especially during key points of the game, Lorenzi said, adding that the team’s serve receive was also quite “shaky.”

Lorenzi said he felt the girls were  too “nonchalant” about the contest and did not take their opponent seriously enough.

“We’re not going to walk into a gym and just win,” he said. “We have to work. As long as we’re working hard we’re fine.”

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Del Norte High was unable to sustain its first half momentum, falling to Eureka 4-1 in boys Big 4 Conference soccer action Wednesday night.

After losing to the Loggers 3-0 in the season opener the Warriors came out ready to play in the first half.

After allowing a goal around the four minute mark, Del Norte came back with a goal made by senior Cheng Vang around the 15 minute mark. The score remained 1-1 the end of the half.