Warriors VB team falls in three sets to Loggers

DN now 0-2 in Big 5 play

Emma Card of Del Norte High goes up with the ball during a Thursday night home game against the Eureka Loggers. Del Norte lost in three sets 23-25, 21-25, 21-25. For more photos from the game, go to triplicate.com/photos Del Norte Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

Playing in front of a loud group of fans for their first Big 5 Conference home match of the year, the Warriors lost to Eureka 23-25, 21-25, 21-25 to drop to 0-2 in the Big 5 and 6-11 overall.

Senior Keirstyn Anderson was a bright spot for the Warriors, finishing with 12 kills and four aces. Morgan Laney had five kills while Shauna Ratnour had two aces.

While all three sets were close, the Warriors could not build enough momentum to either sustain a lead or come back from a deficit.

“There were parts I was pleased with and there are things that need improvement that are imperative,” head coach Robyn Parker said.

A problem that Parker has seen all year is the way her squad  has struggled mentally once it gets behind.

While there were points during Thursday’s contest where they made mini-comebacks, they could not sustain them long enough to pull away for any set wins.

“The crowd was loud and supportive tonight, and I hoped they would feed off of it,” Parker said. “We can’t get down on ourselves.”

In the first set it was back and forth for a while. Then Eureka started to pull away and led 18-8 at one point.

Del Norte battled back and  reduced the lead to 22-20. The Warriors were down only 24-23, but the Loggers were able to gain the final point to earn the first set victory.

In the second set, it was more of the same as things were close in the early going at 12-12.

Del Norte started to make a move and took a 16-13 advantage. The Loggers overtook the Warriors at 17-16 and never looked back. While the Warriors pulled within 22-21, Eureka scored the final three points to take the 2-0 advantage.

In the third set, Del Norte was up 14-11 before Eureka regained the lead. Down 24-19, Del Norte scored twice, but it was not enough as Eureka earned the final point to take the match.

The Warriors play Tuesday at Fortuna and return to Crescent City next Thursday to face Arcata.