Warriors fall in 5 games to the Panthers

In a five-game battle against rival McKinleyville, the Del Norte High volleyball team lost 23-25, 25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 15-8 on the road Thursday night in the squad’s Big 5 Conference opener.

It was the first time in more than two weeks Del Norte had played.

While the first game was a tight battle, the Panthers found a way to pull away for the victory.

Del Norte head coach Robyn Parker said the long layoff certainly had an affect on her  Warriors.

“They were woking out the kinks,” she said.

In the next two games Del Norte started to gel as a unit as they took both contests.

“Morale was much higher in those games,” Parker said. “They were communicating well and were in a good mood.”

In game four the Panthers roared back, going up by as many as six points before pulling away for the four-point win.

In the fifth and final game the Panthers pulled away to earn the conference win.

The Panthers, the defending Big 5 champion, snapped the Warriors’ streak of 21 consecutive Big 5 titles last season.

While Parker was pleased with the steady improvement she saw on the court and the way her team worked better together, they still struggled at certain points of the game.

A major need for improvement is the way the Warriors have had a hard time coming back once they fall behind this season.

“I think that was our problem in games four and five,” Parker said. “There were certainly things that we did better that I was pleased with, but we also saw more areas for growth.”

 Keirstyn Anderson had seven kills, 10 digs and 11 aces for Del Norte. Kylee Bruder had seven blocks for kills and Brittany Maready had 15 digs. Chandler Davis finished with 12 digs and five aces. Morgan Laney had five aces and three kills. Del Norte fell to 6-10 for the year.

In the junior varsity contest the Warriors fell to the Panthers in three games.

Del Norte next plays at home next Thursday against Big 5 opponent Eureka.