Warriors ready to serve

Opens season Sat. at Yreka tourney

New Del Norte High varsity volleyball head coach Robyn Parker tapes up the sprained thumb of Marissa Van Dyke during practice on Tuesday. Del Norte opens the season on Saturday at a tournament in Yreka. For more photos, go to triplicate.com/photos.The Daily Triplicate/Rick Postal

For 21 straight years the Warriors were conference champions. That streak was broken in 2010 when Del Norte lost the title to McKinleyville and finished in second place with a 5-3 Big 5 record and 10-12 overall.

Senior setter Blaire Lopez said that having the streak broken was not an easy pill to swallow.

“It was really disappointing to be on the team that lost the title after 21 years,” she said. “We hope to come back. I know we can do it.” 

Del Norte opens the season Saturday at a tournament in Yreka, where it will play at least three contests.

Del Norte will be led this year by new head coach Robin Parker, who replaces Pablo and Debbie Lorenzi, who have been co-head coaches off-and-on since the 1980s.

Parker, an agricultural teacher at the school, was the track and field head coach last year. She has played volleyball since she was a kid and excelled on club teams and at high school in Hamilton City. As a junior, she received conference honors and received interest from colleges until a torn Achilles tendon ended her playing career.

But she continued to be active with the sport as a coach and at 18, she was the freshman coach in Hamilton City.

When the offer to take over the Warrior program presented itself, she was glad to have a chance to coach again.

Del Norte High senior setter Blaire Lopez gets ready to hit a volleyball during practice on Tuesday. The Daily Triplicate/Rick Postal

Parker has already been impressed with the commitment and dedication her new team has shown.

“Things are going really well,” she said. “They want to come back and take league. It’s great to see how dedicated they are. I think we have the drive and dedication to do that.”

Parker said practices started off with  intense two-a-day sessions but the girls did not complain.

Parker said she is trying to instill in them the importance of playing together and being strong in all aspects of the game, from serving to passing the ball to  “trusting your teammates.”

Senior Shauna Ratnour said she has enjoyed working with her new coach.

“I feel like things are going smoothly,” she said. “Everyone respects her.”

With eight seniors returning and seven juniors, Parker likes the experience and skill set the squad has.

A strong point, she said, is its hitting game, with several girls who can smash the ball and earn kills. The team also has solid depth. Parker said that one aspect they are working on improving is in the passing game, which she said is progressing but needs to get better once the Big 5 season begins.

Parker is looking forward to the Yreka tournament so she can get a better feel for the team.

These early season games are crucial as they work their way toward the first Big 5 game of the season, which is against McKinleyville, the defending champion, on the road Sept. 29. The Warriors have only four home games, all Big 5 contests, starting with Eureka on Oct. 6.

A key returner will be senior Keirstyn Anderson, a first-team Big 5 White Star selection as a junior who led the team in kills in 2010.

“She definitely hits the hardest,” Parker said. Anderson is quiet and leads by example with her dedication and effort to improve,  the coach said.

Parker believes that Lopez will be a key contributer at setter, bringing a lot of passion for the game.

“She’s a vocal leader,” Parker said.

Lopez said giving it everything she’s got in the sport, from practices to games, will pay off.

“If we practice hard we’ll get better,” she said. “Even the little things in practice you have to take seriously.”

Senior Kyle Bruder has looked strong at middle blocker, as has Emily Ruggles, Parker said.

Ratnour said winning the Big 5 would be a perfect way to end her high school volleyball career.

“It will probably make my high school career,” she said. “It’s definitely a huge goal for us.”