Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Tuesday night’s Little 4 showdown at St. Bernard’s.

The race for the league title in Little 4 volleyball is a long way from over, but the Crusaders took a big step toward a championship with a four sets victory over visiting Hoopa on Tuesday night.

And they did so in large part thanks to an outstanding night at the service line.

The seven different servers used by St. Bernard’s over the four games combined for 22 aces.

“That’s huge!,” head coach Wendy Joyner said.

The victory keeps the St. Bernard’s girls unbeaten through three league games, with three more remaining, including a tough trip to Hoopa.

Junior Lele Tanuvasa and sophomore Maddie Shanahan both continued to impress in the win, finishing with 14 kills each.

Setter Kodi Myer also had a big night and finished with 33 assists, while Marce Davilla, Ella Jimenez and Teressa Riley all did a good job with their consistent passing all game.

The Hoopa Warriors did not give up without a fight, battling to take the third set after dropping the first two.

Savannah Colegrove, Deja Coleman and Tatianna Colegrove all played well defensively for Hoopa, while twin sisters Diamond and Jewely Bibancos played consistently well at the service line and were “solid on the floor,” according to head coach Amber McCovey-Billings.

Taylor Cole, Savannah Colegrove, Tatianna Colegrove and Nalani Colegrove each also had a good night blocking.

With the loss, the Warriors dropped to 2-1 in the Little 4 and are also 2-1 overall.

With the win the Crusaders improved to 8-7 overall.