Photo by Bryson Meyer

The Arcata Tigers won their Big 5 opener in volleyball on Thursday night, but they had to battle all the way against a determined Eureka team.

The Tigers won an exciting match 18-25, 25-16, 25-16, 20-25, 15-10 at Arcata High.

The win for the Arcata girls sets up a pivotal showdown in Crescent City next Tuesday against the defending conference champion Del Norte Warriors, who also won their conference opener on Thursday.

“We struggled with serving and hitting errors but tightened up our game for the fifth set,” Arcata head coach Laurie Griffith said of Thursday’s performance.

The Loggers brought a lot of energy to the showdown and almost got the win after taking the fourth set and pushing the home team all the way.

“Our Lady Loggers put up a fight tonight,” Eureka head coach Stephanie Napoleon said. “I’m real proud of them for their energy tonight.”

Several players stood out for the Tigers, including Nora Brumbaugh who finished with a team-best 10 kills.

Quincy Collins also impressed and had nine kills and three blocks, while Bella Campbell finished with nine aces and 12 digs.

Pearl Smith and Kyla Kinyon each also had eight kills in the win.

The Loggers, meanwhile, showed why they should also be considered conference contenders.

Outstanding sophomore Tiarah Maualuga continued to impress for Eureka and finished with 10 kills and four aces, while Alena Battle also impressed and had seven kills and eight blocks.

Kaitlynn Whitehead added six blocks and Samara Gaither finished with three kills and five aces.

Gaither, Aimee Rogers and Eddy Hale all played well on the back row and combined with the front row blockers for a good defensive team performance.

“Our defense was dialed in,” said Napoleon, who added “If we can bring this energy every league game I like our odds.”