Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Tuesday night’s game at McKinleyville.

The Eureka girls moved into an early tie for second in the Big 5 standings with a four-sets win in volleyball at McKinleyville on Tuesday night.

After being tested early in the night, the Loggers took the final two sets on the way to a 25-18, 19-25, 25-18, 25-17 victory.

And they did it with some outstanding serving.

Six different Eureka places combined to make just six missed serves over the four sets.

The ever-dangerous Tiarah Maualuga was once again one of the best players on the court and finished with a team-high 18 kills for the Loggers, who are now 1-1 in the Big 5 after pushing Arcata all the way in their conference opener a week ago before eventually losing.

Alena Battle added nine kills and three blocks for the Loggers, while Kaitlynn Whitehead added four blocks and a kill.

Maualuga, Macy Perkins, Aimee Rogers, Eddy Hale, Bailey Battle and Samara Gaither were the players who had just six missed serves in the win.

The Panthers were playing their Big 5 opener and came out fired up for the occasion in front of their home fans.

And a young roster that features several freshmen and sophomores stepping up to the varsity level is showing it can hang with the conference frontrunners. 

“Competitively, this was our most consistent match this season as a team,” Panthers head coach Ashley Washburn said. “The cohesiveness of the team is unlike anything Ive ever seen since I’ve started coaching. I’m so excited for the rest of the season.”

Next up, on Thursday, the Panthers will host two-time defending conference champions Del Norte, which is off to a 2-0 start in the Big 5 after a key win over Arcata on Tuesday.

The Loggers will have a bye in conference play on Thursday.