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The two heavyweights of Big 5 volleyball faced off in Crescent City on Tuesday night in the first of two pivotal conference showdowns between them.

And it was the Del Norte Warriors who came away with the win, beating the Arcata Tigers in four sets in front of their home fans.

The Warriors, who are two-time defending conference champs, won the game 25-14, 16-25, 29-27, 27-25.

“It was a fun one,” Del Norte coach Petra Lorenzi said. “There was definitely a lot of energy coming from our student section. I think us and Arcata have two of the best (student sections).

“It was a fun game. It was a battle.”

The visitors battled hard and did not go down without a fight in the final two sets.

“I am proud of how hard we fought,” Arcata head coach Laurie Griffith said. “We just didn’t have an answer to Del Norte’s tips and shots.”

A determined duo of Lauren Stutes and Bliss Blackburn helped set the tone for the home team and were set up for success by their back row.

“Our back row was doing their job and (Stutes and Blackburn) took advantage of that,” Lorenzi said. “They were prepared and ready for it. Both of them were not going to lose the match.”

Stutes finished with a team-high 16 kills and also had four aces, while Blackburn had a big all-around game and added 13 kills, six aces and 11 digs.

Carlee Harper also continued to impress with a team-high 16 digs, while Tsinte Steinruck added six kills.

For Arcata, Nora Brumbaugh led the way with a team-high 11 kills, while Pearl Smith added nine kills and Kyla Kinyon finished with six kills and three blocks.

Defensively, Bella Campbell finished with a team-high 15 digs while Josie Cunningham added nine digs.

Harper Appy finished with a team-high 35 assists.

Next up, on Thursday, Arcata plays at Fortuna and  Del Norte plays at McKinleyville.