The Del Norte Warriors traveled to Eureka to play St. Bernard’s in non-conference volleyball action on Thursday as they continue their preparation for the upcoming Big 5 schedule.

And it was a successful trip for the Warriors, who won in straight sets by a score of 26-24, 25-10, 25-16.

The home team gave them all they could handle early in the game, but the visitors would settle in and secured the sweep with comfortable wins in sets two and three.

“SB put up a good fight in the first set and came out with a lot of fire,” Crusaders head coach Sejay Sarti said. “Del Norte is a very fast-paced team and has a well-rounded back row.”

After falling just short to Arcata in the race for last year’s Big 5 championship, the Warriors will be hoping for a better outcome this fall, with conference play beginning later this month.

Senior Bliss Blackburn is back to lead the charge after an all-league campaign last year.

The Warriors also return 2024 all-league honorable mentions Melody Brennan and Kansas Coulson.

No final stats from Thursday’s game were immediately available for the Del Norte girls.

The Crusaders, meanwhile, will go into the Little 4 as one of the favorites, as they continue to build momentum ahead of their conference schedule.

There were several standouts in Thursday’s game, including the serving of Logan Tallman, who went on a run in the third set to give her team a chance.

Anna Dorsch also continues to impress and had a good night at the net against a dangerous group of Del Norte hitters, while Makinsey Lemley, who was a finalist for this year’s Little 4 Girls Athlete of the Year, has begun her senior year well.

“Makinsey Lemley had nothing but hustle running through her veins (on Thursday) night,” Sarti said.

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Bliss Blackburn (8) is back with the Warriors for her senior season after being named to the Big 5 All-League team a year ago.