Submitted photo – The Arcata Tigers

Two of the leading contenders for this year’s Big 5 in volleyball will carry some momentum into their conference openers this week after strong showings at their respective tournaments over the weekend.

The Arcata Tigers hosted the 50th annual Arcata tournament and finished second, while the Del Norte Warriors won the Red Bluff tournament.

The annual Arcata tournament featured 16 teams playing at Arcata and McKinleyville high schools.

The Tigers won their opening five games to reach the championship, where they fell to Orland in two sets (25-10, 26-24).

The team had to overcome a big setback when starting libero Josie Cunningham suffered an injury earlier in the day, but the players rallied behind sophomore back-up Karely Ruiz, who stepped up in the starter’s absence.

“The team pulled together and played tough for the rest of the tournament,” head coach Laurie Griffith said. “Everyone on our team stepped up and made contributions.”

The Tigers opened with a 25-9, 25-5 win over Hoopa and followed that with victories over Fort Bragg (25-22, 25-20), St. Vincent (25-9, 26-24), Roseland (25-15, 25-20) and Yreka (31-29, 25-16).

Nora Brumbaugh continued to impress for the Tigers and finished the day with 36 kills and six aces, while Pearl Smith had 27 kills.

Kyla Kinyon added 21 kills and Colby Eisner had 20, while Cunningham, had a good serving before the injury and finished with nine aces.

“Im very proud of all of my players,” Griffith added.

Former Arcata coaches Jeanette Carroll and Janet Ferguson Stradley began the big annual tournament 50 years ago.

Fort Bragg won the tournament Consolation Gold, while Brookings-Harbor won Consolation Silver.

Arcata opens conference play with a challenging matchup at Eureka on Wednesday night.

The Del Norte girls, meanwhile, rallied from an opening loss in Red Bluff to win five straight games as they continue their preparation for the upcoming Big 5.

The Warriors came out slow and were a little lethargic, according to coach Petra Lorenzi, but the players mentally reset and began to settle down.

They defeated Weed 25-19, 25-17 in the championship game, avenging an earlier loss to the same team at the Yreka tournament.

Seniors Jeanna Erler and Melody Brennan both had big tournaments at middle blocker which could be a strength for this year’s team despite the lack of height the Warriors feature.

Erler and Brennan are quickly establishing a strong partnership at the net for the team.

Another senior, Bliss Blackburn also had a good tournament, controlling the ball and pace of the game and providing some key leadership.

Junior Gianna Antonetti had a big day at libero.

“She did a great job of controlling the defense and keeping the play alive,” Lorenzi said.

Among the younger players on the roster, sophomore Bailey Nunez had one of her best performances of the season, showcasing what she can do for the team.

“Bailey Nunez came through big on the outside for us when we really needed somebody else to put a ball away,” Lorenzi said. “She probably had one of her better weekends that we’ve seen so far.

“She showed a little bit more of what she can do this weekend.”

The Warriors continued their preparation for conference with a straight sets win over Brookings-Harbor on Monday night, winning 25-17, 26-24, 25-7.

Setter Kansas Coulson had a big night in the win, finishing with seven aces, seven kills and 24 assists, as did the always dangerous Blackburn, who added 15 kills and six aces.

Antonetti also continued to impress on the back row and had nine digs.

The Warriors open league play at Fortuna on Thursday night.