Photos by Wyatt Patton 

The Warriors got conference play off to a winning start in volleyball on Thursday night, as they look to recapture the Big 5 crown they won in 2022 and 2023.

Del Norte traveled to Fortuna and won the game 25-8, 25-17, 25-23.

The Warriors came ready to play and quickly took control with a comfortable win in the opening set.

“We did really well,” coach Petra Lorenzi said. “We stepped up in the first set and did exactly what we needed to.”

The fast start was a statement of intent from a program that faltered late in the race for the conference championship year ago and a team that appears determined to not let that happen again in 2025.

“We came in to make a statement,” Lorenzi added.

The Huskies, to their credit, grew into the game and began to cause the visitors some problems later in the night, including pushing them all the way in a two-point third set.

“We kind of took our foot off the gas a little, which happens,” Lorenzi said. “And Fortuna did a better job defending with their adjustments.”

Bliss Blackburn and Gianna Antonetti led the Del Norte charge.

Photos by Wyatt Patton

Photos by Wyatt Patton

Blackburn finished the night with a team-high 12 kills, as well as seven digs, while Antonetti paced the defense with eight digs.

Bella Arriola (seven kills), Jeana Erler (six kills) and Melody Brennan (five kills) each also impressed in the win, as did Sierra Brennan, who had a team-best three aces and six digs.

The Del Norte back row helped set the tone for the night.

“We came through very strong on serve receiving, which in volleyball basically sets the tone,” Lorenzi said. “Gianna and Bliss really controlled that serve receiving back there.”

Marlina Thompson also had a big impact in the win, sparking the serve receiving in the third set after it began to falter, according to the coach.

“She really put back on track,” Lorenzi said of the junior.

Humboldt Sports reached out to the Fortuna coaches but no stats were immediately available.