File photo – The Eureka Loggers

The Eureka Loggers took care of business in a game they were expected to win on Tuesday night to remain atop the Big 5 standings.

A straight sets win over a scrappy Fortuna team (25-23, 25-13, 28-26) lifted the Eureka girls to 3-0 in conference play.

The Arcata Tigers were also in action and also took care of business in a showdown against their neighbors and rivals, McKinleyville, winning 25-21, 25-16, 25-8 to remain right on the Loggers’ heels in the standings.

The Tigers, who have completed the first half of their conference schedule, are now 3-1, while the Del Norte Warriors had a bye on Tuesday and are right in the mix with a record of 2-1.

The Big 5 schools will close out the first half of conference play on Thursday night, with the Warriors traveling to Eureka for a pivotal showdown.

Tiarah Maualuga led the Loggers with another big performance on Tuesday.

The standout junior finished the night with 13 kills, eight digs and two blocks as she continues to play a pivotal role for her team.

So too does Alena Battle, who had 12 kills and six blocks, while Macy Secor added five kills and three aces.

Afterwards, Eureka head coach Stephanie Napoleon paid tribute to the Fortuna players, who pushed the conference leaders all the way in two of three sets.

“Fortuna put up a great fight, they played outstanding defense, they were super scrappy,” she said.

Humboldt Sports has reached out to the Fortuna coaches for stats and details, but they have not responded.

Ramona Dusel also impressed for the Loggers and finished with five assists, four kills and three aces, as did Violla Kingsang, who had 18 assists and four digs.

Rounding out a good night for the Loggers, Eddy Hale and Zuma Kan had seven digs and three aces each.

The Eureka freshmen (25-5, 25-13) and JV (25-19, 25-14) teams also won their games to cap a good all-around night for the Loggers.

Thursday night’s big showdown will take place on Eureka’s annual Pink Out Night.

File photo – The Eureka Loggers

The night will include a bake sale, with all proceeds going to California Cancer Crushers.

The Tigers, meanwhile, made it three straight conference wins and the defending champs have been perfect since dropping their Big 5 opener at Eureka.

The Panthers gave them plenty to handle in the opening two sets, but Arcata’s Harper Appy would go on a long serving run in the third set to help he team close out the night.

Nora Brumbaugh led Arcata with 14 kills, while Pearl Smith, Kyla Kinyon and Karely Ruiz each also had good nights serving.

Arcata’s Aliyah Aaron and Eli Kanzler both played well defensively to help set the tone for their teammates.

“Overall, the night was a nice team effort,” Arcata head coach Laurie Griffith said.

Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives for a McKinleyville team that is showing signs of improvement, especially early in the game.

“Our first two sets really demonstrated how much Mack has grown over the past two years,” head coach Ashley Washburn said. “Our biggest obstacle right now is keeping our confidence up and believing that we can compete if not beat the teams we go up against.”

The Panthers will close out the first half of their conference schedule against Fortuna on Thursday night, which should be a competitive game.

And Washburn is confident her players can continue to show improvement.

“I am proud of the strides that each one of these girls have made as individuals and as a team over the course of the season,” Washburn added. “I look forward to a very positive and exciting second half of league.”