Photo by Sarah Battle – The Eureka players and coaches celebrate their Big 5 championship on Tuesday night.

Determination and perseverance paid off for the Loggers on Tuesday night.

With the conference title on the line, the Eureka girls traveled to Del Norte for what is an always challenging matchup against a team that is consistently among the best in the Big 5 in an arena that is considered the most difficult for visiting teams.

And it didn’t help matters for the visitors when they started slow and found themselves in an early hole.

However, this is a group of Eureka players that have risen to the challenge this fall and always seem to find a way to win.

They twice rallied from a set down to pull out the victory and secure the conference title outright for the first time since 2018, winning 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 15-8.

Also in action in the Big 5 on Tuesday, the McKinleyville Panthers defeated Fortuna in straight sets for their second conference win.

The night, however, belonged to the Loggers.

“I am tremendously proud of their determination to fight back and take the win in Del Norte, which is not an easy gym to play in,” Eureka head coach Stephanie Napoleon said. 

Junior Tiarah Maualuga was the catalyst and turned in an MVP level performance, as she has been doing all season long for the Big 5 champs.

Maualuga finished with 19 kills, 14 digs and a pair of blocks.

“She is such a great leader,” Napoleon said. “She showed so much poise tonight, really motivating her team to keep fighting.”

Another junior, Alena Battle, also had a strong night at the net, as she has been doing for most of the season, and finished with 13 kills and 11 blocks, while Elizabeth Rominger added five blocks and two kills.

The Del Norte girls also had plenty to play for and would have shared the title with Eureka and Arcata had they won the game.

The Warriors gave the visitors all they could handle in this high-stakes showdown.

“(It) was a great game,” Del Norte coach Petra Lorenzi said. “The team plays together and fought. In the end Eureka made fewer errors when it counted, and when you are outsized, it’s the little things at the right times that make the difference.”

Its was senior night for the Warriors, who honored their senior players before the game, a group that includes Kansas Coulson, Bella Arriola, Deja Travis, Bliss Blackburn, Jeanna Eerler and Melody Brennan.

And many of the seniors had big contributions.

“We could not have asked for much more from our team,” Lorenzi added. “Our seniors put up a great performance for senior night.”

No one more so than Blackburn, who has been as dangerous as any other player in league play this season and finished with a game-high 22 kills, as well as 10 digs and six aces.

Arriola had a career-best 15 kills, while Brennan added three kills and six blocks for kills.

The other seniors also contributed.

“Jeanna Erler has been battling an ankle injury but brought energy to the court and stayed strong battling at the net when we needed it,” Lorenzi said. “Kansas Coulson led the offense, getting our hitters the best opportunities to earn their kills.

“Deja Travis brought consistency, communication and defense to our match tonight.”

Eureka’s Macy Secor also had a well-rounded game and finished with seven kills, seven digs and three aces, while Ramona Dusel and Violla Kingsang also continued to impress and both added 17 assists.

Eddy Hale, meanwhile, “had an amazing defensive” game, according to her coach and finished with 24 digs, while Zuna Kan chipped in 10 digs and three aces.

The entire Eureka team continued to showcase their depth and cohesiveness on the court, both of which have played key roles in the race for the breakthrough championship.

Del Norte junior Gianna Antonetti and sophomore Sierra Brennan both also impressed for the hosts and “maintained a strong passing core,” while sophomore Makayla Blakeslee added 10 kills.

“We didn’t take league, but we accomplished more this season than most thought we would,” Lorenzi said. “We could not be more proud of what these girls have accomplished so far and we look forward for what is to come.”

With the Big 5 title secured, the Loggers receive the league’s automatic North Coast Section playoff berth and a probable home game to open, although all three contenders for the conference crown are likely to make the postseason field.

The McKinleyville Panthers, meanwhile, also closed out conference play with a victory.

The Mack girls hosted Fortuna and won in straight sets.

It was the final home game for the seniors, a class that includes Bailee White, Myrsadies Hufford, Ahty Allen and Liana Stumpf.

And all of them contributed to the win in their final high school game.

“All of my seniors got a ton of playing time, which was very exciting,” McKinleyville head coach Ashley Washburn said. “The crowd was electric and the girls had so much fun on the court.”