A surprising and emotional night around the Pacific League saw the Eureka Loggers claim a second straight league title on the final night of the regular season on Tuesday.
The Loggers came into the final round of games tied with Arcata for the league lead, but while the Eureka girls took care of business with a straight sets win at Fortuna, the Tigers fell in straight sets on a particularly emotional Senior Night at McKinleyville.
“We are very excited to be back-to-back league champs,” said Eureka head coach Stephanie Napoleon after her team’s 25-12, 25-13, 25-13 win, which lifted them to 7-1 in league. “I am so proud of our team. They are a great group and now we will turn our attention to the playoffs, where we hope to lock in and make Eureka High volleyball history.”
The Tigers, however, came up just short in their bid for a co-championship, falling to McKinleyville, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23, and closing out 6-2 in league play.
“Mack played great and we struggled with ball control and being on the offense,” Arcata head coach Laurie Griffith said.
“Disappointed loss, but I am tipping my hat to Mack.”
The win was just the second win in league play for the Panthers (2-6), who were celebrating Senior Night and former teammate Nateya Dowd, who sadly passed away earlier this year and would have been a senior on this year’s team.
“So much love was shown tonight throughout our team, from the families and the fans,” McKinleyville head coach Ashley Washburn said. “We celebrated our sweet Teya that should have been out there playing and cheering with us, but we know she has been with us every step of the way.”
It was also Senior Night for the Huskies, who celebrated an influential class of three.
“It was an emotional night with our three seniors playing their final game,” Fortuna head coach Jacqueline Maschmeier said of the class that includes Addie Collenberg, Ava Dill and Graci Elmore. “I’m proud of each of them and their growth this season.”
The big story of the night, however, were the Loggers, who punched an automatic ticket and probable home game for the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs, which get under way next week.
The Eureka girls, who came into league play as favorite to win the title after a stellar early season, had to overcome an early setback on the way to the championship.
They lost their second league game at Arcata but would respond to win six straight games, dropping just one set on that impressive run.
Seniors Tiarah Maualuga and Alena Battle closed out league play with another strong performance.
Maualuga finished the game with 10 kills, seven digs and three blocks, while Battle added seven kills.
Junior Ramona Dusel also had a good game in the win and has become an increasingly key player on this year’s team, finishing with five kills, 15 assists, six digs and an ace, while Violla Kingsang added 11 assists, two kills, two aces and a dig, Ezzy Antonio had three kills, a dig and a block, Zuma Kan had six digs, five aces and an assist and Makenzie Wolff had four kills and a dig.
Eddy Hale added seven digs, four aces, an assist and a kill, Savanhie Phanhsavang had six digs, Broghan Lorenzen had a block and Kylee Secor had two digs.
All three seniors played key roles for the Huskies, leading the way on a young roster that features six freshmen this fall.
“Addie Collenberg kept the team alive with her digging, Ava Dill continued to be a presence at the net and service line, Graci Elmore fired the team up with her digs against Eureka’s outsides and her serves from the service line,” said Maschmeier, whose team finished league play 1-7.
Freshman Temperance Torrez finished with a team-high four kills in the loss, while Dill, Leili Guerrero and Sophia Miller each had two kills.
Guerrero also had a team-high two blocks, while Collenberg added 10 digs and Peyton Shelton had four, and Bailey Henderson dished out a team-high five assists.
The Eureka JVs and freshmen also won their matches to make it a good all-around night for the visitors.
At McKinleyville, meanwhile, a fired-up Panthers team closed out the season with an emotional win.
The win ended a 13-game losing streak to their rivals, dating back to a tournament game in 2021.
“The girls came out ready to play and were not going to let anything get in the way of that,” Washburn said. “They were scrappy, disciplined and energetic.
“Even when we were down they still kept encouraging one another, communicating and making adjustments.”
The game was the final one for seniors Maggie Morris, Karly Beck, Ava Sundberg, Lili Loomis, Hazel Marshall and Beatrice Bechis.
“There are no words to express how proud I am of these girls, especially the seniors who led the team tonight,” Washburn said. “My coach heart is full.”
The Tigers were led offensively by Colby Eisner, who finished with 10 kills, while Kyla Kinyon had nine kills and Betty Miles had seven kills.
Kinyon also had a good night at the service line, as did Cassidy O’Dowd, while Eli Kanzler played well defensively, most notably with her serve receive.
