By Ray Hamill — Fresh off their big win over Petaluma on Tuesday night, the Eureka Loggers will be hoping to extend their season when they face Justin-Siena in Napa in the North Coast Section Division-3 volleyball quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon.
The Loggers are hoping to make some school history this year and capture a first-ever section championship for the school in the sport, while becoming just the fourth-ever H-DNL team to do so.
When they began the season, their first goal was to successfully defend their league title from 2025, something they achieved last week.
The second goal is to go further in the playoffs than they did a year ago, something they can achieve with a win on Saturday afternoon.
A third goal would be to capture an elusive NCS title, something they are now just three wins from doing.
But at this stage of the season every game gets a lot tougher, and the Justin-Siena girls will present one of the biggest challenges the Loggers have faced all year.
The Braves are 16-11, seeded No. 2 in the bracket and coming off a dominating three-sets win over Freedom in their playoff opener earlier in the week.
Then again, this Eureka team, which is seeded No. 7 in the bracket, has also been very impressive on the way to a 27-6 record, the most wins for the program in at least 22 years, dating back to when MaxPreps began keeping records.
They’re also experienced, with six seniors, all of whom are playing key roles and have enjoyed plenty of success during their Eureka careers, including playoff wins in back-to-back years.
“I feel like of any team we’ve had, this is the one to do it,” Eureka head coach Stephanie Napoleon said of their NCS championship hopes.
It’s also a group of players that have been focused for much of the season and a team that has overcome adversity on the path to success.
After dropping their second league game to Arcata, the players answered the call and won six straight games after that on the way to securing the league pennant, while dropping just one set during that impressive league-clinching run.
And they continued that dominance with a straight sets win over Petaluma in their playoff opener at Jay Willard Gymnasium on Tuesday.
But that’s not the only thing that has impressed the coach.
“I feel like this team just has a really good attitude,” Napoleon said. “There’s no drama. They’re really all on the same page. They’re just really a special team.”
That all begins with the strong senior leadership on the squad.
The Loggers’ six seniors — team captains Tiarah Maualuga and Eddy Hale, as well as Alena Battle, Makenzie Wolff, Savanhie Panhsavang and Violla Kingsang — have all played key roles and are providing some necessary leadership and experience.
“We have six seniors and they all want to go as long as possible,” Napoleon said. “They’re huge for us. They keep the team culture and energy up at all times. They’re amazing. I’m going to miss them for sure.”
Maualuga has been particularly impressive during her time with the team.
She was the 2025 MVP of the Big 5 (now the Pacific League) and is one of the frontrunners for the award again this season.
Maualuga has been a force for her team all fall, along with Battle, and the dynamic duo give the Loggers a powerful one-two punch on offense.
Hale also is enjoying an outstanding senior campaign.
The team’s starting libero has done an excellent job on defense, communicating on the court and coming up big plays when the Loggers needs them the most.
Setters Ramona Dusel and Kingsang also have brought consistency to the court and play the game with a high volleyball IQ.
“They’re really good at making good decisions and where to push the ball and set the tempo,” Napoleon said of Dusel and Kingsang.
The players also have been diligently preparing for this weekend’s big showdown, and no one on the team was getting carried away after Tuesday’s big win, which was achieved in a wonderful atmosphere and in front of a large crowd of home fans.
“They were really focused at practice the last few days,” Napoleon said of the players. “I feel like they’re really determined.”
They will need to be to keep their season going on Saturday.
But this is a Eureka team that appears well up to the challenge.
“I’m hoping we can get that win tomorrow,” Napoleon said. “I think it’s definitely possible. It’s going to be tough, but hopefully we can keep this ride going.”
