After disposing of the Gold Beach Panthers in three sets at Gold Beach High School two days earlier, the Del Norte varsity volleyball team made it two consecutive three-set sweeps this week, as the Warriors defeated the Brookings-Harbor Bruins 25-14, 25-13, 25-18 Thursday evening at Thunen Gymnasium.
The home team got off to a quick start in the opening set, as Reece White served six consecutive points, including three aces, giving the Warriors a 6-1 advantage. The visiting Bruins would get no closer than that five-point deficit, due in large part to precision serving from the home team. In addition to the three service aces from White, Breann Winningham and Lauren Stutes each contributed two service aces of their own, while Bliss Blackburn and Lili Nunez added one apiece, as the Warriors kept the Bruins from generating any semblance of an offense early.
When the Bruins were able to return serve, it was met by a Warrior net presence of Blackburn, Stutes, Winningham and McKenna Curtis, who combined for eight kills in the opening set alone.
The second stanza was equally decisive, as a kill and two service aces from Stutes, along with kills from Blackburn and Lily Wilson turned a 4-4 tie into an 8-4 Warrior advantage. After the Bruins cut the deficit to three on two separate occasions, once at 11-8 and another at 13-10, the home team recaptured momentum and ultimately cruised from there, scoring 12 of the final 15 points of the set. White contributed five service aces in the second set alone, while Stutes added two service aces and three kills.
Trailing two sets to none, the Bruins flipped the script in the third set, jumping out to a quick 6-2 lead and seemingly taking the momentum to their side of the net. However, that momentum would be short lived, as the Warriors responded with a 15-2 run of their own to take a 17-8 lead. Once again things started from behind the service line, as Stutes had three aces with Curtis and Nunez adding one apiece during the surge.
Although the Bruins did cut the deficit to 21-17 late in the set, a Brookings-Harbor service error opened the door for what was a 4-1 Warrior run to close out the match. Three of those four points came via service aces from Winningham, while Curtis put an end to the evening with a kill to account for the final margin.