HHS spikers brace for Bison

The Havre High volleyball team has struggled with injuries all season long. Now fighting through a short week of practice littered with homecoming distractions, the possible return of a Blue Pony captain has the squad looking up.

Tonight the Central A Ponies (3-1, 4-5) will host the Class AA Great Falls Bison at 6:30 p.m. at the Havre High gymnasium. And on Saturday, the Ponies will remain at home where they will take on the conference rival Butte Central Maroons at 1:30 p.m. in the Ponies' homecoming match.

HHS has faced both squads already this season. The Ponies lost to the Bison on the last day of the Electric City Classic in Great Falls, but defeated the Maroons in four games in late August in Butte.

The Bison are a tough Class AA squad with very good serving and very good hitters. And the last time the Ponies saw them, the Bison could hit both line and angle with great accuracy.

"Right now we are going to give them angle and block line," Havre High head coach Melanie Skoyen said. "I have confidence that our defense can hang with just about anybody."

When the Ponies and Bison played earlier, the Ponies were just too slow to block both. Now just focusing on one, the Ponies have to rely on the defense.

Going out and competing against Great Falls is the Ponies' goal. They want to play hard and hopefully push the match to four or five games if at all possible.

But against the Maroons, it's a different story.

The Ponies know they can beat the Maroons, and they are looking to do so again. And being homecoming, the Ponies are even more hungry for a win.

"I am torn," Skoyen said. "I know the girls will play with more pride (being homecoming), but at the same time there has been so many distractions this last week of practice. It has been hard to keep them focused."

In their first meeting, the Ponies were able to find the holes in the Maroon's block. It was key in the Ponies success, and they know that if they can do so again on Saturday, they will have the same success.

"I know they are going to be coming out swinging and coming out to get us," Skoyen said. "But I know that as long as we are hitting smart and finding holes in their block, we will be successful. As far as last time we played them they weren't closing their blocks very well."

But the big story for the weekend is the possible return of senior Paighton Gilman.

Gilman has been missing for several weeks due to a sprained ankle, and she has left big shoes to fill in the middle. But over the last week in practice, Gilman has been working out, riding the exercise bike, walking the stairs and even hitting. She did some light jumping and hitting on Wednesday, and looked very good. She is still favoring her ankle at times, but could be cleared for this weekend's match against the Maroons.

If Gilman is cleared she won't return to the middle right away. She will get playing time, but Skoyen will have her playing on the right side instead.

"Even if she is cleared," Skoyen said. "I don't want to push her too hard right away.

"But having her back is huge," Skoyen added. "Paighton (Gilman) is such a great player all around. There is such a different attitude when we have her on the court, she is a good captain and she demands respect from the other girls in a positive way. It's so nice to have her out there as a leader, always wanting to win, always being competitive and always being positive."

Lexi Olson has been playing up front for the Ponies, but will be moved if Gilman returns. But Olson will still see adequate playing time, as she has proven to be a huge Pony factor on defense. HHS will find themselves up against two very solid opponents the next two matches, and whether Gilman returns this weekend or next, the story remains the same — HHS has to play well overall. The Ponies need to have good serve-receive as well as good defense. And they need to have a solid offensive threat, the Ponies also want to seize all momentum and control the match.

"I think that will be the theme of the season," Skoyen said. "They are both good teams, even if we are up we can't let them back in it, because you can't let good teams think they have a chance. We are going out there with confidence knowing that any team is beatable. We are just worrying about our side of the court and making sure that we are playing our game and playing good volleyball."

Tonight the Ponies will host the Bison at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday they will remain at the Havre High gymnasium where they will host the Maroons at 1:30 p.m.