HHS tennis teams set for Conrad Duals

It's week two of competition for the Havre High tennis teams, and the Blue Ponies are hoping to take the next step.

Havre competed indoors in Cut Bank last Saturday, with head coach George Ferguson saying the Ponies got off to a good start. But things will be a little different this Saturday as the Ponies are scheduled to play three duals in Conrad.

Havre High's Haley Graham hits a forehand during the 2012 Havre Invitational last April. The Blue Ponies are in Conrad Saturday for three duals, while the Pony girls host Chinook on Tuesday at the Bill Vaughey Memorial Tennis Courts. Havre is also gearing up for the annual Havre Invitational, which is set for Saturday, April 6.

The differences will be the Blue Ponies will be playing outdoors for the first time, they will also see Central A rival Lewistown for the first time, and they will face the full varsity Conrad and Cut Bank lineups for the first time.

Still, Ferguson noted his team's goals remain unchanged.

"We want to play better than we did last weekend," Ferguson said. "That is each player's individual goal. Of course, winning duals is nice, but the fact is, it isn't even April yet, and tennis players won't even look the same a month from now. So our biggest goal is to improve. That's all that matters at this point in the season, and that's what we'll be stressing on Saturday.

"Things will be a little different for the kids though, but that's a good thing," he added. "Even though the forecast for Conrad is pretty nice, playing outside, in the morning and with a little wind blowing is something that will be new for a lot of kids, and that's good because that's the type of conditions the kids need to get used too. They need to learn how to play in less than perfect weather. And they'll see some more unfamiliar opponents, and that's something else they need more of right now. So Saturday, with everybody getting three matches, that's a great opportunity for us."

Ferguson said he will move his boys lineup around with all 12 players making the trip. Jeff Miller, Ned Malone and Zach Hellegaard will man the top three singles spots, while Nick Rhines and J.J. Hovet are set at No. 1 doubles, as are Noah Landgraf and Brian Smith at No. 2. The rest of the lineup, Ferguson will experiment with throughout the three duals.

On the girls side, Havre's varsity is pretty set, though Morgan Jappe will miss this weekend's trip so Haley Graham will partner with Shannon Herring. Ferguson said a freshman will likely move up to the No. 4 singles spot. Havre will also see the return of junior singles player Brandy Lambourne. She sat out last week with a mild injury, but is back to full strength and ready to go.

As far as the competition goes, the Ponies will dual Cut Bank and Lewistown back-to-back, than finish the day against the host Cowboys and Cowgirls. Conrad is the defending Class B-C champions in both boys and girls tennis.

"This will be a great day of tennis four our kids," Ferguson said. "If the weather cooperates, we will leave Conrad a better team than when we got there, and that's what we want right now. These early season matches are an extension of what we're working on in practice, and they are building blocks for late April and May. And as long as we can leave Conrad feeling good about how we played, we'll have accomplished our goals."

The Blue Ponies are scheduled to face Cut Bank at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by a dual with Lewistown at 12:30 and Conrad at 4 p.m. The Havre girls will also host the Chinook Sugarbeeters in a dual on Tuesday in Havre, and the Ponies will remain home for the Havre Invitational April 6.