Time for the Ponies to hit the court

The Havre High volleyball team is sick of waiting for the season to start. So the doubleheader scheduled for Friday against Central A foes Belgrade and Livingston can’t get here soon enough.

The Ponies, who normally open the season earlier, are optimistic about their chances to return to the Class A state tournament in 2014 but are eager to compare themselves against some actual competition.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s been nice to have the extra practice time,” HHS head coach Melanie Skoyen said. “But I am anxious to get out on the court and see how we matchup against some other teams, especially ones from our conference. It is great that we have had so much practice time, but I really need to see our strengths and weaknesses because they don’t really come out until game situations.”

Unlike some teams that will begin their seasons with nonconference games, the Ponies do not have that luxury and with only eight Central A conference matches on the schedule this season, these opening ones will play an important part in seeding for the divisional tournament.

“These matches are more important because they are conference games,” Skoyen said. “But it’s also just important for us to get out there in game situations and really see where we are at right now.”

HHS will open the doubleheader against Belgrade, which made the Class A state tournament a year ago and will be one of the teams in Havre’s way if they are going to make it back for the first time since Skoyen took over as head coach five years ago.

“Belgrade always produces really good volleyball teams,” Skoyen said. “I looked at their roster and as usual, they have a lot of tall plays but that doesn’t mean that they have the athleticism by looking at the roster. But they always serve tough. One thing that Belgrade always hurts us with is their service. A lot of times it’s so tough that we have a hard time getting in our offense but we have been working on our serve receive and I am more confident in it.”

Livingston, like Havre is also trying to fight its way into the top two in the Central A this season, will present its own set of challenges as the Ponies will square off against the Rangers shortly after taking on Belgrade.

“Livingston is usually a pretty well rounded team,” Skoyen said. “They lost a couple good players last year but again they have a lot of size, and they are normally a very scrappy team defensively.”

While the Ponies will definitely have their hands full Friday, they bring their own talent to the table, headed by junior Dani Wagner, who plays setter and is also one of Havre’s best outside hitters. Senior Jordyn Warren is also a key returner for the Ponies and she will serve as a defensive specialist.

Other key contributors for the Ponies will be junior Megan Erickson, who is another top hitter. Junior Reggie Bernard will play the middle for the Ponies and sophomore Naomi Terry will also play on the right side.

Rounding out the varsity roster that will travel to Belgrade includes junior Madison Huebsch, senior Carlene Rennick, sophomore Sammy Hutson and Claire Worm.

“I know that the girls are getting antsy and are ready to just to play,” Skoyen said. “We have been doing a lot of different drills in practice and doing game situation drills but still it’s not the same. They are here to play and they are really very excited for their first match.”

After the long wait, the Ponies will log plenty of game action this weekend. After taking on Belgrade and Livingston Friday, the Ponies will participate in the annual Windy City Classic, which includes all the Central A schools as well as other Class B and Class C schools in the area.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to play, “Skoyen said of the Windy City Classic. “ The games don’t count, so it’s a chance to play different teams and get a lot of repetition in. And try out some different lineups.”

Havre will open its 2014 season Friday against Belgrade at 4 p.m. Then the Ponies will take on Livingston in the second game of the Central A doubleheader at 6 p.m. in Belgrade. The action will continue Saturday with the Windy City Classic in Livingston before the Ponies return to the HHS Gymnasium for their home-opener against Conrad on Sept. 11.