Blue Pony spikers face Class AA Bison tonight

It has been a challenging season thus far for the Havre High volleyball team and not just because the team has managed to get just a single win under its belt. HHS has played a daunting schedule and unfortunately for the Blue Ponies, it’s not about to get any easier.

The Ponies, who are now 1-10 overall and 1-3 in Central A conference play, will welcome Great Falls High into the HHS gymnasium tonight at in a battle of long-time rivals. The match is set to begin at 5:30. The Bison, who defeated the Ponies earlier in the season at the Electric City Classic, will provide a massive challenge and will look to spoil homecoming for upset-minded HHS.

“We have played a tough schedule this season, but I would rather play a tough schedule and have some losses because it’s going to make us better in the long run,” HHS head coach Melanie Skoyen said. “We played Great Falls High in our first match in (The Electric City Classic) and they are a very good team. But we have improved so much since then, so as long as our girls come out fired up, anything is possible. It is our homecoming, and they just have to believe they can do it and they all have to want it.”

The Ponies are no stranger to playing against Class AA competition, but in order for them to hang around and compete with the Bison, they will need outstanding efforts from all their top players.

HHS is led by its two setters in Dani Wager and Naomi Terry, who both do more than just set. Wager leads the Central A conference with 36 aces and is fourth in aces per set with .67. The junior is also third in the conference in total kills with 108 and fifth with two kills per set. She also has 152 assists which is good enough for fourth in the Central A.

Terry, who has just recently taken a more prominent role, is fifth in the Central A with 112 assists. She is also tied for sixth in the league with 2.07 assists per set.

“Both of our setters, Dani Wagner and Naomi Terry have been doing really well for us,” Skoyen said. “They are both really consistent players. They are very strong setters and they are doing a good job of getting to the ball and setting things up for our hitters.”

Another top performer for the Ponies has been outside hitter Reggie Bernard. Currently, Bernard is fifth in the Central A in total kills with 87 and eighth in the conference with 1.8 kills per set. She is also leading the league in overall blocks with 29 and is fourth in blocks per set with .54.

“Reggie has also been doing a really good job for us offensively,” Skoyen said. “She has also played a little back row and she is getting better back there. She works really hard. In terms of blocking and hitting, she has very few hitting errors and is always an aggressive player.”

Other girls that will contribute for HHS this weekend will be Jordyn Warren, Madison Huebsch, Jacey McDonald, Sami Huston, Megan Erickson and Carlene Rennick.

After the Ponies do battle with the Bison tonight in a nonconference tilt, they will head to Browning Saturday for an important conference matchup against the Indians, who were defeated by HHS in three straight sets in Havre earlier this season.

Browning, which is 1-6 overall and 0-3 in the conference is led by Terine Whitcomb, who currently leads the Central A in blocks per set with .89 and is third it total blocks with 25. Haley Brown is another key contributor for the Indians and is fifth in the conference with 2.7 assists per set.

Other players that will play key roles for the Indians against Havre are Hailey Jordan, Jacelyn Croff, Charnelle Bear Medicene, Cheryl Cruz and Kaylea Skunkcap.

“It would be great,” Skoyen said when asked about winning in Browning. “It would help our record and get us some confidence. I am sure that Browning has improved since the last time that we played them, but there is no reason for us not to go down there and take care of them in three again. We just don’t want them to build any momentum, so we really need to be focused on our game and making sure that we are taking care of business.”

The Ponies two-match weekend starts tonight with Great Falls High. That match will get underway inside the HHS gymnasium at 5:30. Saturday in Browning, the Ponies and Indians will get things started at 5 p.m.

The Ponies will then hit the road again on Oct. 10 when they travel to Conrad for a nonconference match.