HHS spikers go for a sweep of Eagles

After 17 matches this season, there is little doubt that the Havre High volleyball team has established itself as a postseason contender. And this weekend, the Blue Ponies can put an exclamation point on their season with a win and a season sweep of arch-rival Lewistown.

"It's definitely an important match for us," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "It's our last match of the regular season and it's one that we want to win to finish the season strong."

Before this season, it had been years since Havre had beaten Lewistown or Belgrade in volleyball, and this year, the Ponies have done both. Now, with one match looming before the Eastern A Divisional tournament, HHS is looking to achieve another rare feat — sweeping Lewistown. The two Central A rivals will do battle tonight in Lewistown at 7.

The two teams met in the HHS gymnasium back on Sept. 25 and in one of Havre's defining wins of the season, the Ponies cruised to four-game victory over the Eagles by the scores of 21-25, 27-25, 28-26 and 25-20.

In truth, it has been a bit of a down year for the Eagles, who are normally one of the powers in Class A volleyball. Yet Lewistown comes into tonight's battle with just a 3-3 record in conference play and a 7-11 record overall.

Havre, on the other hand, is 11-6 on the season and boasts a 6-1 record in the Central A conference, the team's best mark in years. A win would actually tie the Ponies with Belgrade (7-1) for the top record in the Central A, but thanks to a tiebreaker, HHS has no chance of claiming the top seed from the conference for divisionals.

But, thanks to a five-match conference win streak, Havre has wrapped up second place and will be in prime position to make a run at the state tournament when divisionals start next Thursday in Livingston.

"It's nice that we don't have to worry about winning this game for seeding," Jarvis said. "But it would mean a lot for us if we could finish the season tied with Belgrade. These girls have come a long way this season and that would be awesome if we could do that."

One reason for the Ponies rise this season has been the extraordinary play of senior Dani Wagner. Wagner, who was an All-State performer last season, is assured of another honor this season after putting together impressive numbers as both a hitter and setter.

Just like she did a year ago, Wagner is near the top of the Central A in kills, aces and assists. She was the leader in overall kills in the league, but is now second with 191 kills, just five behind Livingston's Sierra Higgs. Yet Wager still leads the conference in aces with 69 and is fourth in the conference in assists with 222.

Another spectacular performer for the Ponies this season and a key part of their success has been Reggie Bernard. Bernard leads the Central A in total blocks with 67 and blocks per set with 88.

Jacey McDonald has also been a key net protector for HHS with a total of 48 blocks, which is second in the conference. Madison Huebsch has also been part of Havre's strong defense and is third in the Central A with 303 digs, while Naomi Terry has been a factor on the offensive end and is fifth in the conference in assists with 188.

Lewistown also boasts a slew of solid players, especially when it comes to hitting the ball, as they boast four of the top eight hitters in the conference in terms of kills as Carley Carpenter, Whitney Weeden, Tori Metcalf and Kyra Fleharty all rank in the top 10.

"Lewistown has some really good hitters so that will be a challenge for us," Jarvis said. "But our block has done a great job all year and that has been a big key. It has also made it easier for Madison back there so Reggie and Jacey have done a great job and they will need to be big for us to get a win down on there home court."

The Eagles and Ponies will go head-to-head tonight at 7 and no matter what happens, both teams have already earned their ticket to Livingston for the Eastern A Divisional tournament next week.