It's HHS's time to spike

At some point, no matter what the sport, you get sick of playing against your own team and after two weeks of practice, the Havre High volleyball team is ready to get on the court against an opponent.

Thankfully for the Blue Ponies, they get to open their season today at the Eastern A Tip-Off Tournament in Glendive which will give them the chance to play multiple matches, as well as in a single-elimination tournament Saturday. Havre opens pool play today against Billings Central, Miles City and Glendive.

"I think that it will be good for us," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "We will get to see some good competition and we will get to play against some different teams, so it will be a good chance to see how we compare to everyone else. It will also give us a chance to experiment with some different lineups and find out some areas where we need to improve."

If the Ponies want to find out how they stack up with the rest of the Eastern A, there may be no better way than playing Billings Central, which Havre does today to open the season. The Rams were the Class A runner-up in 2016 and have a traditionally strong program. Playing Glendive and Miles City will also allow the Ponies to see how they match up against teams they will possibly see at the Eastern A Divisional Tournament at the end of the season.

However, each match will be short and sweet. The teams will play just one set apiece during pool play. Schools will then be placed in the tournament bracket Saturday, based off their final standing in their respective pools. During the tournament, teams will play matches with a maximum of three sets.

"It will just be good for us to play someone else," Jarvis said. "I am excited about this team and I think we have a good group, but it's hard to tell until you get out there and play."

While the Ponies did lose some key players from last year's team such as Jacey McDonald, Naomi Terry and Ceyara Plante, Havre has a veteran roster made up of six seniors. Paige Nelson, Logan Huebsch, Emilee Cariveau, Camryn Huston, Alex Donaldson and Katie Donaldson, who all started or saw significant time with the varsity team in 2016 and will be counted on to contribute at the get-go. Two others who are being counted on heavily are sophomores Sam Oliver and Cassidy Acor.

Oliver, who saw some time off the bench as a freshman, will be Havre's main setter and should also be important defensively. Acor will also be a two-way threat for Havre and will provide a much-needed presence around the net defensively, while at the same time being one the team's top hitting threats.

Acor is going to be a big part of Havre's plan up front, but Cariveau and Nelson will be, too. Nelson finished second on the team in kills a season ago and could be the best outside hitter on the roster. Huebsch, another outside hitter, who led the team in aces a season ago, is another player who will be counted on to produce both offensively and defensively.

"Right now we have a pretty good idea of who we want to go where," Jarvis said. "But this will help us see how everything fits and help everyone figure out what their role is going to be. But it's exciting. I like this team and I am excited to see them get out there and compete."