Blue Pony spikers begin league play in Belgrade

Last week, the Havre High volleyball team tested out the waters of regular season play, but starting Friday in Belgrade, the Blue Ponies will be playing matches that count in the standings.

The Ponies opened their 2017 campaign in Glendive at last weekend's Eastern A Tip-Off Tournament. Havre played a total of six matches, winning one, tying two more and losing the other three. However, none of those matches were regulation matches, which Havre will play two of Friday in Belgrade in a Central A doubleheader. The first contest will be against Livingston at 4 p.m. followed by a showdown with the host Panthers at 6 p.m. After its back-to-back conference matches Friday, Havre will compete in the Panther Classic, also hosted by Belgrade, Saturday. That gets underway at 10 a.m. HHS will play Butte Central, Livingston, Townsend and White Sulpher Springs in group play.

"It is going to be very important for us to get at least one win down in Belgrade," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "Just so we can get our confidence up a little bit. I think our focus this week in practice is really going to be a lot of repetition and getting our hitters in on serve-receive. We really to work on trying to get those kills and we need to find that killer instinct to be able put the ball away."

One of the biggest factors in the Ponies posting a losing record in Glendive, was their inability to kill the ball. And while Jarvis said that will be a focus for her team this week, something else that should help increase hitting production, will be the return of senior outside hitter Paige Nelson, who missed last week due to injury.

"Paige is really smart and she looks where the blockers are at," Jarvis said. "She is really smart about where she is hitting. She is not one of our strongest hitters, she doesn't kill it everytime, but she is smart about replacement and blocks, so that will help us out a lot."

Yet, Jarvis also knows that if her team is going to improve its offense, it's going to take more than the return of just one player. Others such as Cassidy Acor, Camryn Huston, Emilee Cariveau, Logan Huebsch and Jessa Chvilicek will all need to step up.

"Camryn has really stepped up," Jarvis said. "She has been getting most of the work in the middle, which is something she didn't do well last year, so I am excited about that. She has been really putting the ball away and has also been smart about where she is hitting the ball. Cassidy is also doing better, but she will get there. She still gets a little bit frustrated with herself, but that is just her being young. She played two weeks of JV last year and now she is on varsity, so that is a little rough for her, but she will get there. Jessa Chvilicek is another sophomore that is stepping up and getting in there. Those two (Acor and Chvilicek) are also doing a great job on the block and with their height and athleticism, they are doing a good job."

While the Havre offense needs some work, the defense was a bright spot in Glendive as the Acor and Huston did a stellar job on the block in addition to work on the back end by Alex and Katie Donaldson, as well as setter Sam Oliver.

"Our serve-receive has been awesome," Jarvis said. "And our block defense has been really good. Cassidy and Camryn have both done a really good job there, so that has been good to see."

Of course, taking on Livingston and Belgrade, nothing is guaranteed. The Ponies and Rangers have been pretty evenly matched over the past few seasons, but Livingston did beat Havre in two sets in Glendive. And Belgrade, a perennial Class A powerhouse in volleyball, is always tough, especially at home.

After delving into conference play for the first time this season, Havre will get another chance to take part in a non-conference tournament with the Panther Classic. HHS will play Livingston (4 p.m.) and Belgrade (6 p.m.) Friday, before the Panther Classic, which starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. HHS will play Butte Central, Livingston, Townsend and White Sulpher Springs in group play.

"The biggest thing for us is that we need to keep working hard and keep improving," Jarvis said. "I think that we will get there, we just need to fine tune some things."