Blue Pony spikers sweep Wolves, Cowgirls

After dropping consecutive matches last week, the Havre High volleyball team was hoping to bounce back this past weekend, against a pair of Class B teams in non-conference action. And with two impressive performances, the Blue Ponies accomplished what they set out to do.

The Ponies, who took on Cut Bank Friday on the road and Conrad Saturday at home, were looking to sweep each team for the second time this season. First, they took care of the Wolves Friday night, winning by the scores of 27-25, 25-8 and 25-11. Havre then hosted Conrad inside the HHS gymnasium Saturday, where they made quick work of their opponent, winning 25-8, 25-8 and 25-18. HHS is now 5-8 overall.

"I kind of switched up my lineup a little bit," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "I started running a 6-2, so I have my two younger setters in there and am trying to get some of the bigger girls there in the front row so we can get some blocks. I kind of like it a little bit better. It keeps people going in and out and then we aren't getting stagnant. We are always moving around."

Jarvis originally made the switch in her lineup in Cut Bank, following the opening set of the match, in which Havre escaped with a 27-25 victory. After making the change, Havre dominated the Wolverines in the second and third sets, winning them 25-8 and 25-11.

"The first game was close, we won 27-25," Jarvis said. "I started out running the 5-1 and during the last two sets, I ran that 6-2."

The plan worked to perfection for Jarvis, who watched as her team out hit Cut Bank, with 23 kills to eight. Havre also had 21 assists compared to five for the Wolves. Havre also managed 13 aces, 18 digs and five blocks. Cut Bank finished with seven aces, 13 digs and one block in the loss.

Individually, it was Camryn Huston who paced Havre, finishing with eight kills and 1.5 blocks. Sam Oliver also had a solid night in the win for the Ponies with 18 assists and six aces. Logan Huebsch contributed with six digs, while Kadyn Acor and Cassidy Acor each had 1.5 blocks to their credit.

Saturday, Havre returned to the HHS gymnasium looking for its second straight win and after a dominant start, the Ponies ensured they would get it. Havre beat Conrad easily in the first two sets 25-8. Then in the third, Havre built a 21-11 advantage, before allowing a 7-0 run by Conrad to make it 21-18. Yet, a timeout from Jarvis and a 4-0 run by Havre finished off the Cowgirls and cemented Havre's fifth win of the season.

Huston was a driving force again for the Ponies as she finished the game with 10 kills and a block. Sophomore Cassidy Acor also stepped up for Havre, notching a block and eight kills. As a team, the Ponies managed to net 27 aces against Conrad, with nine coming from Katie Donaldson. Alex Donaldson also pitched in with four aces, as did Oliver, who also led the team with 14 assists. Conrad managed just three kills and three aces in the loss, although the Cowgirls did manage eight blocks.

"I thought that Camryn did a really nice job for us," Jarvis said. "We just need to make sure that we mix up our hitting a little bit and that we are spreading the ball around, so that when it does come time for somebody else to hit, they can get the ball down too."

The Ponies will take on Browning Thursday night in Browning, in another non-conference match, before HHS hosts Belgrade and Livingston Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 in a pair of Central A conference matchups.

Havre def. Cut Bank

27-25, 25-8, 25-11

Havre: Kills: 23 (Camryn Huston 8). Assists: 21 (Sam Oliver 18). Aces: 13 (Oliver 6). Digs: 18 (Logan Huebsch 6). Blocks: 5 (Huston 1.5, Kadyn Acor 1.5, Cassidy Acor 1.5).

Cut Bank: Kills: 8 (Jazmine Spotted Bear 2). Assists: 5 (Megan Barrett 2). Aces: 7 (Barrett 2, Spotted Bear 2). Digs: 13 (T. Dezort 7). Blocks: 1 (Brynne Finstad 1).

Havre def. Conrad

25-8, 25-8, 25-18

Havre: 27 (Katie Donaldson 9), Kills 36 (Camryn Huston 10, Cassidy Acor 8), Assists 33 (Sam Oliver 14), Blocks 2 (Cassidy Acor, Camryn Huston), Digs 7 (Donaldson 2).

Conrad: Aces 3 (Dania Jones 2), Kills 3 (Brooke Myers 3), Assists 4 (Jones 3), Blocks 8 (Jessica Kinaman 2), Digs 8 (Myers 3, Jones 3).