Pony tennis teams head to Glendive

May is almost here, and for the Havre High tennis teams, that means it's crunch time. And crunch time also means a busy schedule with a lot of tennis matches.

The middle of that schedule has the Blue Ponies traveling to Glendive this weekend for the annual Elk Invitational. The Ponies play three duals today in Glendive and three more Saturday.

"This is a huge weekend for us," HHS head coach George Ferguson said. "This is the meet where we get to play against a lot of our Class A piers from the east. So, we really find out a lot about ourselves in Glendive. It's a great meet, and it's going to be a really fun two days."

For much of this season, Ferguson has been preaching that, whether it's practice or competition, he just wants to see his players improving. And while that remains the case this weekend, when Havre battles Glendive, Miles City, Hardin, Billings Central and Baker, among others, he also says, that improvement the Ponies have been striving for every day, should also be yielding results.

"We are turning the corner," Ferguson said. "I thought we showed some really good signs of things paying off Tuesday in Great Falls. It's that time of year, time to take our game to the next level, and we'll know if we're there or not this weekend because we're going to be playing duals straight up against all of the Eastern A. So it's the perfect measuring stick, to see how far we've come, and where we need to go in the last two weeks before divisionals."

The Glendive meet will provide plenty of tests, too, because the Eastern A is always solid. But Ferguson says his teams should stack up well with every team the Ponies see this weekend.

The Havre girls are coming off a 3-0 day in Great Falls, and are strong in both singles and doubles. Paige Nelson mans the No. 1 spot for the Ponies, followed by Kadyn Acor, McKenzie Tommerup, and sophomore Casssidy Acor, who has just one loss all season. In Glendive, though, the Acor sisters will team up together, as the format only allows for singles matches at No. 1 and No. 2.

Doubles is also a strong suit for the Ponies, with the tandems of Megan Lindbloom and Baylee Miller, Marcee Murphy and Devyn Solomon and Katie and Alex Donaldson all leading the way together.

"The depth we have on our girls team is outstanding," Ferguson said. "And it's always an advantage in duals. I really like the progress all four of our doubles teams, because we have a great No. 4 as well - have made the last few weeks. They all have experience and talent, and they're really starting to gel at the right time."

Gelling is something the Havre boys have been working on all season. Seniors Trey Murphy and Kennedy McKay are a known commodity in doubles, and are becoming one of the top teams in Class A. But Ferguson is also liking his depth in boys doubles with sophomores Reese Bulkley and Jake Huston coming on strong, as well as the recent pairing of Brady Ophus and sophomore Tyrel Kjersem. Seniors Kendall Holden and Vander Swensen will also play doubles this weekend, while Tommy Brown continues to impress at No. 1 singles, and freshman Josh Warp is quickly becoming a standout in his first year of high school tennis.

"It's taken some time to really figure out our entire boys lineup," Ferguson said. "In all, we have five of the 10 kids in our lineup that weren't on varsity a year ago. So, it's been a work in progress. But these guys have worked hard to get better, and now, we're starting to really see this team come together. So, this is a big weekend for them, because I feel like they're really ready to take off. They're very close, and it's been a lot of fun to watch the boys team progress this season."

And progress is first and foremost what the Ponies are after. With the Central A tournament just three weeks away, Havre is looking to really make big strides, and it starts with this weekend's big meet in Glendive.

"The clock is ticking on our season," Ferguson said. "Time is just flying by now. We only have a handful of practices and three meets left, and then divisional week will be here. So this is the time when we really grind, and push hard, and see how much better we can get before we get to Bozeman. And this weekend will help us do that. So it's exciting."

Havre plays a total of six duals over the next two days in Glendive. The Ponies return to the road next weekend for the prestigious Helena Invitational.