Talented HHS spikers ready to hit the court

After making the Class A state tournament back in 2015 under head coach Tamecia Jarvis, the Havre High volleyball team has experienced some growing pains in each of the past two seasons. Yet, with another year ready to start this weekend, it's time to see if those pains have paid off in a good way for the Blue Ponies.

Havre, which posted a losing record in both 2016 and 2017, will open this season playing on its home floor for once as HHS will host the Eastern A Tip-off tournament. The action will start Friday and runs through Saturday at the HHS gymnasium, giving the Ponies a chance to play against and scout the other nine-teams in the division.

"It will be nice to be at home," Jarvis said. "We are excited to get the season started. I have a good feeling about this team. I think we have better chemistry than we have had the past couple of seasons and that is important."

One of the things Jarvis said she liked about her team is the fact it has so many players that can play on different spots on the floor. Sam Oliver is one of those players and she looks to put together a stellar junior season after a strong sophomore campaign. Oliver was among the Central A conference leaders in assists and also lead the league in aces, which should be a strong suit again for her in 2018.

Another player who is strong when it comes to assists and on the defensive end is Peyton Brown, another junior who will start again for the Ponies, along with Cassidy Acor and Jessa Chvilicek. Others that will see time with the varsity team are Caitlyn Terry, Devyn Huebsch, Sydney Wilting, Kadyn Acor, Savannah Dawson and Katelyn Maloughney.

"I think we are pretty set for what we want to do," Jarvis said. "I think we need to work a little bit on our hitting and getting a little more consistency on the outside. But we have so many girls that can play multiple positions and that's a good thing, I just need to figure all that out and decide where I want to put everybody to put them in the best position."

While versatility is one thing that Jarvis likes about her team coming into the season, another is height. With Cassidy and Kadyn Acor, along with Chvilicek, Jarvis said she feels good about the size her team has up front and in the middle block.

"They all seem taller than last year," Jarvis said. "Cassidy, Kadyn and Jessa, having all three of them inside and having that block is going to be key because we just didn't have that last year and that should really help with our defense."

Of course, each season, every team experiences losses and this Havre team is no different as it will have to replace its top hitter from a season ago in Camryn Huston, who was named Second-Team All-Conference in the Central A. However, the Ponies have a lot of potential in this junior class, especially with Oliver and Chvilicek, who each earned honorable mention All-Conference last season. That duo, along with the Acor sisters and Brown could be the key to turnaround for the HHS.

"I am expecting some more leadership from some of those players," Jarvis said. "I think a lot of those girls are going to step up and I am just looking forward to seeing some of those girls that are out there working hard."

The Ponies will also be relying on plenty of new talent, including Wilting, Maloughney and Dawson, who are all sophomores. Huebsch is a junior but will also be new to the varsity team. Kadyn Acor and Terry are the lone seniors on the roster.

"I think for some of those new varsity players, it's going to all be mental," Jarvis said. "They have to not worry about making a mistake and when they do, they have to find a way to come back from it."

After taking part in the Eastern A Tip-off this weekend, Havre will travel to Belgrade next Friday, where the Ponies will face Livingston and Belgrade, two of their Central A rivals. The Ponies first official home match will take place Sept. 20 against Browning. Other key matches include a home contest with Lewistown Sept. 29, as well as home matches against Livingston (Oct. 18) and Belgrade (Oct. 27). Havre will also play Lewistown on the road Oct. 27. The Eastern A Divisional tournament will be in Glendive starting Oct. 31 and the All-Class State volleyball tournament will begin Nov. 8 in Bozeman.