Blue Pony volleyball hosts Eastern A Tip-off

Most of the time, the Havre High volleyball team doesn't get to play on its home floor for around a month into the season. Yet, that won't be the case in 2018, as the Blue Ponies will host the annual Eastern A Tip-off Tournament.

Havre, which heads into this season under the direction of fourth-year head coach Tamecia Jarvis, will get a chance to measure itself against the rest of the Eastern A conference as HHS will play host to all 10 teams in the league this weekend, including Lewistown, Laurel, Belgrade, Livingston, Sidney, Miles City, Glendive, Hardin and Billings Central.

The two-day tournament, which features pool play, started today at noon inside the HHS gymnasium, where all matches will be played. The teams will be divided into a tournament bracket Saturday depending on the results from round-robin play Friday.

"It's going to be nice to have that chance to play at home," Jarvis said. "We haven't gotten that chance most years, we have had to travel, so that will be nice. It's just going to be nice to get some competition and get a chance to see where we stand."

Last season, the Ponies struggled through conference play in the Central A and were knocked out of the Eastern A Divisional after just two matches. Yet, with a strong nucleus of returning players such as Sam Oliver and Jessa Chvilicek, who each earned honorable mention All-Conference in the Central A last season, there is reason for optimism.

While Oliver and Chvilicek will get a chance to show how much they have grown since last season, they will be joined by fellow juniors Peyton Brown and Cassidy Acor, who are also looking to take a big step forward after making their varsity debuts in 2017. Others who will see time for Havre this weekend are seniors Kadyn Acor and Caitlyn Terry, as well as Devyn Huebsch, Savannah Dawson, Sydney Wilting and Katelyn Maloughney.

"We have some size in the middle which we haven't really had," Jarvis said. "So that will be nice. I think the biggest thing for us to focus on this week has been hitting and getting more consistent with that."

Hitting was an issue all last season for the Ponies and they will get their first chance to start improving that this afternoon as Havre will open against Lewistown. Havre will follow that up with matches against Miles City (1:30 p.m.), Glendive (3:45 p.m.) and Sidney (6 p.m.). The Ponies belong to a pool that features each of those teams, while the opposite pool includes Belgrade, Billings Central, Hardin, Laurel and Livingston.

After round-robin play concludes today the 10 teams will be back in the HHS gymnasium Saturday to conclude the tournament in a single-elimination bracket that will be based off today's results. The second day of the Eastern A Tip-off tournament will begin Saturday morning at 8. Havre will play Livingston and Belgrade next Friday, on the road in a Central A conference matchup before taking part in the Windy City Classic next Saturday in Livingston.