Rivalry Sweep: HHS netters throttle Eagles

The last time the Havre High volleyball team made the Class A state tournament was 2015. That was also the last time the Blue Ponies beat Lewistown in a Central A conference match -

until Saturday night inside the HHS gymnasium that is.

In the final match of a five-match homestand, the Ponies earned their fourth win in their last five matches with a sweep of Lewistown by the scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-20. In addition to being the fourth win for the Ponies in their last five matches, it also their fourth sweep, as they improved to 7-6.

"It felt good," HHS head coach Tameica Jarvis said. "We kept our composure and we kept our heads and we played our game as opposed to letting them play their game."

Havre set the tone for the match right away in the opening set, starting the match on a 6-2 run and then grabbing a 13-8 advantage following a kill from Kadyn Acor. Sydney Wilting contributed with an ace and after two kills from Jessa Chvilicek, Havre was up 23-13, before going on to win the set 25-17.

"We just played with patience," Jarvis said. "We played our game and made sure we got our serves in, and we just did all the little things. We stayed disciplined and that's why we won the match."

In the second set, Lewistown came out swinging and built an 8-4 advantage that eventually was 10-6 when Jarvis called a timeout. Soon after that, Havre went on a run and when Kadyn Acor scored another kill, it capped a 5-0 HHS run and gave the Ponies a 13-12 lead. Acor scored another point a few moments later and suddenly, it was 17-13 Havre after a 7-1 run. Lewistown did manage to tie things up at 20-20 and 22-22, but Havre earned the final three points and took the set 25-22.

"It felt great," Acor said about getting the win. "Now we are second in the conference so that feels good. We have been working hard as a team and when we come together we play really well."

Looking for the sweep, Havre started fast again in the third set and grabbed a 3-0 lead after an ace by Sam Oliver. Lewistown made a run and trimmed a four-point Havre lead down to 11-10, however, the Ponies never relinquished the lead. Oliver notched a kill making it match point and Havre clinched it when the Eagles gave up the final point on a hitting error.

The Ponies out-hit the Eagles, notching 31 kills compared to 28 for Lewistown. Havre also more assists 26 to 20 and more blocks 9.5 to one.

"We didn't do too bad digging the ball," Jarvis said. "But our block was right up on it. I told them the things that we needed to do and they executed it. It feels good to know that we can beat them when we play our game and work together as a team."

Oliver stood out for the Ponies, leading the team with nine kills, 12 assists, 14 digs and four aces. Kadyn Acor also had a strong night with six kills and 1.5 blocks. Her sister Cassidy Acor was also solid with five kills and 3.5 blocks. Peyton Brown added 10 assists and Sydney Wilting contributed with four aces.

The Ponies will have just one match on the schedule for this week and will travel to Conrad Saturday for a non-conference matchup.

Havre def. Lewistown

25-17, 25-22 and 25-20.

Lewistown - Kills - 28 (Anna Zimmer 6); Assists - 20 (Becca Bawden 17); Digs - 44 (Bawden 15, Zimmer 13) Blocks 1 (Auriel Krumweide 1); Aces 6 (Zimmer 3).

Havre - Kills 31 (Sam Oliver 9, Kadyn Acor 6, Cassidy Acor 5); Assists 26 (Oliver 12, Peyton Brown 10); Digs 36 (Oliver 14); Blocks 9 (Cassidy Acor 3.5, Jessa Chvilicek 3, Kadyn Acor 1.5) Aces - 12 (Oliver 4, Sydney Wilting 4).