Blue Pony spikers aim to keep winning in the corral

The Havre High volleyball team has been on a roll lately, and with their six-match homestand coming to a close Saturday, the Blue Ponies will look to continue their winning ways.

Since the Ponies were previously in action last Saturday in a win over Lewistown, they will have a full week of rest under their belt before hosting Conrad, a Class B opponent Saturday. The match is set to start at approximately 11:30 a.m., inside the HHS gymnasium.

"It's been fun for us to be able to play at home," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "They (the players) get fired up to play at home and we have gotten some great crowds, so it's been great."

Part of what has made the homestand so outstanding for the Ponies has been their performance on their home floor. In the last four matches at home, Havre has played a total of 13 sets and of those, the Ponies have won 10, dropping only three in a loss to Great Falls High last week. In matches against Cut Bank, Browning and Lewistown Havre swept and also swept the Cowgirls when the two teams met in Conrad last Month.

While the Ponies have a number of players who have been on a roll over the past few weeks, no one has been playing better than Sam Oliver, who does a little bit of everything for HHS. In terms of serving, she is one of the best in the Central A and after leading the conference in the category last season, she currently sits third in aces with 37. Oliver is also second in the conference in assists with 308 and fifth in the league in digs with 134.

Oliver's production has been a big part of Havre's recent hot streak, but another key reason for the improved play lately has been the production of Cassidy Acor, Kadyn Acor and Jessa Chvilicek. All three players are among the top-10 in the Central A in terms of hitting percentage and each has been a key part of the defensive effort around the net. Chvilicek leads the Central A in blocks with 37, followed by Cassidy Acor with 32 and Kadyn Acor, who was 12 to rank sixth.

Cassidy Acor has also been one of the most effective hitters in the Central A and ranks third in the conference with a hitting percentage of .291, as well as second in kills with a total of 155 or 2.58 per set. Chvilicek is currently fourth in the conference in kills with 111. She averages 1.85 kills per set.

"Our middles have really stepped up for us all year," Jarvis said. "We are working really well together as a team and we have just been doing a better job executing the way we are supposed to."

After hosting Conrad Saturday, the Ponies will play two road games next week against Browning and Cut Bank, before finishing the regular season with conference matches against Livingston, Lewistown and Belgrade.