Havre High netters sweep in Browning

The Havre High volleyball team played on the road for the first time in nearly a month Thursday night but, even away from home, the Blue Ponies continued their winning ways.

On their way to their ninth win of the season the Ponies dominated Browning, notching 29 kills and 21 aces en route to a three-game sweep by the scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 25-17. Havre is now 9-6 on the season and will head to Cut Bank Saturday for its final non-conference match of the season.

'The girls played well and everyone was able to contribute," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "Browning was pretty scrappy but our serving kept us on top. We finished every set with an ace serve."

For the Ponies, it was their second win over Browning in the past few weeks because the two teams also squared off in Havre earlier this season. HHS won that matchup in four sets but, this time around, the Indians wouldn't even get a game off the Ponies.

And one of the biggest reasons why was the stellar play of Sam Oliver.

Oliver, who has put together an outstanding junior season for HHS, continued it Thursday night in Browning, leading Havre and all players in aces, kills and assists. Oliver finished with match highs in aces with six and assists with 18. She also tied teammate Cassidy Acor for the match-high in kills with seven. On top of that Oliver contributed with nine digs defensively for a Pony squad that was dominant on that end of the floor, allowing Browning to score just 10 kills and one ace.

Jessa Chvilicek was another important component in the win for Havre, finishing with four kills and two blocks. Peyton Brown, another Havre junior, led the way for the Ponies in digs with 11. She also contributed with a strong serving effort that included five aces. Senior Caitlyn Terry also had five aces in the win for Havre and Sydney Wilting added eight digs.

"It's definitely nice to see the improvements we have made on serving from the beginning of the season until now," Jarvis said. "Everyone is stepping up in different ways, so it's fun to watch."

The win was the sixth in the last seven matches for the Ponies. In those wins, Havre has given up just one set and that came to Browning. It was the second straight sweep on the road for the Ponies, who also swept Conrad last month. Havre completed the season sweep against Browning and will attempt to do the same versus Cut Bank this Saturday. The match is scheduled to start at approximately 7 p.m.

Havre def. Browning

25-14, 25-14, 25-17

Havre - Aces 21 (Sam Oliver 6, Peyton Brown 5, Caitlyn Terry 5); Kills 29 (Olver 7, Cassidy Acor 6, Jessa Chvilicek 4); Assists 21 (Olver 18, Brown 2, Katelyn Maloughney 1); Blocks 2 (Chvilicek 2); Digs (Brown 11, Oliver 9, Sydney Wilting 8).