Ponies bring momentum into Eastern A divisional tourney

It has been a few years since the Havre High volleyball team has qualified for the Class A state tournament. Yet the last time they did it, the Blue Ponies came into the Eastern A Divisional as the No. 2 seed out of the Central A, which is the exact same position they will enter the tournament again this week.

After posting a 4-2 record in conference play, the Ponies will take on Miles City, the third-place team from the Eastern A in a quarterfinal matchup Thursday at 3:45 p.m in Glendive. The winner will likely take on Billings Central, the Eastern A’s top seed Friday afternoon at 2:15. The winner of that match will advance to state. Either way though, if Havre can beat Miles City Thursday, it will need just one more victory to lock up its first berth to state since 2015.

“Being mentally tough is going to be a big key for us,” HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. “We know that we have the ability to play with some of these better teams, we have shown that. We just need to keep our heads when things don’t go our way and stick together as a team.”

When the Ponies last made it to state, Havre had a couple of All-State standouts in Dani Wagner and Reggie Bernard and this time around, the Ponies are loaded with talent again. For the first time in a few years, Havre brings some size, some hitting and some versatility to the divisional tournament. A big part of that is the wall Havre has built up near the net and that includes three players who stand close to 6-foot. Juniors Cassidy Acor and Jessa Chvilicek have been among the Central A leaders in both kills and blocks all season, while senior Kadyn Acor is another valuable piece up front, one that is also capable of making an impact both offensively and defensively.

When it came to total kills, Acor ranked third in the Central A, but her overall hitting percentage (.337) was tops in the Central A. Chvilicek, who finished fifth in the Central A in kills, also ranked fifth in her hitting percentage (.200). Chvilicek also led the Central A in blocks and blocks per set, giving Havre one of the top offensive and defensive players in the conference.

In addition to its three players on the block, Havre also has some solid players in the backend, namely junior Sam Oliver, who is also among the conference leaders in a few different categories. She ranks third in aces, second in assists and fifth in digs.

“I think serve-receive is going to be really important for us,” Jarvis said. “We can’t make errors and give up easy points either. We also have to be creative with our hitting and take advantage when we get our opportunities.”

Havre comes into the tournament with an overall record of 12-8 and they will get ready to take on Miles City, which finished behind Glendive and Billings Central to take third in the final Eastern A standings. The action actually got underway Wednesday, with Livingston and Hardin, as well as Laurel and Sidney going at it in opening-round matchups. Belgrade will face the winner of Sidney and Laurel Thursday, while Billings Central will take on either Livingston or Hardin. The other quarterfinal matchup on the other side of the bracket features second-seeded Glendive out of the Eastern A, against third-seeded Lewistown from the Central A.

The semifinal in the winner’s bracket will be held Friday night at 7:30 p.m., with the second semifinal, the match that determines who will advance to the championship match and who will take third, scheduled for Saturday at 12:45 p.m. The first championship match is set for 2 p.m. If a second title match is needed, it will be played at 4:15 p.m. All four teams that advance to Saturday will qualify for the Class A state tournament