HHS spikers sweep Eagles, host Lewistown tonight

The Havre High volleyball team gained another leg up on its season with a win over the Sidney Eagles Saturday in the Havre High Gymnasium. The Ponies swept the Eagles 3-0, by scores of 25-10, 25-12 and 25-19.

The Northeast conference home game was an exciting match for the Ponies, as it was their homecoming match. On top of that, senior setter Peyton Brown was wished a happy birthday by the crowd before the competition started.

HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis was glad her team put forth the right amount of effort and hard work in the rematch against Sidney.

"They played great," said Jarvis. "It was good to watch them come out, play and win in three sets. They played together as a team and all 12 players got in, too. Everybody played well."

All 12 Havre players for the Ponies helped ground the Eagles in the three-set match.

Senior Jessa Chvilicek opened the first set with a quick tip to give Havre the early lead. The Ponies then went on a 4-0 run not too long after, taking a commanding start of 6-1. Sidney responded with a block, but Havre went on a 3-0 run to stretch its lead.

As the set progressed, the Ponies went on two 3-0 runs and kept Sidney at bay the whole time. The Eagles answered as much as they could, but the set looked in Havre's favor at 21-10. The Blue Ponies then finished what they started and went on a 4-0 run, with a Cassidy Acor kill in the end, to claim the first set.

The second set was an even more dominant showcase for Havre. After falling behind 2-1 in the start, the Ponies answered with a 4-0 run to take the lead 5-2. The Eagles responded with two points of their own, but a 3-0 run by Havre kept them behind. Soon after, the Blue Ponies went on a 5-0 run to keep the lead 14-6. Sidney answered with a 3-0 run to thin Havre's lead, but the Ponies cruised forward on a 6-0 run. From there, Havre capitalized on its lead and finished another set on a 3-0 run. The match was in the Ponies' favor 2-0.

In set two, freshman Yelena Miller stepped on the court in her first playing time as a varsity member. Miller took up the missing number eight on the varsity roster and put forth a tremendous effort for Havre. Though Miller did not put up any stats, she still got some great experience in a varsity setting and helped the Ponies stay ahead in the match.

Jarvis was proud to see Miller put forth some good work and is excited to see Miller's craft in the future.

"I think she's going to do a great job for us and we're excited to have her on the team," Jarvis said. "I think she's going to add a lot to our front row, so she's gonna help us out quite a bit. It's gonna be fun."

The third set started off with a more back-and-forth game. Sidney took the lead, Havre responded and vice versa. But, the Ponies went on a 3-0 run to try and maintain their lead. After a few quick responses from the Eagles, Havre wasted no more time and exploded on a 9-0 run to, once again, take a dominating lead in the match 15-6.

But Sidney put forth a great answer and went on a 6-0 run to shorten the Blue Ponies' lead once again 15-12. Both clubs from there made some mistakes that kept the score quite close, but another Acor kill, two Chvilicek kills and a 4-0 run ending in a block gave Havre the match sweep 3-0.

Another conference win and a stellar performance by the Ponies gives them a lead in the conference, with a great shot at a great playoff spot. On top of that, Jarvis saw a lot of improvement on the court for her club.

"Our serving was a lot better," Jarvis said. "We were able to get our hitters and stuff going, so that helped out a lot. Our overall team play was good."

Chvilicek had nine kills five aces to leads Havre, while Brown had 19 assists and three aces.

Havre's postseason is right around the corner, but the Ponies will have to get through another conference opponent to keep their lead under wraps, the Lewistown Golden Eagles. Luckily, it will be another home-match for Havre.

The Blue Ponies will take the court again against the Golden Eagles tonight in the Havre High Gymnasium. The C-squad starts at 4 and varsity will look to start around 5:30 as Havre celebrates senior night.

Havre def. Sidney

25-10, 25-12 and 25-19

HAV – Kills 24 (Jessa Chvilicek 09, Cassidy Acor 06, Talia Ralph 03), Assists 19 (Peyton Brown 19), Digs 31 (Sydney Wilting 10, Sam Oliver 09, Peyton Brown 03), Blocks 06 (Cassidy Acor 2.5, Quinn McDonald 2.5, Jessa Chvilicek 01), Aces 10 (Jessa Chvilicek 05, Peyton Brown 03)

SID – Kills 11 (Hadley Garsjo 04), Assists 10 (Jenna Baxter 10), Digs 41 (Riley Thiessen 12, Hadley Garsjo 10), Blocks 08 (Ashlynn Kessel 04), Aces 02 (Amber Kauffman 01, Cassidy Larson 01).