Pony spikers on a roll as they host rival Eagles

After some last minute cancellations in the past week, the Havre High volleyball team is excited to get back onto the court for a special battle against a long-time rival and tough opponent that is gaining traction in the Northeastern A conference.

The Blue Ponies (5-3) will be hosting the Lewistown Golden Eagles Saturday in the Havre High Gymnasium at 7 p.m., where HHS will look to get revenge for an earlier road loss this season in Lewistown. But the Golden Eagles will be as tough as they come, making Saturday an important game for Northeastern A standings.

And Havre head coach Steph Huse is ready to see what her team can do after some much-needed improvement since they last met with Lewistown.

"As far as Lewistown goes, we are, once again, happy to be home," Huse said. "The last time we faced Lewistown, we definitely weren't able to show how good we can play. It was definitely one of our tougher matches as far as effort and energy goes, so I feel like the last few matches we've been able to turn a corner in addressing that. Applying that to Lewistown will be fun to watch."

HHS will be bringing a lot to the weekend. Seniors Talia Ralph and Sydney Witling will be a big factor into the scheme of the Ponies. Ralph has been a great source of offensive prowess, alongside sophomore Yelena Miller and senior Quinn McDonald, while Wilting will be a source of plenty of digs this weekend. Meanwhile, senior Ellie Collins will look to rack up some assists to help the team succeed. Senior Samantha Lovenguth and teammates Molly Huse and Avery Carlson will play a big part in pushing the team effort to pick up the win on their home-court, too.

As for Lewistown, the last win they had over the Ponies was a couple weeks ago in Golden Eagles country, where Lewistown topped HHS 3-1, putting a damper on the Blue Pony spikers' conference standings. But Saturday, Havre will aim to reverse that right back at the Golden Eagles to gain some good footing in the Northeastern A.

Huse has seen a lot change since that last matchup, so she is looking forward to what her team will put forward on the court this weekend.

"When we faced Lewistown last time, it was just a lack of energy and communication really," Huse said. "After that match, we got some feedback on how they were feeling and identified we needed to work harder to be a team unit and constantly communicate throughout the match, whether it was something good happening or something difficult. I think that's something we've definitely improved on."

On top of that, the battle will be brought to the Havre High Gymnasium, where the fans who are able to attend will be bringing the noise and Blue Pony pride to the gym floor. There will never be a dull moment for these fans, which is something that Huse enjoys seeing every time her team plays at home.

"Being able to be on your home-floor with your home-crowd, especially during COVID-19, it adds a level of adrenaline and excitement to the match that you can't really duplicate when you're on the road," Huse said. "It's definitely a fun feeling to have when you're able to do that with your home-fans."

Havre (5-3) will battle the Lewistown Golden Eagles Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Havre High Gymnasium for a Northeastern A showdown.