Going Back to State: Ponies sweep Locomotives

After having the weekend to prepare for their postseason, the Havre High volleyball team was eager to get back on their home court for what may be their last home game of the 2020 season.

That match, an Eastern A playoff match, would be quite the battle for Havre, too.

Monday night saw Havre take the court against the No. 3 Laurel Locomotives from the Southeastern A in the Havre High Gymnasium, where the Ponies swept the Locomotives 25-20, 25-22 and 25-15 to secure a spot in the Eastern A Divisional Tournament semifinals and a spot in the Class A State Tournament.

And Havre head coach Steph Huse was proud of the performance the team had against Laurel.

"I felt like the girls were really focused and had good energy going into the match," Huse said. "They definitely knew that they needed to come together, stay together and be together the entire match, which they did. It proved in our favor in the end. I thought we did a really good job of attacking Laurel and staying after them. We were really tenacious on defense. That was huge for us."

The opening set saw the two teams go at it right form the start. The Ponies and Locomotives would each come out strong, both putting up runs to try and stay on top of the other. As the set went on, Havre would take a nice 24-20 lead. From there, the Ponies would seal that set with a block by sophomore Yelena Miller to take the lead early in the match.

The second set was just as intense as the first, with Laurel and Havre keeping the pace with one another. This time around, the Locomotives were gaining on the Ponies late in the set 24-22. But seniors Ellie Collins and Talia Ralph would claim the second set for Havre, as Collins set a ball up on the outside for Ralph to spike and it ricocheted off a Laurel block to take a strong 2-0 lead.

Huse saw plenty of skill and teamwork come forward against the Locomotives Monday night.

"We've learned all season that momentum can shift quickly," Huse said. "Our focus is always to make sure we're always in the moment and staying in control of what's going on, not letting the other team control what's happening. That was really our focus. We stayed in the moment and kept at it."

The Ponies kept up the pace in the third and final set, taking advantage of the momentum and scoring some key runs and leads to stay ahead. Laurel would keep on fighting, but Havre kept the ball rolling and the iron hot, leaving the Locomotives stationary on the court, topped off by a Miller kill to the outside. HHS had the sweep, semifinal appearance and a state ticket secured.

At the end of the night, Ralph led the Ponies with 12 kills, Kennedy Hampton had 14 digs, Miller had two blocks and one ace and Collins led the team once more with 24 assists.

But the Blue Pony spikers will have to go up against a challenging Eastern A rival in the semifinal round in the Billings Central Rams, who boast an undefeated record going into the postseason. The Rams swept the No. 4 Sidney Eagles Monday nightand will now host Havre on their home court in Billings, giving the Ponies the role of the road-warrior come tonight. It will be a tough bout indeed for HHS.

Billings Central has been a powerhouse in recent years on the court, something that Huse knows will play a big factor in tonight's match.

"We haven't faced Central," Huse said. "We were supposed to play them on Saturday, but we ended up canceling that one because of the change in the playoffs. We know that they are a very tough, athletic team. They've had a great volleyball program for years. We know we're going to have our hands full with them, but I feel our team is in the position to know what it takes to win and to stay together. I feel like if we keep doing what we've been doing, then things will go our way."

The Ponies (8-3) will face off against the undefeated Billings Central Rams tonight at 6 p.m. in Billings as part of the 2020 Eastern A Divisional Tournament semifinals round. The winner will have a spot in the championship, while the loser will play for third or fourth place Thursday night. Havre has now reached the Class A state tourney for the second straight year.

Havre def. Laurel

25-20, 25-22, 25-15

HAV – Aces 4 (Yelena Miller 1, Ellie Collins 1, Sammy Lovenguth 1, Sydney Wilting 1); Kills 34 (Talia Ralph 12, Miller 9, Maddie Columbus 9, Avery Carlson 3, Wilting 1); Digs 68 (Kennedy Hampton 14, Alyssa Oliver 13, Wilting 11, Collins 11, Miller 6, Lovenguth 4, Carlson 3, Ralph 2, Columbus 2, Molly Huse 2); Assists 27 (Collins 24, Huse 2, Lovenguth 1); Blocks 3 (Miller 2, Collins 1).

LAU – not reported.