Havre High volleyball picks up road win over Lewistown

The Havre High volleyball team has been playing strong early this season. The Blue Ponies are 6-1, including a 2-0 record on the road. On Saturday on at Lewistown, the Ponies remained undefeated on the road as they won, 3-1, by winning their sets by scores of 25-16, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-17.

“The girls played well together. They were really focused at the beginning of the match,” HHS head coach Stephanie Huse said. “They faced some adversity on and off. We were able to work through it and continue to be aggressive and win.”

The first set started out competitive as the two teams exchanged leads. Havre eventually eked out a 16-15 lead at one point in the set. That is when the Ponies took momentum as they ended the set on a 9-1 run to win the set, 25-16.

“When we’re more aggressive and we’re able to control the ball, we’re a lot more successful,” Huse said. “We were getting tentative at times just being a little cautious but then we were able to shift that, control the ball better and get some stronger, more aggressive attacks which kind of turned it in the first set.”

The Ponies continued to play well into the second set. After they fell behind 2-1 to start the set, the Ponies took momentum to take a 17-11 lead. The Eagles did not let the set get away from them as they cut Havre’s lead to 22-18. But the Ponies retook momentum as they ended the set on a 3-1 run to win 25-19 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Lewistown dominated early in the third set to take a sizable lead. After an early 2-2 tie, the Eagles took control of the set en route to a 20-11 lead. While the Ponies got back into the set, they could not overcome the deficit as they lost, 25-22.

“There was some mental fatigue setting in. We weren’t as clean with all of the pieces of our offense and defense that we normally are,” Huse said about her team’s performance in the third set. “I attribute that to just being a long week with homecoming and it was finally taking its toll. We dug ourselves a hole but I was proud of the girls.”

Through the Ponies lost the third set, they were able to carry their momentum from the end of that set into the fourth. After an early 3-3 tie, the Ponies took control to take a 13-7 lead. Over the course of the rest of the set, Havre kept the Eagles at bay to win the set, 25-17, and to win the match, 3-1. Huse credits Jade Wendland’s serving as a key reason why they won the fourth set to clinch the match.

“She was aggressive and really put Lewistown on defense,” Huse said. “We were able to take that momentum and finish the set.”

Yelena Miller led the Ponies with 11 kills against Lewistown. She also recorded two blocks in the match. Wendland led the team with 19 digs and also recorded a service ace. Molly Huse again led the Ponies with 35 assists and led them with three blocks.

With the win, the Ponies improve to 7-1 on the season and 3-0 on the road. Traveling far and competing in a hostile environment can be tough for any team, so Stephanie Huse believes it says a lot about her players that are undefeated on the road so far this season.

“There’s something to be said for these girls right now. They’re all highly competitive, high IQ volleyball players and they know what it takes to win,” Huse said. “When push comes to shove, when the cheers are a little bit louder for the other team, they’ve done a great job of staying together, staying focused and just continually fighting through those moments.”

HHS volleyball will next play on the road at Miles City Saturday at 4 p.m.

Havre def. Lewistown

25-16, 25-19, 22-25, 25-17

HAV - Aces 5 (Alyssa Oliver 1, Jade Wendland 1, Lizzi Haney 1); Kills 41 (Yelena Miller 11, Avery Carlson 10, Kyanna Jarvis 7); Assists 37 (Molly Huse 35); Blocks 10 (Huse 3, Miller 2, Maddie Columbus 2); Digs 88 (Wendland 19, Oliver 17, Carlson 15).