Blue Pony volleyball gets revenge against Miles City

The lone blemish for the Havre High volleyball team this season came against Miles City last month. At home, the Blue Ponies lost to their rivals in five sets for their first and only loss in the regular season. On the road Saturday at Miles City, the Ponies avenged their lone loss by defeating the Cowgirls, 3-1, by winning their sets by scores of 25-17, 25-11, 23-25 and 25-8.

"I was very pleased with how the girls played," HHS head coach Stephanie Huse said. "I thought they were very focused and excited to attack the match and they did that."

The win improved Havre's overall record to 8-1 and 5-1 in the Northeast A, good for first place. The win also keeps them undefeated on the road and extends their winning streak to five matches in a row. In the few weeks since their last meeting against Miles City, the Ponies had been serving more aggressively, which is why Huse believes they defeated them this time out.

"We were a lot more aggressive with our serving," Huse said. "Anytime we can be aggressive serving and keep them off of the attack, it works in our favor."

The Ponies came out aggressive to start the first set. Once they grabbed the lead, they never trailed. After they built themselves a 16-12 lead, the Ponies scored five straight points to push their lead out more. The Cowgirls attempted a late rally but Havre held on to win the first set, 25-17, for a 1-0 lead in the match.

Havre continued to stay aggressive in the second set. After they fell behind 2-1 to start the set, the Ponies scored four straight points to take the lead. The teams exchanged scores to the point Havre only led 8-7. The Ponies then went on another run with seven straight points for a 15-7 lead. Havre eventually went on to win the set, 25-11, for a 2-0 lead in the match. Along with their aggressive serving, Huse believes the Ponies won the first two sets because of their defense.

"Our serve-receive was solid so when they were being aggressive towards us, we were able to control the ball," Huse said.

Looking to complete the sweep, Havre jumped out to a 10-5 lead to open the third set. This time, however, the Cowgirls responded with a run of their own to take a 13-12 lead. Miles City held onto momentum and built themselves a 23-20 lead. The Ponies attempted a late rally but Miles City held on to win, 25-23, to extend the match.

"They just shifted momentum on us and stymied us a little bit," Huse said. "I thought the girls did a good job of stopping the momentum and fighting back but it was just a little too late towards the end."

Despite losing the third set, Havre took back momentum to take a 12-3 lead to start the fourth set. But the Ponies gave momentum right back to Miles City as the Cowgirls went on a 5-1 run to cut their deficit to 13-8. But momentum shifted back to Havre in a big way as the Ponies ended the set with a 12-0 run to win the set, 25-8, to win the match.

"It showed a lot of character for our girls to say, 'We're not going to do this. We're not going to be denied this,' and came out and really took control," Huse said.

The Ponies are now just past the halfway point of their season. While they have been playing their best over the past few weeks, Huse knows there are still some areas her team can improve in before they hit the postseason.

"We just need to make sure that we're continually working on our fundamentals. Working on all of those pieces to what we do to stay consistent and then improving in little areas," Huse said.

HHS volleyball will next play against Glendive at Blue Pony Gymnasium Friday at 7 p.m. Havre hosts Sidney Saturday as well.

Havre def. Miles City

25-17, 25-11, 23-25, 25-8

HAV - Aces 14 (Yelena Miller 4, Jade Wendland 3, Avery Carlson 3); Kills 29 (Carlson 6, Miller 6, Maddie Columbus 6); Assists 24 (Molly Huse 20); Blocks 3 (Wendland 2); Digs 35 (Alyssa Oliver 13, Huse 9).