Blue Ponies sweep weekend doubleheader

While the Havre High volleyball team has had a successful season so far, this past weekend could have tripped the Blue Ponies up. The Ponies could have gotten complacent as they had won five straight matches heading into the weekend. The Ponies also held their senior night Saturday which always brings out the emotions. Despite all these factors, the Ponies continued to play well as they defeated Glendive and Sidney Friday and Saturday at Blue Pony Gymnasium.

"We played well over the weekend. We were pretty focused," HHS head coach Stephanie Huse said. "Knowing the importance of the weekend on our conference record and our standings, I think they were pretty focused and ready to go."

Havre opened the weekend by defeating Glendive, 3-1, winning the sets by scores of 25-17, 22-25, 25-17 and 25-18. The Ponies opened the first set by taking a 10-8 lead over the Red Devils. The Ponies then went on a 7-2 run to maintain momentum. The Devils tried a late rally but Havre held on to win the first set, 25-17, for a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Ponies continued to roll to start the second set as they built themselves a 22-17 lead. However, the Devils took momentum back and ended the set with an 8-0 run to win the set, 25-22, and tie the match.

Glendive did not carry that momentum into the third set as Havre took an early 16-7 lead. The Devils fought back with a 9-2 run to cut their deficit to 18-16. But they could not hold onto that momentum as Havre ended the set on a 7-1 run to win, 25-17, for a 2-1 lead in the match.

"We were able to stay aggressive with our serving, stay smart with our attack," Huse said about her team retaking momentum to win the set. "Our girls did a great job of mixing up their shots, going really hard and then having nice finesse touches."

The Ponies maintained the momentum in the fourth set as they jumped out to a 19-11 lead. Glendive tried to come back but Havre held on to win, 25-18, to win the match. In their previous meeting this season, Glendive took Havre to five sets so winning in four this time around shows how resilient the Ponies have become.

"We were fighting the entire time. Not letting any ball drop," Huse said. "Our girls were tracking it down, hustling and touching it at least. When girls are doing that and pursuing and working that hard, the momentum will stay with us and we'll be OK."

Maddie Columbus led the team with 11 kills against Glendive. Yelena Miller had another solid night with nine kills, four service aces and two blocks. Alyssa Oliver led the Ponies with 33 digs and recorded two service aces as well.

The Ponies continued to fight Saturday where they defeated Sidney, 3-0, by set scores of 25-12, 25-15 and 25-13. The match was Havre's senior night so Huse was impressed by her team's ability to handle the emotions.

"It's hard because there's a lot of sentiment," Huse said. "They did a good job of embracing the moment and trying to just be present and play hard."

At Blue Pony Gym, Havre celebrated their three seniors: Columbus, Oliver and Jade Wendland. With their careers in the HHS volleyball program soon coming to an end, emotions were high for all involved.

"Lots of tears but I think it's more fun to play when it's going to be one of your last games in the gym," Oliver said.

The Ponies channeled those emotions early on in the match as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead to start the first set. Unlike many volleyball sets, the Eagles were not able to grab momentum as Havre continued to build its lead. The Ponies eventually won the first set, 25-12, with the set point coming from a Sidney serving error.

Havre continued to play well to start the second set as the Ponies built themselves a 9-4 lead. During that stretch, Columbus had several kills to help Havre build their lead.

"We all know how to play our game. We're able to express our emotions but still play and get things done," Columbus said about handling the emotions once she was on the court.

The Ponies continued to build their lead through the set. Even with a 16-10 lead, Havre scored four straight points to make their lead, 20-10. During that stretch, Oliver recorded three service aces for the Ponies.

"Alyssa Oliver is the best ball-control person that I've had," Huse said about her senior. "She keeps everything calm, clean and easy for our offense to run."

The seniors continued to lead Havre to success as Columbus scored two straight points to push Havre's lead to 22-10.

"We call her finesse because she knows where to put the ball and when to put it there," Huse said about Columbus. "Her timing is impeccable and she's got great touch."

Havre eventually won the set, 25-15, for a 2-0 lead in the match. That momentum carried over to the start of the third set as the Ponies jumped out to a 9-4 lead. During that stretch, Wendland recorded a service ace for Havre. Even though this will be Wendland's only year in the HHS volleyball program, Huse appreciates what she has done in her limited time as a Pony.

"She just has a fierce fire. She's just competitive," Huse said about Wendland. "She brings that energy every single time she hits the floor."

Havre went on to win the set, 25-13, to win the match. Volleyball is a game of momentum as teams will often trade runs but against Sidney, Havre would often take the lead early and never look back.

"It was our ball control," Huse said about holding momentum through the match. "When you can control the ball and run your offense, that brought us success tonight."

Miller led the team with eight kills and three blocks. On her senior night, Oliver served well with three service aces and played strong defense with 10 digs. Molly Huse also recorded 10 digs while also leading the team with 23 assists.

With the strong weekend, Havre improved to 10-1 on the season and improved its winning streak to seven straight matches. While her team has been playing well as of late, Stephanie Huse has to make sure her team does not relent with just under a month left in the season.

"We got to stay in the present moment. That's what we have to do," Huse said. "It's very exciting and great to have but that can change night in and night out."

HHS volleyball will next play in the Blocktober Fest in Butte this weekend.

Havre def. Glendive

25-17, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18

HAV - Aces 12 (Yelena Miller 4, Alyssa Oliver 2, Avery Carlson 2, Jade Wendland 2); Kills 44 (Maddie Columbus 11, Miller 9, Kyanna Jarvis 8); Assists 36 (Molly Huse 34); Blocks 4 (Miller 2, Columbus 1, Wendland 1); Digs 88 (Oliver 33, Carlson 12, Wendland 12).

Havre def. Sidney

25-12, 25-15, 25-13

HAV - Aces 9 (Alyssa Oliver 3, Lizzi Haney 2); Kills 31 (Yelena Miller 8, Maddie Columbus 8, Avery Carlson 5); Assists 23 (Molly Huse 23); Blocks 5 (Miller 3, Columbus 2); Digs 41 (Oliver 10, Huse 10, Carlson 8, Haney 8).