Havre volleyball took that next step as a program

This past year was a great one for Havre High School athletics. Many programs and individual Blue Ponies placed at state to bring a trophy back to the Hi-Line. That string of success began in the fall of 2021 when the HHS volleyball finished second in the Class A State tournament. Heading into the season, expectations may not have been that high for the Ponies, so bringing home a trophy from state showed the growth of the HHS volleyball program.

"I don't think a lot of people at the beginning of our season would have thought that our team would have been in the conversation about being in the state tournament match," HHS head coach Stephanie Huse said. "I think it really showed the progression of our team and how well the girls worked together, bought into what we were doing, were able to execute and just really enjoyed playing volleyball together by the end of the season."

The work toward that trophy began in the preseason during the summer of 2021. During the break, Huse coordinated volleyball workouts alongside the HHS girls basketball since the teams share many players. After basketball in the morning during the summer, Huse would get to work with the volleyball players as they lifted weights and worked on their game. Despite her best efforts to get her players ready during the summer, Huse knows that a state trophy would not have been possible if not for the hard work of her players.

"I think the success of our program is a reflection of our girls and the decision that they made over the last two years since I began my involvement coaching them," Huse said. "There's a lot of fun to be had in the summer, so for the girls to make the decision to commit themselves to the offseason, I think it really reflected for us in our regular season."

Once the season got started, it did not take long for Huse to realize the potential of the Ponies. At the tip-off tournament in Sidney this past August, the Ponies had an excellent tournament to start the season as they finished second. The Ponies only lost to Billings Central in the tournament's championship match, so confidence was high for the Ponies.

"I think our tip-off tournament at the beginning of the year was when we realized that there was a rhythm and a true team mentality," Huse said. "Even though Central had beat us, we felt pretty good about how we played together. We were very infused with excitement and energy about seeing where we could go throughout our season and where we could end up."

The Ponies then went on a tear through the regular season. The Ponies played well in non-conference play as they finished the year with an overall record of 18-4. Even better, the Ponies dominated conference competition as they went 7-1 in the Northeast A.

The Ponies continued to play strong in the postseason. After finishing third at the Eastern A Divisionals to qualify for state, the Ponies went on a run at the Class A State Tournament in Bozeman.

After defeating Ronan to open the tournament, Havre defeated Billings Central in four sets. The Ponies then defeated Polson in four sets to advance to the state match. In the loser-out bracket, Billings Central went on a run to force a rematch with Havre for the state title.

The Ponies only needed to win one of two matches to win the state title, but they were unsuccessful. Billings Central defeated Havre in four sets to force a winner-take-all match for the title. Billings Central kept up its strong play to defeat Havre for the state championship.

While the season came to a disappointing end, it was a great year nonetheless that resulted in a state trophy. With such a great season, Ponies such as Yelena Miller, Maddie Columbus and Alyssa Oliver were named first team all-conference and all-state for their seasons. It was Oliver's senior season, so she provided both experience and ball control for the Ponies.

"Alyssa's volleyball IQ is very high and her understanding of the game and the knowledge that she provided for our team was extremely valuable," Huse said. "One of the big keys to volleyball is ball control and if your team has ball control, then you can do a lot of good things and Alyssa brought a ton of that to our program."

Columbus was also a senior for the Ponies last year. Unlike most athletes, Columbus only played volleyball her senior year, so she made the most of her time on the court with the Ponies.

"She really found joy and brought that every day to practice and matches and just really made the season a lot of fun," Huse said. "She was always dependable. If we needed a side out, we knew Maddie would be the one that we could go to and she would place the ball where we needed her to or make the play we needed her to."

Miller is a dominant athlete for the Ponies in both volleyball and basketball. While she brings plenty of skill and talent to the court, Huse believes her energy was also invaluable for the Ponies this past season.

"Miller is just a force all in herself. She is just an extremely hard worker, she's relentless and she's also just a great teammate," Huse said. "She knows to just bring positive energy when momentum shifts or changes. She knows how to dig in and bring that competitive energy onto the floor."

The Ponies will lose a trio of seniors from last year's team. Along with Oliver and Columbus, the Ponies will lose second team all-conference player Jade Wendland. But the Ponies also return several key players from last year. Along with Miller, second team all-conference players such as Avery Carlson and Molly Huse will return for Havre. Other experienced players such as Lizzi Haney and Kyanna Jarvis will also come back for the Ponies.

After finishing second in the state tournament last year, expectations should be high for the Ponies heading into this fall. While they lost some seniors and there is plenty of room for improvement, Huse is confident that the returning players can rise up to the occasion and carry on the success from last season.

"Losing our seniors, we definitely have to figure out how we're going to fill those pieces, but I definitely think that we have the personnel within our program to do that," Huse said. "I have every faith in these girls. They bring the energy because they're there every single day. They show up and they work hard and when you have girls working hard like they do, you can't help but think that good things will come to them."