Blue Ponies take second at Eastern A Divisionals

It was an up-and-down weekend for the Havre High volleyball team at the Eastern A Divisionals in Sidney. After a tough loss to Hardin early in the tournament, the Blue Ponies won three straight matches to qualify for the state tournament.

The Ponies wound up in the championship match where they once again faced Hardin. Hardin defeated Havre in three sets (25-17, 25-23, 27-25) to win the Eastern A Divisional title, but HHS head coach Stephanie Huse liked how her team responded to adversity over the weekend.

“There were physical and mental challenges that were put in front of us and I think the girls did a great job dealing with them,” Huse said. “They really competed and worked hard together to get where we ended up in the championship game and then inevitably took second place.”

In the championship match against Hardin on Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs started strong by winning the first set, 25-17, to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Bulldogs then took the lead early in the second set. The Ponies responded and were able to tie the set 23-23, but the Bulldogs scored two straight points to win the set, 25-23, for a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set saw the Ponies and Bulldogs exchange points throughout. The Bulldogs eventually took control to take a 24-20 lead to put themselves in position to win. But the Ponies scored four straight points to tie the set. After the teams exchanged points for a 25-25 tie, the Bulldogs scored two straight points to win, 27-25, to win the match and the tournament.

In the final match of the weekend, Yelena Miller led the Ponies with nine kills and three blocks. Avery Carlson recorded eight kills and a service ace while Kyanna Jarvis posted 18 digs and two service aces against Hardin. Before the match against Hardin, the Ponies played two matches earlier that morning just to get there, so the Ponies were sure to be tired.

“When you face a team like Hardin and the quick, fast pace that they operate in, in order to be successful against them, you have to have full energy,” Huse said. “I do feel like we were depleted and we were running low on the gas tank but even with that, I felt like the girls didn’t ever give up.”

It was a long journey for the Ponies over the weekend to get to the championship match. On Thursday afternoon, the Ponies took care of business with a win over Lockwood in three sets (25-12, 25-13, 25-15) to start the tournament. In the match, Jarvis led Havre with eight kills and 11 digs.

But the Ponies ran into trouble on Friday afternoon with a loss to Hardin in five sets (16-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13). In the first set, things looked promising for the Ponies as they jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first set. Over the next few minutes, the Ponies stretched their lead to 14-4. The Bulldogs played better down the stretch but it was not enough as Havre won the set, 25-15, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set started the same for the Ponies as they jumped out to a 9-0 lead. Through the rest of the set, the Ponies were able to maintain their lead as they went on to win, 25-17, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

With their backs against the wall, the Bulldogs responded with a 4-0 to start the third set. The Ponies got going as they tried to keep pace but they could not grab momentum. Leading 13-11, the Bulldogs went on an 8-3 run to stretch their lead to 21-14. The Ponies tried to rally but Hardin held on to win, 25-22, to cut Havre’s lead in the match to 2-1.

The fourth set followed a similar pattern with Hardin taking an early lead and Havre never able to overcome the deficit. The Ponies played competitively throughout the set, but the Bulldogs held on to win, 25-22, to force a fifth set.

The Bulldogs jumped out an 8-4 lead to start the fifth set. But the Ponies came back with a 6-2 run to tie the set. Over the next few minutes, the Ponies and Bulldogs exchanged scores until it was tied 13-13. The Bulldogs then scored two straight points to win the set, 15-13, to win the match. Carlson led the Ponies with 16 kills and Jarvis had another strong match with 29 digs and four service aces, but it was not enough to withstand Hardin’s comeback.

“They went on a lot of runs that we had a hard time answering,” Huse said. “We were playing a lot more defense and react than being aggressive and offensive and they just got into a rhythm that we struggled to stop.”

Because of the loss, the Ponies, season was on the line with an elimination match against Lewistown on Friday night. Looking to stay alive, Havre defeated Lewistown in three sets (25-14, 25-19, 25-21). Carlson recorded 11 kills and 11 digs while Molly Huse had a strong match with 37 assists and 13 digs.

On Saturday morning, the Ponies survived a thriller as they won in five sets (27-25, 25-19, 12-25, 17-25, 18-16) against Billings Central. After Havre won the first two sets, the Rams came back to win the next two to force a fifth set that saw the teams go back and forth. Thanks to the efforts of players such as Carlson with 18 kills and Miller with her seven blocks, the Ponies survived the fifth set to advance in the tournament.

“I really just got the sense that the girls weren’t going to be denied. They knew what was on the line and they knew the importance of it,” Huse said about the win. “They just worked really hard to finish that match out and earn a berth to state.”

Later on Saturday morning, Havre defeated Laurel in four sets (26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 26-24). Against the Locomotives, Carlson recorded 13 kills and 21 digs while Lizzi Haney led the team with 22 digs and two service aces. After losing to Hardin early in the tournament, the Ponies had now made it to the championship match after three straight wins.

“I thought it spoke a lot to our girl's character,” Huse said about the Ponies’ run through the tournament. “You just never know how a team is going to respond to that kind of mental let down on top of a physical battle and I thought the girls did a good job the minute they stepped on the floor.”

The Ponies’ weekend ended with another loss to Hardin but they have now clinched a spot in the state tournament this week in Bozeman. Through divisionals, the Ponies competed in several five-set matches, which they had not yet experienced this season. With that new experience, Huse believes it helps the Ponies as they now prepare for state.

“Those are valuable lessons that I think we can take away from this weekend that we can learn from and apply as we go into state,” Huse said. “There’s nothing like a tournament, there’s nothing like high competitive volleyball. Having those experiences and going through them are definitely beneficial and will help us as we go to the state tournament this week.”

The HHS volleyball team will begin the State Class A Volleyball Tournament at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman this Thursday at noon.

Havre def. Lockwood

25-12, 25-13, 25-15

HAV - Aces 9 (Lizzi Haney 3, Avery Carlson 2, Molly Huse 2); Kills 33 (Kyanna Jarvis 8, Emilee Chambliss 7, Yelena Miller 6); Assists 29 (Huse 28); Digs 43 (Jarvis 11, Huse 11, Haney 10); Blocks 4 (Ariana Gary 2).

Hardin def. Havre

16-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13

HAV - Aces 5 (Kyanna Jarvis 4, Molly Huse 1); Kills 51 (Avery Carlson 16, Emilee Chambliss 11); Assists 43 (Huse 37, Lizzi Haney 4); Digs 104 (Jarvis 29, Haney 19); Blocks 9 (Chambliss 3, Elle Verploegen 3).

Havre def. Lewistown

25-14, 25-19, 25-21

HAV - Aces 4 (Lizzi Haney 1, Kyanna Jarvis 1); Kills 39 (Avery Carlson 11, Emilee Chambliss 10); Assists 40 (Molly Huse 37, Haney 2); Digs 49 (Huse 13, Carlson 11); Blocks 4 (Yelena Miller 2, Carlson 1).

Havre def. Billings Central

27-25, 25-19, 12-25, 17-25, 18-16

HAV - Aces 4 (Molly Huse 1, Emilee Chambliss 1); Kills 55 (Avery Carlson 18, Kyanna Jarvis 13); Assists 45 (Huse 39, Lizzi Haney 6); Digs 106 (Haney 23, Carlson 23); Blocks 11 (Yelena Miller 7, Chambliss 2).

Havre def. Laurel

26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 26-24

HAV - Aces 9 (Lizzi Haney 2, Molly Huse 2); Kills 42 (Avery Carlson 13, Kyanna Jarvis 13); Assists 37 (Huse 36, Haney 1); Digs 76 (Haney 22, Carlson 21); Blocks 8 (Elle Verploegen 3, Emilee Chambliss 1).

Hardin def. Havre

25-17, 25-23, 27-25

HAV - Aces 3 (Kyanna Jarvis 2, Avery Carlson 1); Kills 31 (Yelena Miller 9, Carlson 8); Assists 28 (Molly Huse 27, Lizzi Haney 1); Digs 73 (Haney 23, Jarvis 18); Blocks 6 (Miller 3, Elle Verploegen 3).