Cassie Krueger excited to lead HHS volleyball team

This fall, the Havre High volleyball team will be under new leadership. Cassie Krueger will take over as the head coach of the Blue Ponies as she takes over for former coach Stephanie Huse. As the new leader of the HHS volleyball program, Krueger is excited to coach the young volleyball players.

"I just look forward to working with the girls and helping them develop their skills but also learning to love the game and just learning that team camaraderie and all of that," Krueger said. "I'm very much looking forward to the season and seeing how they blossom and grow together as a team."

Krueger played high school volleyball at Flathead before playing collegiate volleyball at Montana State University for a few seasons. She then transferred to play collegiate volleyball for three seasons at Montana State University-Northern right here in Havre. During her playing career, Krueger played as an outside hitter.

After graduating from MSU-N, Krueger remained involved in volleyball as a strength and conditioning coach. When she heard there was an opening for the head coaching position for the HHS volleyball team, Krueger wanted a bigger role in the sport she loved.

"When this opportunity arose, I just really wanted to go out and coach and give back to my community," Krueger said. "To help young women learn to love the sport like I did when I was their age."

Krueger takes over an HHS volleyball program that has finished second at the Class A State tournament the past two seasons. With this being her first time as the head coach of a high school program, Krueger knows there will be a learning curve.

"The biggest adjustment for me is going to be stepping into that role and making sure, logistically, the girls have everything they need to compete for the season," Krueger said. "They already have a solid understanding of volleyball so it's just going to be fine tuning their skills and making sure that they're working together as a team."

As Krueger looks to continue the upward trajectory of the program, she has been filling out the rest of her coaching staff to help her. So far, she has hired Sara Strissel as an assistant coach, who has experience in volleyball playing as a setter. Krueger is still looking to add one more coach to the staff before the season begins.

Outside of volleyball, Krueger has been working for the past few years as a mortgage loan officer for First Colony Mortgage in Havre. On the side, she helps out waiting tables at Murphy's Irish Pub.

As the new head coach of the HHS volleyball team, Krueger is excited to coach the Ponies throughout the fall. While she does not have a lot of experience coaching, she believes her experience in the sport of volleyball makes her suited to lead the program moving forward.

"I think I bring a lot of experience for the girls. Just being an ex-collegiate athlete, I can bring in the knowledge of what they are going through and fine tuning it," Krueger said. "I hope to bring a higher level of strength, conditioning, speed and agility work. That's been something that I've been very passionate about this summer with them and they've responded very well to it."