Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
A tough four game stretch lies ahead for the Havre High volleyball team, and it begins tonight with a taste of class AA volleyball when the Ponies travel Great Falls High. The Bison are a young team that is struggling a bit in the class AA Eastern Division with a 5-7 overall record and a 1-4 conference record. “They are not a bad volleyball team at all,” HHS head coach Bill Huebsch said. “It’s just that they play in such a tough conference that it is hard to really gauge how good they really are.” The Bison do have some very solid players led by Tara Udell and Becca Prince. Udell, a senior hitter and the top player on the GFH team will play a big role in determining the outcome of the match with her ability to kill the ball and serve. “Tara Udell is probably their best overall player,” Huebsch said. “She’s a solid all-around player. But no matter who we are matched up against winning down there is going to be difficult. Because for us it is always difficult to win in Great Falls.” If the Ponies are going to pull out a win over the Bison, they will need a great effort from standout players such as Lena Suek, Signe Hillson and Carmen Neuens. The team will also need to do well in serving the ball and serve-receive. “I think a big part of the match will come down to who serves better,” Huebsch said. “They serve tough and we can’t allow them to take us out of our offense. “It’s definitely going to be a big test,” he added. “We have a lot of tough matches coming up, and this match against the Bison is one of them. It is going to give us a good indication of where we are at this point in the season.” On Saturday, the Ponies will return home to face off against Class AA CMR. The Rustlers are 5-7 overall on the season. The Rustlers are also struggling through what might be considered a down year for them. “They are another team that is a pretty decent team that just got stuck in a very difficult conference,” Huebsch said. “I think it is going to be a challenging game for us. It’s always a challenge when you take on a team from Great Falls because they are just tough to beat.” The Rustlers’ attack is led by senior hitter Mary Anderson and Melissa Fry. “Mary Anderson is a solid player all around,” Huebsch said. “She hits the ball really hard and she just plays really well for them.” Anderson will be challenged by Hillson and a number of other different players that have stepped up and become regular contributors to the Ponies. Players like Tricia Samson and Katie Mariani, who have both served well and passed the ball well in the back row. Chelsea Harper and Steph Stremcha both have emerged for HHS this season as well. “We are a very balanced volleyball team,” Huebsch said. “We have a lot of good athletes and even though we are a bit young and inconsistent, we have kind of stepped out of that recently.” The Ponies play GFH tonight in Great Falls at 6 Havre will return home Saturday against the CMR Rustlers at 5 p. m.
