By Tiffany L. Rehbein
The Havre Blue Pony volleyball team must have wanted to prove that they could beat almost everybody in the Central A.
They got that opportunity at the divisional tournament, held last weekend at the B.W. Lodge at Dillon.
The No. 1-seeded Blue Ponies, who dropped a 15-10, 13-15, 15-10, 15-3 match to Livingston on Thursday night, came through the back door of the tournament and notched a second-place finish. They played all but two of the Central A teams en route to the finish.
The second-seeded Fergus County Golden Eagles defeated the Ponies 15-5, 15-9, 15-3 to place first at the tournament.
During the first game in the championship match against Lewistown, the Eagles jumped out to a 5-0 lead before senior outside hitter Tiffany Shrauger tallied back-to-back kills and cut the lead to 5-2. A Lewistown error left the Eagles up 5-3.
However, Lewistown went on a 6-0 run and led 11-3, until 5-foot-11 sophomore Amy Ranes notched a block for a point.
But three Havre errors and a kill by 5-foot-11 senior middle hitter Janalee Stokken led to the Eagles' 15-5 win.
In the second game, 30 side-out balls were played before Lewistown sewed up the 15-8 win.
With a 5-3 Lewistown lead, nine side-outs were exchanged before Havre was called with a net violation, giving the Eagles the point.
In the third game, 20 side-outs were exchanged before the Eagles clinched the title.
After a Blue Pony time out, and eight consecutive side-outs later, Lewistown scored on a Havre error and led, 9-2. Blue Pony sophomore Jayla McPherson tallied one block to cut the Eagles lead to 14-3, but junior outside hitter Lindsay Garcia smoked a kill deep into Blue Pony territory for the victory.
Ranes finished with a team-high 17 kills, while senior powerhouse Erin Patera tallied 10.
Shrauger notched nine digs to lead the Blue Ponies, while Patera had eight.
The Blue Ponies, the No. 1-ranked team in serving percentage, served just 85 percent against Lewistown.
In earlier play on Friday, the Blue Ponies warmed up to a cheer about the Butte Central Lady Maroons going down, and down they went, 15-11, 16-14, 15-10.
Three Blue Ponies had double figure kill marks in the win. Ranes and Patera had 13 each, while Jayla McPherson tallied 11 in the match.
Shrauger again led the defensive effort with 13 digs, while Patera and senior setter Lisa Wagner had 12 each. Senior defensive specialist Teri Sherrill added 10 in the win.
But the game that earned the Ponies a berth to the state tournament came Friday night when Havre defeated Belgrade, 15-12, 15-9, 10-15, 15-11.
The Panthers, the No. 1 team from the Southern Subdivision, had defeated the Blue Ponies in three games earlier this season.
Patera had an impressive 20 kills, seven blocks, and 19 digs in the win.
Shrauger led the Ponies with 22 digs and two aces in the match.
Senior setter Kirsten Kuka served served 96 percent and tallied five aces in the match. She also had 14 digs.
Senior Jana McPherson had 14 digs, while Sherrill scooped 15, and Wagner had 11. Ranes had 10 kills for Havre.
The Blue Ponies redeemed themselves against Livingston with a 16-14, 15-6, 9-15, 15-5 win on Saturday afternoon. Livingston will enter the state tournament as the No. 3 seed from the Central Division.
Patera turned in a fine offensive performance with 29 kills and Shrauger fared well with four aces and 18 digs to lead the Havre attack.
Ranes continued her dominant play with 12 kills at the net. Wagner tallied 11 digs, two aces, and 27 assists in the effort.
All three teams who advanced to the state tournament were from the North Subdivision of the Central A.
Lewistown (20-7) , the No. 1 seed from the Central A, will face Corvallis, the third-place finisher from the Western A.
Livingston (15-12), the No. 3 seed from the Central A, will face Whitefish, the No. 1 seed from the west.
Havre (24-6) will face Colstrip, the second-place finisher from the Eastern A.
Hardin, the No. 1 seed from the east, will face Bigfork, the third-place finisher from the west. Hardin, a team who was 20-5 entering the divisional tournament, and Lewistown will be on the same side of the bracket.
Butte Central def. Browning 15-11, 15-0, 16-14 (lo)
Browning Kills 14 (Cinda Edwards 5, Dale Rae Salois, Jennifer Brown, Jodi McLoughlin 4); Blocks 3; Aces 5 (Misty Lewis 4); Assists 17 (Lewis 17).
Butte Central Kills 34 (Heidi McGree 8, Ciana Roeber 6); Blocks 4 (Liz Henrich 2); Aces 8 (JJ Hogart 3); Assists 28 (Hogart 19).
Dillon def. Anaconda 15-13, 11-15, 15-12, 15-9 (lo)
Dillon Kills 55 (Lynsey Monaco 15, Kathryn Hunt 15); Blocks 10 (Monaco 7); Digs 103 (Monaco 21, Shana Probst 21); Aces 11 (Monaco 4); Assists 47 (Katie Hagenbarth 25).
Anaconda Kills 62 (Maurina Venturelli 14, Brianne Downey 13); Blocks 5 (Kelli Phillip 3); Digs 101 (Venturelli 18, Anya Grae 16); Assists 59 (Michelle Herrick 56).
Havre def. Butte Central 15-3, 6-15, 15-7, 15-5 (lo)
Butte Central Kills 23 (Heidi McGree 8, Tara Callaghan 7); Blocks 2 (Alicia Wheeler, Callaghan); Digs 71 (Sarah Thatcher 14, JJ Hogart 12); Aces 7 (Calye Sullivan 3, Hogart 3); Assists 18 (Hogart 17).
Havre Kills 49 (Erin Patera 14, Amy Ranes 13); Blocks 9 (Jana McPherson 3, Patera 2); Digs 75 (Patera 12, Lisa Wagner 11); Assists 44 (Kirsten Kuka 21, Wagner 19).
Belgrade def. Dillon 15-3, 9-15, 15-7, 15-8 (lo)
Dillon Kills 27 (Shana Probst 7, Lynsey Monaco 6); Blocks 7 (Monaco 4); Digs 82 (Monaco 18, Probst 18, Katie Blades 18); Aces 9 (Probst 4, Lindsey Scott 3); Assists (Scott 26).
Belgrade Kills 44 (Rois Meyn 12, Lynn Craver 10); Blocks 3 (Sage Dubois, Heather Heier, Craver); Digs 81 (Meyn 19, Haley Barclay 14); Aces 11 (Barclay 4, Carly Pickthorn 3); Assists 36 (Kristen Bechtold 11).
Lewistown def. Livingston 15-3, 15-5, 14-16, 15-9
Lewistown Kills 36 (Angela Bausch 11); Blocks 15 (Bausch 4); Digs 63 (Becky Hancock 14); Aces 5 (Bausch 2); Assists 32 (Hancock 29).
Livingston Kills 61 (Janalee Stokken 21); Blocks 1 (erica Daniels); Digs 59 (Janelle Phifer 13, Jamie Slagel 13); Aces 8 (Phifer 4); Assists 49 (Slagel 46).
Havre def. Belgrade 12-15, 12-15, 15-10, 15-12, 15-12
Havre Aces 9 (Kirsten Kuka 6); Blocks 10 (Erin Patera 4); Kills 42 (Patera 20); Digs 83 (Tiffany Shrauger 22); Assists 34 (Lisa Wagner 17).
Belgrade Aces 6 (Kristen Bechtold 3); Blocks 4 (Lynn Craver 2, Mari Beitman 2); Kills 34 (Rosie Meyn 12); Digs (Meyn 19); Assists 30 (Bechtold 24).
Havre def. Livingston 16-14, 15-6, 9-15, 15-5 (3rd)
Havre Kills 57 (Erin Patera 28, Amy Ranes 13); Blocks 16 (Patera, Ranes 5); Digs 64 (Kirsten Kuka 14, Lisa Wagner10); Aces 10 (Tiffany Shrauger 4); Assists 54 Wagner 28, Kuka 22).
Livingston Kills 39 (Leanne Sudbeck 13, Angela Bausch 10); Blocks 3 (Sudbeck, Angela Bausch, Lindsay Lyman); Digs 53 (Erin Blakely 19); Aces 4 (Blakely, Becky Hancock 2); Assists 36 (Hancock 34).
Lewistown def. Havre 15-5, 15-8, 15-3 (1st)
Lewistown Kills 36 (Lindsay Garcia 13, Janalee Stokken 9); Blocks 1; Digs 55 (Cassie Chapman, Janelle Phifer 8); Aces 4 (Phifer 2); Assists 31 (Jamie Slagel 25).
Havre Kills 31 (Erin Patera 13, Amy Ranes ) Blocks 2 (Patera, Jayla McPherson) Digs 44 (Tiffany Shrauger 9, Patera 8) Aces 1 (Kirsten Kuka) Assists 28 (Lisa Wagner 15, Kuka 13).
