It's been over 10 days since the last time the Havre Blue Ponies volleyball team stepped on the court and it showed last night in Chinook.
Still, the Ponies squeaked out 15-11, 15-10, 10-15, 15-8 wins over the Sugarbeeters Thursday night in Chinook.
"They haven't played since Great Falls and they didn't play much there," Havre head coach Lacy Anderson said. "And, they haven't played-played for a while. Getting back into the swing of things was a little tougher than they thought it would be."
The first game of the night saw the Ponies take an early lead of five-plus points, but the passing problems for Havre let Chinook back in the game.
"We came out and played tough," Anderson said. "We just came out hard, but Chinook rallied right back. They just served to us and we couldn't pass the ball."
The Ponies survived the Beeters' rally and held on to the 15-11 win. While Anderson said the second game started slow, Havre escaped with a 15-10 win.
Tied at 5-all in the third game, the Beeters were relentless, winning 15-10.
"They are so scrappy," Anderson said. "They do not give up on any balls at all. They have a range that they just go. They don't quit on any ball. It's cool. It's nice to see. It's incredible that she (Chinook coach Paula Molyneaux) gets her girls to work that hard."
Havre went back to its normal rotation in the fourth and final game, defeating Chinook 15-8.
Havre improved to 10-8 overall on the season, while Chinook fell to 17-7.
Two Ponies had their chance to play in their first varsity game Thursday night junior Kacie Kitchens and sophomore Alicia Overcast.
"They stepped in and did a pretty good job," Anderson said. "It's a big step from JV to varsity. You could tell they were nervous, but they did a good job."
The Ponies have the remainder of the weekend off and will take on Fergus and Browning next Saturday at home. Chinook faces Plentywood tonight in Chinook and has Saturday off.
