Pony spikers return to the Corral

After a slow start to the season, the Havre High volleyball team came into Thursday's match with CMR on a three-match win streak. However, against the Class AA opponent, the Blue Ponies didn't have enough to push it to four.

The Ponies (0-2, 3-7) had actually won nine straight sets before heading to Great Falls, as they knocked off Conrad, Browning and Cut Bank in consecutive matches, without dropping a single game. However, that streak ended Thursday, as the Ponies dropped their first match in two weeks to CMR at the CMR Fieldhouse by the scores of 25-16, 21-25, 25-17 and 25-14.

Havre dropped the first set to the Rustlers by nine points, but responded well in the second with a 25-21 win before losing the third and fourth sets to drop the match. In terms of hitting, the Ponies managed 32 kills, compared to 45 for CMR. The Rustlers also had more assists 41-26 than the Ponies, but other than that, Havre beat CMR in every other category. HHS notched 12 kills to seven for CMR, as well as six blocks to three and finally 64 digs to 58.

Allie Olsen was a driving force for CMR in the win, as she finished the match with 13 kills, two aces and two blocks. Aubrey Watson also had 41 assists for the Rustlers. Camryn Huston led the way for the Ponies with eight kills. Emilee Cariveau also pitched in with 1.5 blocks. Sam Oliver had 26 assists. Katie Donaldson had 21 digs and three aces, while Alex Donaldson also had three aces for HHS.

Certainly, Havre wanted to knock off its Class AA rival, but the Ponies will have an even more important match to play Saturday, when they will host Lewistown inside the HHS gymnasium. The match is set to get underway at approximately 5 p.m.

"These last two weeks we have really started coming together," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "We have built some momentum and got some confidence, so hopefully we can keep that going."

As far as hitting goes, the Ponies didn't have the strongest numbers in the Central A heading into Thursday, but one area where they excel is serving. Sam Oliver currently leads the Central A conference in aces with 39 total. She also leads the league with an average of .73 aces per set. However, she isn't the only Pony to be among the leaders in aces, as Logan Huebsch ranks fifth, Alex Donaldson ranks seventh and Katie Donaldson is 10th.

While the Ponies excel at serving, they do possess some capable hitters around the block. One of their top hitters in the middle is senior Camryn Huston, who ranks ninth in the Central A with 82 kills. Huston is also seventh in the league in blocks with 17. She falls just behind teammate Jessa Chvilicek, who has 18 and just ahead of Emilee Cariveau, who has also been solid in that category with 13.5 blocks, which ranks eighth.

In addition to leading the conference in aces, Oliver is also among the leaders in the Central A in assists. Going into Thursday night, she was third in the conference with 230.

On the opposite side of the floor, Lewistown comes in with a record of 6-4 overall and 1-1 in the Central A. The Eagles are also one of the top hitting teams in the conference and boast a number of talented hitters such as Anna Zimmer, Hayden Potter and Ajiah Ross.

"Lewistown is always tough," Jarvis said. "We just need to come out and be aggressive. We have to try and limit our mistakes, and if we can do that, I think we will have chance."

Havre (0-2, 3-7) will host Lewistown Saturday at 5 p.m.

C.M. Russell d. Havre

25-16, 21-25, 25-17, 25-14

Havre -- Kills 32 (Camryn Huston 8), Assists 26 (Sam Oliver 26), Aces 12 (Alex Donaldson 3, Katie Donaldson 3), Digs 64 (K. Donaldson 21), Blocks 6 (Emilee Cariveau 1.5)

C.M. Russell (1-5, 4-11) -- Kills 45 (Allie Olsen 13), Assists 41 (Aubrey Wasson 41), Aces 7 (Olsen 2, Kaylee Beer 2), Digs 58 (Beer 20), Blocks 3 (Olsen 2).