Smashing debut: Blue Pony volleyball sweeps home matches

During the first part of its season, the Havre High volleyball team faced some really difficult competition and didn't have a ton of success. But after three straight sweeps, it looks like the challenging early-season schedule is paying dividends.

After beating Conrad in straight sets last week, the Blue Ponies did the same to Browning Friday night and Cut Bank Saturday night, with both games being played inside the HHS gymnasium. The Ponies knocked off the Indians, their former Central A rival, 25-12, 25-20 and 25-15. HHS beat Cut Bank 25-17, 25-9 and 25-12.

"I was really pleased with how we played," HHS head coach Tamecia Jarvis said. "The girls came out and played hard and they had a lot of emotion and that made a big difference. We just had a lot of energy and they did a great job of finishing."

In the first set against Browning and former Havre High head coach Bill Huebsch, who now coaches the Indians, the score was 8-8 early. But a 7-0 run for the Ponies allowed them to take control of the set. They finished it with a 17-5 run to grab a 1-0 lead in the match.

In the second game, the two teams again went back-and-forth to start, with the score tied at 14-14, but a 5-0 run from HHS put the Ponies up 19-14, which led to a 25-20 Havre win. In the third set, Havre led just 13-10, but an ace and a block from Camryn Huston pushed it to 15-10 and the Ponies never looked back in a 25-15 win that clinched the sweep.

In terms of hitting, it was no contest between the Ponies and the Indians, as Havre had 22 kills compared to just four for Browning. The Ponies also racked up 15 aces, 21 assists, 47 digs and five blocks. Browning, on the other hand, had three assists, one ace, 13 digs and two blocks.

Huston was a key contributor for the Ponies, finishing the match with eight kills. Emilee Cariveau also had a strong night with four aces, while Sam Oliver added 20 assists and 1.5 blocks.

"I thought that we missed some opportunities hitting the ball," Jarvis said. "But I thought we did a really good job defensively. We did a really good job communicating and we were really hustling, so that was really good to see."

Following the win over Browning in the home opener, Havre was even sharper Saturday against Cut Bank. HHS jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the first set and won 25-17, before scoring nine of the first 11 points in the second en route to a 25-9 win. Tasting victory, Havre went for the kill in the third set and rolled to a 25-12 win to secure a third-straight sweep.

"Hopefully, we can keep building on this," Jarvis said. "We played with a lot of energy and I think seeing the other teams (freshmen and JV) play before and seeing them win, I think that helps."

After putting up 15 aces against Browning Friday, the Ponies serving was even more impressive Saturday as they finished with 18. The Ponies also out hit Cut Bank, finishing the match with 24 kills compared to 11 for the Wolves. Havre also had eight blocks, while Cut Bank had one just one. HHS finished with 44 digs and 19 assists, compared to 16 and 10 for its opponent.

Logan Huebsch led the way for the Ponies in the match with seven kills. Oliver had another big night with six aces, 14 assists and 11 digs. Katie Donaldson also contributed in the win for HHS with three aces and 11 digs.

The Ponies, who are now 3-2 in regulation matches this season, will travel to Great Falls to take on Class AA rival CMR Thursday, before returning to the HHS gymnasium Saturday for a home match against Lewistown.

Havre d. Browning

25-12, 25-20, 25-15

Havre – Kills 22 (Camryn Huston 8), Assists 21 (Sam Oliver 20), Aces 15 (Emilee Cariveau 4), Digs 47 (Oliver 9), Blocks 5 (Oliver 1.5).

Browning – Kills 4 (four with one each), Assists 3 (Olivia Hall), Aces 1 (T. Iron Shirt), Digs 13 (T. Jordan 4, Hall 4), Blocks 2 (Iron Shirt 1)

Havre def. Cut Bank

25-17, 25-9, 25-12

Cut Bank - Aces 4 (M. Francom 2); Kills 11 (Francom 4); Assists 16 (M. Barrett 10); Blocks 1 (B. Finstad); Digs 10 (Barrett 3, Finstad 3).

Havre - Aces 18 (Sam Oliver 6, Paige Nelson 3, Katie Donaldson 3); Kills 24 (Logan Huebsch 7, Sam Oliver 4); Assists 19 (Sam Oliver 14); Blocks 8 (Emilee Cariveau 2, Alex Donaldson 2); Digs 44 (Oliver 11, K. Donaldson 11).