Pony spikers put up a good fight against the Cowgirls

Following its loss last Wednesday at the Eastern A Divisional Tournament, the Havre High volleyball team had to beat Miles City to keep its 2017 season afloat. Yet, despite winning the first set, the outcome was not what the Blue Ponies wanted.

After HHS won the opening set against Miles City, 25-23, the Cowgirls swept the next three, 25-23, 25-13 and 25-16 to close out the Ponies. The loss eliminated Havre from the Eastern A Divisional and gave them a final record of 6-12 for the season.

The Ponies were in loser-out action against Miles City following their loss to Laurel in the opening round of the tournament, even though Havre built a 2-1 lead in that match. That meant Havre had to play Miles City and with their backs against the wall, the Ponies scored the early victory to take the 1-0 lead.

However, after Miles City was able to tie the match up at 1-1, thanks to a 25-23 win in the second set, it was able to control the final sets, winning both by double digits, 25-13 and 25-16.

Miles City was superior team statistically, besting Havre in every single category. The Cowgirls had 35 kills, with nine coming from Kyra Oakland, while the Ponies had 27, thanks to a team-high eight from Camryn Huston. In assists, it was Miles City with 35, compared to 27 for Havre, which got 21 from Sam Oliver. In terms of aces, the Cowgirls notched seven, with Oakland getting three. Havre finished with four, two of which came from Caitlyn Terry.

The biggest discrepancy was in blocks, where Miles City finished with 18, getting five from Andy Porter, while Havre wound up with seven, although Jessa Chvilicek did have a solid performance with 3.5. The Cowgirls also had 71 digs. Havre had just 50, with a team-high 13 coming from Terry.

When the Eastern A tournament was all said and done, Billings Central won the divisional crown, with Belgrade getting second, Lewistown finishing third and Glendive getting fourth.

The top four teams from the Eastern A, as well as the qualifiers from the Northwest A and Southwest A all advance to the All-Class State Tournament in Bozeman, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.

Miles City def. Havre

23-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-16

Miles City: Kills: 35 (Kyra Oakland 9). Assists: 35 (Jodie Chapweske 27). Aces: 7 (Oakland, Saige Diegel 3). Digs: 71 (Diegel 17). Blocks: 18 (Andy Porter 5).

Havre: Kills: 27 (Camryn Huston 8). Assists: 27 (Sam Oliver 21). Aces: 4 (Caitlyn Terry 2). Digs: 50 (Caitlyn Terry 13). Blocks: 7 (Jessa Chvilicek 3.5).