Pony spikers beat Browning, Lewistown on the road

The Havre high volleyball team had a great couple of road games last week.

The Blue Ponies' first came last Thursday against the Browning Indians, as Havre claimed the match 3-0 with the set scores being 25-9, 25-10 and 25-10. The second match for the Blue Pony club was last Friday, as the team beat the Lewistown Golden Eagles 3-1, the set scores being 28-26, 25-18, 25-15 and 25-12.

Havre High head coach Tamecia Jarvis is proud of her teams' efforts throughout the games.

"The girls really came out and played well," said Jarvis.

Havre's first match of the week was against the Browning Indians, a team that they have met with before. Last time the two clubs met; the Ponies won the match 3-1. This time, things went even better for Havre.

The first set of the match was all Blue Ponies. The girls went out on the court and held Browning to just nine points, keeping the Indians from getting too close, claiming the set 25-9. The second set saw Browning only score one more point than the last match. The Ponies remembered how the Indians had surprised them in the second set the last time they met, so Havre made sure to not let Browning catch them off guard again and won the set 25-10. The third set had the exact same score as the second. Havre continued to dominate and defeated the Indians once more after a 25-10 set victory and a 3-1 match win.

Senior Jessa Chvilicek ended the game with four aces, 10 kills and 1.5 blocks. Fellow senior Peyton Brown racked up three aces and 17 assists. Seniors Sam Oliver, Sydney Wilting and Kinsey Adkins all ended the game with 10 digs.

The Blue Ponies have now beat Browning both on the road and at home, proving that no matter where they went to play, the Havre club was going to give the Indians a match to remember.

Jarvis was very proud of her girls' improvements against Browning.

"The Browning game went well," said Jarvis. "We beat them in three sets and we kept all three sets on a good point, so the girls played really well."

The Blue Ponies also played a tough match against Lewistown. The Havre team started off slow but picked up the pace and brought the heat to down the Golden Eagles.

The first set was a heated one. Havre and Lewistown went back-and-forth throughout the entire set, each gaining advantages on the other. In the end, the Ponies came up short and fell to the Golden Eagles 28-26, the match 0-1 in. The second set was the point where Havre buckled down and gave Lewistown something to witness. The set still had the ferocity that the first did, but the Ponies took every opportunity they could grasp and ran with it. Havre kept the Golden Eagles at bay with some very high-level play, restricting Lewistown from capitalizing throughout the whole set. The Golden Eagles tried to answer the Ponies, but in the end Havre tied the match 1-1 with an impressive victory.

From there on out, the Ponies dominated Lewistown, keeping the Golden Eagles from taking flight and taking back the match.

The third set put forth even more great gameplay from Havre. The Ponies kept Lewistown's score lower than the second match. Havre was scored on sometimes throughout the set, but the girls did not waver in the presence of adversity. Multiple key scores and great teamwork had the Ponies one-step ahead of the Golden Eagles. Lewistown, who showed great prowess in the first set, now started to dwindle in strength, allowing Havre to at another set win to the match at 2-1.

The Blue Ponies did not give Lewistown any chances to get another set victory in the match, giving the Golden Eagles another overwhelming performance. Havre put Lewistown to an even lower score of 12, making the set look easy for the Ponies.

Oliver racked up 22 digs, three assists, 12 kills and four aces. Chvilicek and fellow senior Cassidy Acor both put up 15 kills. Brown ended the match with 43 assists and junior Ellen Collins had six aces.

Dominant gameplay and a great performance gave Havre a very exciting comeback win over the Golden Eagles. The Ponies did not let up at made their mark in the Lewistown High Gymnasium, claiming the match with a 3-1 victory.

"The first set was a little rocky," Jarvis said. "We definitely should have won that one but we just had a little bit of a technical error at the end. Other than that, the last three sets that we finished with were pretty good."

After two incredible Class A road-game wins, the Ponies are primed for a good playoff presence. The team has shown its prowess, skill and talent against every Class A team they have faced, proving their toughness will be something most teams will have to play to or fall against the Ponies.

Havre High volleyball is not finished and will be playing some Eastern A teams this week. The Ponies will face off against the Glendive Red Devils Friday in Glendive. Then, Havre travels to Miles City Saturday against the Cowgirls in another Eastern A match.

Havre def. Browning

25-9, 25-10, 25-10

HAV – Kills 27 (Jessa Chvilicek 10, Cassidy Acor 09), Assists 23 (Peyton Brown 17), Digs 33 (Sydney Wilting 10, Peyton Brown 09, Kinsey Adkins 06), Blocks 06 (Cassidy Acor 2.5, Jessa Chvilicek 1.5), Aces 13 (Jessa Chvilicek 04, Peyton Brown 03)

BRO – no stats were reported.

Havre def. Lewistown

28-26, 25-18, 25-15, 25-12

HAV – Kills 50 (Jessa Chvilicek 15, Cassidy Acor 15, Sam Oliver 12), Assists 49 (Peyton Brown 43, Sam Oliver 03), Digs 65 (Sam Oliver 22, Peyton Brown 15, Sydney Wilting 13), Blocks 11 (Jessa Chvilicek 5.5, Cassidy Acor 2.5), Aces 22 (Ellen Collins 06, Sam Oliver 04, Jessa Chvilicek 04)

LEW – Kills 29 (Kylie Zimmer 14, Jessica Morgan 06), Assists 29 (Macey Mangold 26), Digs 60 (Libbey Jenness 16, Macy Mangold 16), Blocks 02 (Taylin Trafton 02), Aces 06 (Libbey Jenness 03).