Pony netters ready to storm the court

COVID-19 put the 2020 fall sports season in doubt for some time, but not for long, as many high school programs are ready to get back to it, including the Havre High volleyball team, who have been waiting to step on the court this season and give it their all.

After a push to make it to the Class A State Tournament as the No. 4 seed from the Eastern A back in 2019, there will be plenty of high expectations for the 2020 squad.

And under new head coach Steph Huse, the Blue Pony spikers will be working hard to make the most of this season. At the end of the day, Huse is really just excited to see what the team can do this year, especially after some great progress made so far.

Havre makes its long-awaited season debut Thursday night when the Ponies travel east to take on the Malta M-Ettes in Malta.

"We're looking forward to it," Huse said. "I'm looking forward to it with a lot of our seniors. We have seven seniors on our team this year. They have a lot of experience and have put a lot of time and dedication into our program. We're excited to get going and have a season, even with everything going on. We're happy to get the opportunity to have a season. I'm just getting familiar with the league, what the teams are like, what they're bringing, what we're bringing and the like. I have a lot of homework to do regarding the teams in the conference so I can have them best prepared for the season."

The Blue Pony spikers see several returners, like seniors Kaylee Torgerson, Sydney Wilting, Samantha Lovenguth, Kennedy Hampton, Quinn McDonald, Ellie Collins and Talia Ralph, juniors Maddie Columbus and Alyssa Oliver and sophomores Molly Huse, Yelena Miller and Avery Carlson.

There is plenty of talent back on the court. Wilting will be a key piece of the core, especially with her ability to make digs to keep the ball alive. McDonald, Ralph and Miller will make a deadly trio of spikers who can rack up plenty of kills. Hampton, Lovenguth, Torgerson and Collins will be more major pieces on the court, too, including experience and leadership.

As for the schedule, Havre has a lot in store this season. The Ponies face the Malta M-Ettes on the road Thursday, then visit Laure Sept. 15, Sidney Sept. 18, Glendale Sept. 19 and Miles City Sept. 25. Havre makes its home debut Sept. 26 against Class B Shelby followed by a trip to Lewistown Oct. 1. Miles City comes to Havre Oct. 3, while the Ponies travel to Shelby Oct. 8, and host Glendive Oct. 10. Havre then has five straight home matches, with Lewistown Oct. 17, Malta Oct. 20, Browning Oct. 22, Sidney Oct. 24 and Hardin Oct. 29. The regular season ends at Billings Central Oct. 31, followed by the Easter A in Laurel Nov. 5-7 and the Class A state tournament in Bozeman Nov. 12-14.

Havre will find itself against plenty of tough competition, especially in the Northeast A conference, with strong rivals like Glendive, who have battled it out with the Ponies plenty of times, including a five-set showdown in 2019. Rival Lewistown will be another challenge for Havre, too, as the Golden Eagles have been a team to never count out. Miles City and Sidney will look to push this year, as well.

Other blocks in the road in 2020 will include games against Billings Central and Hardin. The Rams have been strong competition consistently over the past few years and are often seen in the state tourney. As for the Bulldogs, the Ponies had their fare share of tough battles at the 2019 Eastern A Divisional Tournament versus Hardin in the Havre High Gymnasium then. At the end of the day, Huse and the Havre squad will have their hands full for the 2020 season.

The Ponies play in Malta Thursday night. Havre's schedule is heavy with road matches early on, but they will make their home debut Sept. 26 against Shelby.