Havre High volleyball sweeps Browning

With Havre High School holding its homecoming this week, HHS volleyball head coach Stephanie Huse had to make sure her team was not distracted. If their performance Thursday night against Browning at Blue Pony Gymnasium is any indication, the Blue Ponies were more than focused as they defeated Browning, 3-0, by winning their sets by scores of 25-4, 25-10 and 25-12.

"I thought the girls did a really good job on serve receive and they had some really tough servers," Huse said. "I thought our girls controlled that very well. Whenever our passers can control the ball and make accurate passes like that, it makes our offense look really good."

The Ponies came out hot to start the first set. Havre dominated early to take an 11-0 lead before Browning got on the scoreboard. A key player for the Ponies during that run was Avery Carlson, who recorded three kills during that stretch.

"We were super aggressive right off the bat and we showed up to play," Carlson said.

Havre went on to win the set 25-4. Along with tough serving, Huse believes Molly Huse was a key part of their dominance to start the night.

"Tough serving is what it came down to," Stephanie Huse said about the first set. "Molly started off the match with a good run of 11 points and that kicks it off when you have that energy right off the bat so I think that's what started it."

After Browning scored the first point of the second set, Havre responded with a 9-3 run to take a 9-4 lead. Even though Browning played better in the second set, Havre went on to win the second set, 25-10. With volleyball being a game of momentum, Huse had to make sure her team did not lose momentum and let the Indians back into the set.

"We held on to it by just not letting up," Huse said. "That's our theme this year. Even when things shift and maybe aren't going our way, we don't let up, we continue to play our game and stay aggressive."

Havre again jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead to start the third set. The Ponies continued to play strong but Browning eventually cut their deficit to 13-8. However, Havre finished the set on a 12-3 run to win the set 25-11 and to sweep the match.

Molly Huse had a strong night for the Ponies as she led the team with 22 assists and 3 service aces. Maddie Columbus led the team with seven kills and also recorded a block. Jade Wendland also had a solid outing against Browning with five digs, two service aces and a block.

With the win over Browning, Havre is now 6-1 on the season and 4-1 at home. While the Ponies had a strong performance Thursday night, Huse did notice some areas that her team will need to improve upon before they face their rival Lewistown on Saturday.

"There was a stint where we missed a lot of serves," Huse said. "Those unforced errors, we got to minimize those as much as possible."

HHS volleyball will next play on the road at Lewistown Saturday at 4 p.m.

Havre def. Browning

25-4, 25-10, 25-12

HAV - Aces 11 (Molly Huse 3, Yelena Miller 3, Jade Wendland 2); Kills 29 (Maddie Columbus 7, Avery Carlson 6); Assists 22 (Huse 22); Blocks 4 (Columbus 1, Wendland 1, Huse 1, Miller 1); Digs 25 (Alyssa Oliver 8, Wendland 5, Lizzi Haney 4).