Havre volleyball takes second at state tournament

It was a long weekend for the Havre High volleyball team in Bozeman. After a loss early in the State Class A Tournament, the Blue Ponies went on a run against some tough competition to force a winner-take-all championship match against Billings Central at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon.

But the Ponies' weekend came to a disappointing end with a loss in three sets (25-19, 25-20, 25-19) to Billings Central in the state title match. While it was not how the Ponies wanted to end the season, HHS head coach Stephanie Huse was proud of her team for what they accomplished this year.

"It's going to take a couple days to be able to look back and really see all the wonderful things that happened. It's hard to do that after a loss and take all the positives away," Huse said. "Our girls did an outstanding job just working their tails off and giving everything they had. That's all I care about is the effort and their desire and that was there."

The first set in the championship match saw the Ponies and Rams go back and forth. With the set tied 10-10, the Rams went on a run to take a 16-11 lead. After the Ponies battled back to cut their deficit to 19-16, the Rams ended the set strong to win, 25-19, to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Looking to respond, the Ponies took an 8-5 lead to start the second set. The Rams kept pace, but the Ponies continued to play well to maintain a 19-17 lead. The Rams took control with a 6-0 lead to take a 23-20 lead. The Ponies scored to break up the run, but the Rams pulled out the 25-20 win to put the Ponies in a 2-0 hole. After playing four matches in the previous 23 hours just to get to that point, Huse believes fatigue was starting to hit the Ponies.

"I do think that we were getting tired. We had a lot of girls just jumping and jumping and that gets to be a lot," Huse said. "We saw that at the divisional tournament and we were seeing that here but they kept giving it everything that they had and that's what you want."

The Ponies battled to start the third set. But after the two teams fought to a 14-14 tie, the Rams scored three straight points to take the lead. The Ponies tried to respond but the Rams held strong as they won the set, 25-19, to secure their third straight state title.

In the final match of the season, Kyanna Jarvis led the team with 13 kills while also recording 16 digs and two service aces. The match was also the final one in the careers of seniors Avery Carlson, Yelena Miller, Lizzi Haney and Molly Huse. Miller played well with seven kills, two blocks and two service aces and Carlson recorded six kills and 11 digs. Haney posted 16 digs and a service ace while Molly Huse recorded 26 assists for the Ponies.

"It's hard for these girls because the goal was to win state, so for them to accept that and be okay with the fact that they didn't achieve that goal is very difficult," Stephanie Huse said about the end of these seniors' careers. "It's hard to see their hearts break when you know that they've worked that hard to try to accomplish that so it's going to be sad to see those guys done."

While it was a tough way to end the season, the Ponies showed how good they were just to force a winner-take-all match Saturday afternoon. After a loss to end Thursday, the Ponies played a loser-out match Friday afternoon against Stevensville. With their season on the line, the Ponies responded as they won in three sets (25-20, 25-13, 25-16) over the Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets came out strong as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set. Even after the Ponies got some momentum, the Yellowjackets continued to play well to stretch their lead to 14-9.

But the Ponies eventually woke up with an 8-0 run to take a 17-14 lead. The Yellowjackets responded with a run of their own to tie the set 19-19. But the Ponies ended the set strong to win, 25-20, for a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Ponies carried their momentum into the beginning of the second set as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead. The Yellowjackets came back and went back and forth with the Ponies until it was a 6-6 tie.

The Ponies took the lead with a 3-0 run before slowly pulling away over the rest of the set for a 25-13 win for a 2-0 lead in the match. The Ponies then started the third set strong as they took a 6-0 lead. The Yellowjackets tried to battle their way back but the Ponies just held onto control to pull away for a 25-16 win to win the match and keep the season alive.

Miller had a strong match with 10 kills and four blocks. Jarvis also played well with nine kills and two service aces while Carlson recorded six kills and 11 digs against Stevensville.

Over the next 16 hours, the Ponies survived some tough matches to make it to the championship match. Later on Friday night, the Ponies survived in five sets (25-9, 20-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-5) against Laurel to stay alive in the tournament. Early in the match, it looked like the Ponies would dominate as they ran away with the first set for a 25-9 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

But the Locomotives took control over the next two sets. The Locomotives and Ponies played close early in the second set with Laurel holding a 10-9 lead. The Locomotives took control with a 9-4 run to give themselves a 19-13 lead. The Ponies tried to fight their way back, but Laurel held on for a 25-20 victory to tie the match.

The third set followed a similar pattern. After both teams played strong to start the set, the Locomotives took momentum to build a sizable lead. The Ponies tried to come back, but Laurel held on for a 25-20 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match that put the Ponies season on the line.

With Havre trying to stay alive and Laurel trying to close it out, both teams went back and forth throughout the fourth set. With the set tied, 14-14, the Ponies took control with an 8-1 run. Laurel was unable to respond as Havre won, 25-17, to force a fifth set.

The Ponies carried their momentum into the fifth set as they took the lead and never relinquished it. The Locomotives were unable to slow them down and Havre won the set, 15-5, to win the match and stay alive in the tournament.

Jarvis led the team with 14 kills while also recording 20 digs, two blocks and two service aces. Miller also played well with nine kills, three blocks and a service ace. Carlson contributed with eight kills, 16 digs, two blocks and an assist.

"Credit to the girls because their backs were against the wall," coach Huse said about the win over Laurel. "They did a really good job of just being a little bit more tenacious. Laurel did a fantastic job of blocking a lot of balls and digging a lot of balls and we had to just continue to keep going and be the aggressor."

The Ponies faced more adversity Saturday morning in the third-place match against Hardin. Along with trying to stay alive in the tournament, the Ponies were looking to avenge a pair of losses to Hardin in the Eastern A Divisionals the previous weekend. The Bulldogs gave them all they got, but the Ponies pulled through to win the match in five sets (29-27, 20-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-9).

The Ponies got off to a strong start in the match as they jumped out to a 22-14 lead in the first set. But the Bulldogs responded with a 10-2 run to tie the match at 24-24. Over the next few possessions, the Ponies and Bulldogs went back and forth looking to win the set. At the end, Havre pulled out the 29-27 win to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

But the Bulldogs carried their momentum into the next two sets of the match. With the second set tied 6-6, the Bulldogs took control with a 16-8 run to stretch the lead to 22-14. Despite a late surge by the Ponies, Hardin won, 25-20, to tie the match.

The third set started with Hardin pulling ahead for a 10-9 lead. The Bulldogs then went on an 8-3 run to push their lead to 18-12. The Ponies responded to cut the deficit to 18-16, but Hardin closed the set strong to win, 25-19, for a 2-1 lead that again put the Ponies' backs against the walls.

The Ponies jumped out to an 8-3 lead to start the fourth set. After Hardin cut the lead to 11-9, the Ponies took control with an 8-2 run to stretch the lead to 19-11. The Ponies then withheld a Hardin surge to win the set, 25-18, to force a fifth set.

The Ponies rolled to a 5-0 lead to start the fifth set. The Bulldogs showed why they are a tough team as they fought back and cut Havre's lead to 9-8. But the Ponies closed the set strong with a 6-1 run to win, 15-9, to advance to the championship match.

In another loser-out match, Miller led the team with 16 kills and three blocks. Carlson posted 12 kills, 29 digs and an assist while Molly Huse recorded 40 assists, four service aces, 21 digs and a block. After playing a tough match against Laurel the night before, Stephanie Huse likes how her team came out Saturday morning.

"I was really proud of the girls and their mental focus and their ability to just jump in because Hardin's a tough team," Huse said. "It's a great end result against Hardin to be able to be that strong and win that match. I was really proud of them."

The Ponies had little time to rest as they played Billings Central less than an hour later. Looking to force a winner-take-all match, the Ponies defeated Billings Central in four sets (25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22).

The Rams started the first set by jumping out to an 11-4 lead. But the Ponies responded and were able to tie the set at multiple points. Late in the first set after the Rams took a 23-22 lead, the Ponies scored three straight points to win the set, 25-23, for a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set also saw the Ponies and Rams go back and forth. But with the set tied, 11-11, the Rams went on a 3-0 run to take the lead. That lead was enough as the Rams slowly pulled away to win the set, 25-20, to tie the match.

The Ponies took an 11-6 lead to start the third set. Even after the Rams came right back to take a 15-14 lead, the Ponies went on a run to take a 24-20 lead. After the Rams scored three straight points, Havre scored to win the set, 25-23, for a 2-0 lead in the match.

Looking to extend the match, the Rams took momentum in the fourth set to build themselves an 18-10 lead. But the Ponies went on a 9-1 run to tie the set. Over the next few minutes, the Ponies and Rams exchanged points until the set was tied 22-22. The Ponies finally grabbed momentum with three straight points to win the set, 25-22, to win the match and force a winner-take-all match.

It was a team effort as Miller, Jarvis and Carlson each had 13 kills in the match. Carlson also recorded 34 digs and two service aces while Miller posted six blocks in the match. While the Rams had defeated the Ponies earlier in the tournament, coach Huse believes her team just executed better in this match.

"I think we were just executing really cleanly. We weren't allowing them to run their offense the way they can. They run a very fast-paced offense and they weren't able to do that very consistently," Stephanie said.

The win forced another match with Billings Central that the Ponies unfortunately could not win. But their run through the state tournament is just another example of how good the Ponies have been in recent years. It was the second straight year where the Ponies finished second in the tournament and played in a winner-take-all match for the state title. While it was a disappointing end to the year and they will lose Miller, Carlson, Haney and Molly Huse, the Ponies have now firmly established themselves as one of the premier programs in Class A volleyball in the state of Montana.

"How can you be anything but happy that this is how your season ends at the state championship," Stephanie Huse said. "That speaks volumes to our kids and the buy-in and the dedication that they have and it will be up to our younger girls to continue that."

Havre def. Stevensville, LO

25-20, 25-13, 25-16

STV - Aces - Tilli Danczyk 2. Assists - Sophie Berning 15. Digs - Daphne Engel 8, Olivia Cannon 5, Emmy Kopsa 5. Kills - Engel 7, Danczyk 4, Shelby Coleman 3. Blocks - Shilo McLain Lampi 1.

HAV - Aces 4 (Kyanna Jarvis 2, Emilee Chambliss 1, Molly Huse 1). Assists 32 (Huse 29, Lizzi Haney 2, Avery Carlson 1). Digs 37 (Carlson 11, Haney 9, Huse 8). Kills 33 (Yelena Miller 10, Jarvis 9, Carlson 6). Blocks 9 (Miller 4, Elle Verploegen 3, Huse 2).

Havre def. Laurel, 4th

25-9, 20-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-5

LAU - Aces - Maesy Bummer 2, Emma Timm 1. Assists - Daeja Fike 16, Timm 14, Tatumn Sholley 2. Digs - Jena Smith 28, Fike 15. Kills - Sannah Windy Boy 13, Fike 7. Blocks - Kaiya Graves 4, Windy Boy 4, Fike 3.

HAV - Aces 5 (Molly Huse 2, Kyanna Jarvis 2, Yelena Miller 1). Assists 36 (Huse 34, Lizzi Haney 1, Avery Carlson 1). Digs 90 (Haney 22, Jarvis 20, Carlson 16). Kills 40 (Jarvis 14, Miller 9, Carlson 8). Blocks 10 (Miller 3, Jarvis 2, Carlson 2).

Havre def. Hardin, 3rd

29-27, 20-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-9

HAV - Aces 12 (Emilee Chamblis 5, Molly Huse 4, Lizzi Haney 1). Assists 43 (Huse 40, Haney 1, Avery Carlson 1). Digs 123 (Carlson 29, Huse 21, Kyanna Jarvis 20). Kills 51 (Yelena Miller 16, Carlson 12, Jarvis 11). Blocks 7 (Miller 3, Elle Verploegen 2, Huse 1).

HAR - Aces - Taiya Guptill 2, Carmen Pallone 2, Macy Uffelman 2). Assists - Guptill 33. Digs - Guptill 23, Uffelman 18. Kills - Pallone 13, Uffelman 11. Blocks - MaKenna Torske 7, Pallone 6.

Havre def. Billings Central, Championship

25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22

HAV - Aces 10 (Lizzi Haney 3, Molly Huse 2, Avery Carlson 2). Assists 45 (Huse 41, Haney 2, Kyanna Jarvis 2). Digs 120 (Carlson 34, Emilee Chambliss 22, Haney 20). Kills 50 (Yelena Miller 13, Jarvis 13, Carlson 13). Blocks 11 (Miller 6, Huse 2, Elle Verploegen 1).

BC - Aces - Ally Foster 5, Ruby GRay 2. Assists - Foster 39, Annie Hanser 10. Digs - Kaitlyn Foster 32, Foster 25, Alexa Williams 21. Kills - Kamryn Reinker 22, Williams 15, Gray 12. Blocks - Gray 3, Foster 3, Hanser 2.

Billings Central def. Havre, Championship

25-19, 25-20, 25-19

HAV - Aces 5 (Yelena Miller 2, Kyanna Jarvis 2, Lizzi Haney 1). Assists 26 (Molly Huse 26). Digs 61 (Haney 16, Jarvis 16, Avery Carlson 11). Kills 28 (Jarvis 13, Miller 7, Carlson 6). Blocks 7 (Miller 2, Elle Verploegen 2, Huse 1).

BC - Aces - Alexa Williams 2, Kaitlyn Foster 2. Assists - Ally Foster 23, Annie Hanser 15. Digs - Nathalia Arzubi 14, A. Foster 13. Kills - Williams 19, Kamryn Reinker 17, Ruby Gray 7. Blocks - Reinker 2, Gracie Loveridge 1.