Stephanie Huse steps away from Havre volleyball to spend time with family

After several seasons leading the Havre High volleyball team, head coach Stephanie Huse has decided to step down from her position. With all the time that was required of her to continue coaching the Blue Ponies, Huse believed she could not devote enough time to continue leading the program.

"At the end of the year, evaluating where my family was at and what we are taking on each and every day, it was just starting to become evident that the time I was going to have just wasn't going to be enough to continue to put into a program that the girls deserve and need to be successful," Huse said.

Huse will continue to work at Havre High School, but she will now focus on spending more time with her family now that she will not be coaching the Ponies anymore. Along with coaching the Ponies during the fall, she had to focus on the program during the offseason, taking her away from her family both physically and mentally.

"I'm going to spend time being a mom and just being there for my kids right now," Huse said. "It's time to shift that and start focusing on my two boys because I only got them for a little while longer before they move into college so that's what I'm going to be doing."

Of course, it was not an easy decision for Huse she will leave behind several players whom she coached over the years.

"The hardest part was telling the girls because I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these very talented and smart and dedicated girls that have been a part of our program for three years," Huse said.

Huse should be proud of what she accomplished over three years coaching for the Ponies. These past two years, the Ponies had been one of the best volleyball teams in Class A as they dominated the Northeast A and finished second in the Class A State Tournament in back-to-back seasons.

Over the years, Huse has coached several All-State players such as Yelena Miller, Avery Carlson and her daughter Molly Huse. Along with the success she had with them and many other players, coach Huse enjoyed getting to know these players and seeing them grow up in the program.

"You don't choose to get involved with kids unless you are 100 percent invested in who they are, so for three years, I had the opportunity to be invested in a lot of girls at Havre High and that's what I'm always going to take away," Huse said. "It just reaffirmed that it's wonderful to be part of any program that kids are part of because they are just spectacular."

While she will no longer be coaching the team, Huse looks forward to the future of the HHS volleyball program and will be there to support them.

"I look forward to seeing them continue to grow from the stands and I'll always be there for them if they need me," Huse said. "Just being a part of those kids' lives has been the best."