CPHS Volleyball: No. 12 Sandites sweep Ponca 3-0 in Regional Playoff

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(Photo: Morgan Miller). 

The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (16-16) easily handled Ponca City (13-14) with a 3-0 sweep in the first round of the Regional Championship Tuesday evening in Stillwater. The Sandites won sets of 25-13, 25-18, and 25-18, led by Kansas State-commit Gloria Mutiri with 25 kills and sophomore Madison Burris with 27 assists.

CPHS 3 PC 0
Set One: CPHS 25-13
Set Two: CPHS 25-18
Set Three: CPHS 25-18

Kills: CPHS 34, PC 14.
Blocks: CPHS 6, PC 4.
Aces: PC 8, CPHS 2.
Service Errors: CPHS 9, PC 5.

Ponca started hot with a kill and ace from Sunny Bastchellett, but the Lady Cat's next serve was out and the Sandites went on a ten-point run from there. Mutiri and Kenzie Bradshaw recorded blocks, Mutiri scored a pair of kills, and Kylie Taylor served an ace before Hannah Balzer notched her first kill of the night. Things were a little more back and forth from there and both teams ran up the service errors, but the Sandites maintained their lead. Ponca tried to rally with a kill and ace from Emily Lawrence, a block from Balzer and Hannah Lawson, and a kill from Riley Barrick, but Bradshaw got things back on track with a kill and Mutiri sealed the deal at 25-13.

The second set was far closer as neither team broke out with a definitive lead till late in the game. The Sandites started to pull ahead at 16-12, Ponca battled back with a kill from Barrick and an ace from Balzer, but Balzer's next serve was long and the Lady Cats rattled off three more errors to give Sand Springs a healthy 20-15 lead. Sand Springs committed an error of their own, but Ponca kept beating themselves and the Sandites prevailed with kills from Cloe Campfield and Mutirifor the 25-18 win and 2-0 lead.

The Wildcats scored first in game three with a kill from Bastchellett, but forfeited four straight points on errors before Bastchellett notched another. They tied it up shortly after, but Sand Springs jumped back out to a 9-5 lead with three kills and a block from Mutiri. The game tied again at 12-12 and the Wildcats took a brief lead before netting the Sandites three-straight points. Campfield, Bradshaw, and Makenna Cypert all got in on the scoring action in the final stretch and Cypert sealed the deal with an assist from Burris. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action immediately with a match against No. 5 Stillwater (25-7). The winner will advance to the State Tournament next week.

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Kills: Mutiri 25, Cypert 3, Burris 2, Bradshaw 2, Campfield 2.
Assists: Burris 27, Bradshaw 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 5, Bradshaw 3, Cypert 1, Neely 1.
Digs: Madison Ward 5, Burris 2, Blaylock 1, Mutiri 1, Wise 1.
Aces: Madison Ward 1, Taylor 1.