CPHS Volleyball: Sandites top Bartlesville 3-1 in thrilling home-opener

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team improved to 2-0 with a 3-1 home debut victory Tuesday night at the Ed Dubie Field House. Bartlesville (1-2) won the second set of the night and looked to win the fourth before the Sandites battled out of a nine-point hole.

The first set was a nail-bitter as Sand Springs didn't take the final lead till 18-17 with eight tie scores along the way. The Sandites started hot with a kill and an ace from Madison Burris and a block from Cheyenne Henry, and kept that lead till 8-5 when three straight errors evened things up.

Neither team managed more than a one-point advantage till Cloe Campfield served an ace at 14-12. That lead was quick lived as two errors and a pair of kills flipped the script in Bartlesville's favor. Sand Springs finally surged in the final minutes for the 25-20 victory. 

Bartlesville took a 5-3 lead in the second set. Sand Springs battled back and led till 11-11 when they were caught out of rotation, then jumped back out to 15-12 with kills from Vanessa Wyrick and McKenzie Harris.

A four-point run put the Bruins up 17-16, the Sandites made a run of their own with a kill and an ace from Burris for a 21-18 lead, then Bartlesville ran away with it for the 25-22 victory. 

Set three went by like a breeze thanks to a nine-point run that put the Sandites up 17-10 and a five-point denouement capped by a kill from Wyrick.

The final stanza started heavily in Bartlesville's favor as the Bruins took a 12-3 lead, but the Sandites made a seven point run that flustered Coach Tom Williams to the point of drawing a yellow card.

The Sandites took their first lead at 20-19 thanks to kills from Harris and Henry, the set tied at 21-21 and 22-22, then Devree Youngblood made it 24-22 and things looked wrapped up for the home team. 

Instead, a service error, a block, and an ace gave the Bruins the lead before a service error of their own tied it at 25-25. Youngblood had the final say, however, scoring on assists from Burris and Raylynn Mong to finish the night. 

Burris registered twenty assists on the night while Youngblood scored thirteen kills. Mong served a team-high four aces, and Henry notched three unassisted blocks.

Sand Springs will return to action Friday at the Union Tournament.