Sandite Volleyball Places Third at Claremore, Evyn Morrow Named All-Tournament

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Evyn Morrow has been named to the All-Tournament team at both tournaments this season. (Photo: Charity Emigh).

The Charles Page High School volleyball team (11-7) entered the 6A rankings at No. 16 on Monday after going 5-3 on the week and finishing in third place at the Claremore Tournament on Saturday.

The Sandites suffered a close 3-0 loss to Union (3-6) in a conference match on Tuesday, then went 2-2 on Friday.

In the first match of the tournament they won 25-10 and 25-16 against Collinsville (4-18), but fell 25-23 and 25-12 in a Highway 97 Rivalry match with 5A No. 4 Sapulpa (17-7). They’ll get the opportunity to pay back that one, however, when they host the Chieftains on September 26th in conference action.

“We didn’t play our best,” said head coach Skylar Jackson. “One of our six rotation players got injured in the Sapulpa match. But the girls did pretty well picking up the slack with new people in new places.”

Sand Springs got back in the win column with a 25-22, 25-18 win over 5A No. 11 Edison (12-8) before falling 25-18, 25-23 to 5A No. 3 Claremore (18-3) in a battle of spouses, as the Zebras are coached by former Sandite head coach Derek Jackson, current coach Skylar Jackson’s husband.

On Saturday the Sandites went 3-0, winning 25-18, 25-11 against Memorial (3-8) in the first match of the day.

Next they won 25-18, 25-22 against 4A No. 7 Verdigris (12-7) in a match against another former Sandite head coach, Caleb Horton. Finally they won 25-10 and 25-9 against Will Rogers (3-12).

“Winning is important and we are in a very, very tough conference,” said Jackson. “At the end of the day you have to figure out how to win…having more opportunities in front of us in one weekend is good for our confidence.”

Evyn Morrow picked up her second All-Tournament accolade of the season.

“She’s super devoted and works hard nonstop,” said Jackson. “She’s just one of our strongest leaders.”

Also impressing throughout the tournament was freshman Adelynn Ray, who recorded 7 aces in the final match against Rogers.

“The best thing about Adelynn is she just loves to play volleyball,” said Jackson. “It doesn’t really get too big for her, and for a lot of underclassmen that’s one of the worries is that they’re not going to handle the pressure. The pressure doesn’t exist for her and she’s just out there playing ball.”

Sand Springs will take on another top 5A team in No. 5 Regent Prep (8-4) Thursday on the road before hosting 6A No. 7 Owasso (6-3, 2-0) in a return to conference action on September 7th.

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites win five-straight, place second at home tournament

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A short-handed Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (18-13, 2-6) dropped a tough 3-0 conference loss to Booker T. Washington Tuesday evening on the road, but rebounded with their longest win streak of the year. They beat Claremore 3-0 Thursday on the road, then won their first four games of the Sand Springs Showdown.

The tournament was originally supposed to be hosted at Glenpool two weeks ago, but after the Warriors canceled it, Sand Springs decided to host. They rode the home court advantage to a five game streak before falling to Highway 97 rival Sapulpa in the de facto Championship game.

6A No. 17 ranked Booker T. Washington (8-12, 3-3) has shown streaks of brilliance this season, despite their losing record, and even managed to take down a pair of top-five teams in tournament play. They’re not a school you want to play without your full starting lineup, and it showed as the Hornets rolled to wins of 25-11, 25-16, and 25-15 on their Senior Night.

Sand Springs was missing libero Madison Blaylock, and two of their top-scorers in Layla Lenex and Payton Robbins. Jacelyn Smith led the offense with nine kills and two aces, while Olivia Dewitt anchored the team defensively with 22 digs. Teyha Johnson had 12 assists and two aces. 

5A No. 18 Claremore (6-21) was much more manageable, though the Zebras kept it fairly competitive. Sand Springs got the sweep with sets of 25-21, 25-20, and 26-24. They got back Blaylock and Lenex but were still missing their top offensive player. 

The Sandites got an early start on Saturday and earned a 2-0 sweep of 5A No. 10 Glenpool (13-12) with sets of 25-15 and 25-23. 

They picked up their third straight win 2-0 against 5A No. 6 Lawton MacArthur (18-10) with sets of 25-20 and 25-19. Game one was close till 16-16, then Smith served up three-straight aces in a five point run that pushed Sand Springs ahead for the win. In game two they held a narrow 21-19 lead before Smith scored a kill to kick off a four-point streak for the win. Smith scored a team-best six kills with four aces, and Lenex had four kills and four blocks. Johnson recorded 14 assists and ten digs. 

Their fourth-straight win came against Will Rogers (8-12) who they had already beaten last month on Senior Night. Smith served two aces in an 11-point streak in set one and scored a team-high six kills in the match. Sophie Singleton and Holland scored five kills each and Johnson had 14 assists. The Sandites won sets of 25-12 and 25-10. 

5A No. 8 Santa Fe South (14-5) was another tough competitor but Sand Springs got another 2-0 sweep with sets of 25-17 and 25-19. They led only 17-16 when Holland kicked off a seven point streak, and Holland also scored the final kill of the game. In set two they only led 19-18 before winning six of the last seven rallies. Singleton led the team in kills with six, followed by Lenex and Holland with five each. Johnson had 19 assists, Charley Fahland made five digs, and Blaylock served four aces. 

5A No. 11 Sapulpa (15-15) finally put an end to the Sandite streak to win the tournament and pay back a pair of Sandite wins from earlier in the season. Sand Springs led 20-17 late in set one before the Chieftains went on a six-point run and won 25-22. In game two the Sandites trailed by as much as 17-11 but battled back and cut it as close as 21-19. Lenex went down with an ankle injury late in the set, however, and Sapulpa won four of the last five rallies to finish 25-20. Holland led the team with five kills, and Singleton and Lenex had four each. Smith had three kills and three aces. Johnson posted 15 assists and Blaylock had 17 digs.

Sandite Volleyball will return to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. with a conference home game against No. 13 Union (14-10, 3-3) and will wrap up the regular season Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against 5A No. 12 Collinsville (12-18). Robbins is expected to miss the match against Union, but should return to the lineup in time for Collinsville.

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites sweep Will Rogers 3-0 on Senior Night

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The Class 6A No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (12-10) hosted Will Rogers (1-5) Thursday night for Senior Night, and rolled to a dominant 3-0 sweep with sets of 25-10, 25-15, and 25-8. Prior to the match, the team celebrated four seniors: Madison Blaylock, Sophie Singleton, Jentry Hughes, and Madison Fowler.

The home team opened on a seven-point streak with an ace from Hughes an a pair of kills from Jacelyn Smith. Smith scored four kills in the set and Fowler added three. Payton Robbins scored three aces, including two back-to-back to finish the game.

Game two was the closest but the Ropers took their last lead at 5-4. Katelyn Dolph scored two kills and Hailey Rigg had an ace in a three-point run at 18-14, but the Sandites responded by winning seven of the next eight rallies for the win. Robbins and Kasidy Holland scored three kills each in the game.

The Ropers won the opening rally of game three, but Smith and Robbins scored a pair of kills and never again gave up the lead. The Sandites had a five-point run at 12-4, then an eight-point run at 21-6. Holland and Halle Richey scored two kills apiece and Blaylock scored two aces in the streak. Charley Fahland ended the match with back-to-back aces.

Smith led in kills with eight, but Robbins led in total scoring with six kills and five aces. Tehya Johnson led in assists with 16, and Blaylock had a team-high 11 digs. Dolph and Tapanga Harris scored a team-high three kills apiece for the Ropers.

Sandite Volleyball will return to action Tuesday with a Frontier Valley Conference match at Muskogee (7-8, 1-5). The Sandites are 1-4 in conference action. Will Rogers will compete at the Tulsa Public Schools League Tournament on Saturday.

CPHS 3-0 WRHS (25-10, 25-15, 25-8)
Kills: CPHS 35, WRHS 10.
Blocks: CPHS 2, WRHS 0.
Aces: CPHS 11, WRHS 2.
Errors: CPHS 21, WRHS 27.

(Sand Springs)
Kills: Smith 8, Holland 7, Robbins 6, Fowler 4, Hughes 3, Lenex 3, Singleton 2, Richey 2.
Assists: Johnson 16, Hughes 10, Blaylock 3.
Assisted Blocks: Smith 1, Singleton 1, Robbins 1, Lenex 1.
Digs: Blaylock 11, Smith 4, Fahland 3, Dewitt 3, Johnson 2, Holland 2, Hughes 1, Robbins 1.
Aces: Robbins 5, Blaylock 2, Fahland 2, Hughes 1, Johnson 1.

(Will Rogers)
Kills: Tapanga Harris 3, Dolph 3, Hall 2, Love 1, Rosalyn Harris 1.
Aces: Rosalyn Harris 1, Rigg 1.

Prior to the varsity match, the Sandite junior high and junior varsity teams straight sets. The Seventh Grade team beat Berryhill 2-0 and JV beat Will Rogers 2-0.

Senior Profiles

Sophie Singleton has played volleyball for four years and also runs track. She plans on going to college for volleyball and wants to major in Sports Medicine. “I want to thank Coach Jackson for pushing me to be my best,” said Singleton. To her teammates she said “Don’t let the mistakes get to you. Shake it off and get the next one.”

Madison Fowler has played volleyball for one year at CPHS and is a member of the National Honor Society, and is a student leader at LifeChurch. She is undecided about where she wants to go to college, but she wants to work in the ministry. “Thanks to my family and all of the people who have supported me over the years,” says Fowler. To her team she says “Keep working towards your goals. You all have great things ahead of you!”

Jentry Hughes has played volleyball for six years. She also played basketball for nine years and will be a team manager this upcoming season. She is on student council and in NHS. She is undecided on her college destination but will study to be a pediatric nurse with a specialty of oncology. “I would like to thank my parents mostly for being my biggest fans and for the unconditional love,” says Hughes. “I would also like to thank my coaches for pushing me to be who I am and never giving up on me.” To her teammates she says “Even in your darkest days, the sun will rise again. Never give up on yourself.”

Madison Blaylock has played volleyball for six years, is on student council, and in NHS. She plans on attending either Oklahoma State University of Oklahoma Baptist University and wants to enter the medical field. “Thank you Sand Springs Volleyball for giving me a place to play the sport I love. Thank you to my coaches and teammates for always pushing me to do my best. Lastly, thank you to my family and friends for being my #1 supporters! To my teammates, don’t forget to work your hardest in everything you do. Be the reason someone has a good day. I love you guys!”

CPHS Volleyball: Sandites sweep Will Rogers 2-0 at home tournament

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The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (4-6) improved to 4-0 on their home court Friday afternoon, easily defeating Will Rogers High School (4-5) in the second round of pool play at the Sandite Invitational.

After steamrolling McLain 25-4 and 25-4 in the first match of the tournament, the Sandites defeated Rogers 25-6 and 25-10 in a match that was only slightly less lopsided.

Sand Springs only needed sixteen kills to beat the Ropers, led by McKenzie Harris and Vanessa Wyrick with five apiece. The team combined for ten aces with four from Raylynn Mong and three from Madison Burris. Burris led the team in assists with five.

The girls started game one on a nine-rally win streak and went on an eleven-point streak in game two. In the first match of the day, against McLain, they won a season-best 23-straight rallies.

The Sandites will return to action at 5:00 p.m. against Tecumseh (3-3) in the final round of pool play. Bracketed matches will be played Saturday morning beginning at 9:00 a.m.

CPHS 2 WRHS 0 (25-6, 25-10)
Kills: CPHS 16, WRHS 5.
Blocks: CPHS 2, WRHS 0.
Aces: CPHS 10, WRHS 2.
Service Errors: CPHS 3, WRHS 2.
Total Errors: CPHS 8, WRHS 22.
(Sand Springs Stats)
Kills: Harris 5, Wyrick 5, Campfield 3, Burris 1, Smith 1, Robbins 1.
Assists: Burris 5, Blaylock 3, Mong 2.
Assisted Blocks: Mong 1, Youngblood 1, Singleton 1, Smith 1.
Digs: Blaylock 1.
Aces: Mong 4, Burris 3, Wicker 1, Fahland 1.