CPHS Volleyball: Sandites sweep Muskogee 3-0

(Muskogee, OK) - After a tough start the Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (3-5) rolled to their second 3-0 sweep of the season against Class 6A No. 20 ranked Muskogee (5-5) Tuesday evening. The first two sets were competitive but the visitors ran away with the third. 

The Lady Sandites suffered a winless weekend at Union High School, securing only two sets in the five match tournament. They were swept 3-0 by No. 2 Norman North (7-1), No. 6 Edmond North (5-2), and No. 5 Stillwater (5-4) and fell 3-1 to No. 18 Union (1-7) and 5A No. 3 Bishop Kelley (5-2). They will get rematches with Union and Kelley later this season, but for now they are undefeated in Frontier Valley Conference play at 3-0.

The final score at Muskogee was not indicative of the closeness of the first set. While the Sandites ultimately prevailed 25-16, they closed game one on an 8-2 run and the Rougherettes were competitive for most of the bout. Sand Springs tried to pull away early on with a 7-2 run for an 11-6 lead, but a kill from Madison Wiebe, an ace from Paige Irwin and a trio of Sandite errors cut it back to a one-point game. Their head start was foiled but they finished strong with kills from Devree Youngblood, Cloe Campfield, and Vanessa Wyrick and an ace from Raylynn Mong.

The second set was a replay of the first, tight at first, then Sand Springs began to run away with it only for the hosts to claw their way back up. Youngblood scored back-to-back kills and Campfield aced to start the game, but the scrappy Lady Roughers hung tight at 14-13 till the Lady Sandites ran it up to 23-14. Then, just when it looked like a sure victory, four faults and an ace from Alesha Arriaga cut it back to 23-19. A Rougher error and a kill from McKenzie Harris secured the victory. 

After tying it up at 5-5 the Roughers completely dropped out of contention in set three. A 10-1 run more or less put the match out of reach and first year Head Coach Sydney Bond got to sub in her third string, giving twelve players varsity experience for the night before wrapping it up at 25-19.

Campfield led all scorers with eleven kills and two aces, followed by Youngblood with twelve kills. Wyrick and Madison Burris scored six kills apiece and Madison Blaylock recorded five digs. Mong had two aces and nineteen assists and Burris had three digs and fifteen assists.

Sand Springs Volleyball will return to action Thursday evening with a 6:15 p.m. match at 4A No. 2 Victory Christian (8-3).

CPHS Softball: Sandites split wins at RSU Festival, beat Claremore 6-1

The Charles Page High School varsity softball team (6-3) split a double header at Rogers State University Thursday morning, falling 3-2 to Claremore Sequoyah, but defeating Claremore High School 6-1.

The undefeated Eagles (8-0) scored all three of their runs in the first inning as Callie Schultz and Lauryn Anderson came in on a home run from Ariel Thompson. Thompson was the star of the show, going three-for-three at the plate and registering thirteen strikeouts on the mound.

Kimi Presnell scored the Sandites' first run in the bottom of the third on a single from Makenna Skaggs, who also doubled in Liz Luttrell in the fifth. Madelyn Blair (2-1, 21-6) struck out five, walked three, and gave up eight hits for her first loss of the season.

Aliyah Taff (2-1, 2-3) led the Sandites to a win over the Zebras (1-1) with three strikeouts, no walks, and five hits.

Sand Springs stranded loaded bases in the top of the first after two errors and a single but got out to an early lead in the second with three hits and a walk. Presnell doubled in Drew Hawkins, Skaggs sacrificed to score Luttrell, then Presnell came in on a single from Sabrina Usher.

Cameron Clemons hit a sacrifice fly in the third to score Taber and Luttrell singled in Horn for a 5-0 lead. The Zebras also got on the board that inning with an RBI double from Maddox Thomas and a run from Rylee Vanaman. Skaggs batted in Presnell for the final run in the top of the sixth. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Monday at 5:30 p.m. with their district debut at Putnam City North (1-7).

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.

Vote now to help Sandite Dance win free flight to Nationals

The Charles Page High School varsity Dance team has made it to the final round of an online contest, and your vote could help them win free flight to the Dance Team Union National Championships this February.

One way or another, the Sandites are headed to Orlando, Florida on February 1st. But they can save some serious money by winning the DTU Team Spirit Contest.

There are twelve finalists and the winner will be selected by the contest sponsor from among the top five vote earners. The contest ends Wednesday, August 15th at 1:00 p.m. EST. 

To cast your vote, visit this link: https://www.danceteamunion.com/dtuteamspirit

CPHS Softball: Lady Sandites go 4-2 at Broken Arrow Tournament, beat Owasso 6-5

After a 4-0 start to the season, the Charles Page High School Fast Pitch Softball team (5-2) endured a pair of losses on day two of the Broken Arrow Tournament before topping Owasso 6-5 in extra innings. 

On Friday the Lady Sandites got off to a hot start with wins over Choctaw (3-3), Pocola (5-4), and Broken Bow (5-2). SEE RELATED: CPHS Softball: Sandites undefeated at Broken Arrow tournament, Usher hits home run

The Moore Lions (1-4) picked up their first win of the season by dealing Sand Springs their first loss. They jumped out to a quick lead with a pair of doubles and a run from Morgan Schmidt in the top of the first.

Sand Springs bounced back quickly with four walks and an RBI single from Felicity Horn to score Raegan Rector. Ashlynn Haley relieved Morgan Max on the mound and struck out two Lady Sandites to strand loaded bases.

Heidi Noisey batted in Rylie O'Steen with a single to tie things up in the second, then Taylor McKittrick hit a two-run homer in the third to double down on the Sandites. Sabrina Usher made it a one-run game with an RBI single to score Kimi Presnell, but Elizabeth Willison caught a pop fly to strand two and bring the game to a close at 4-3.

Aaliyah Taff (1-1, 1-3) got the loss on the mound, throwing six hits and a walk.

Durant (4-2) dropped the hammer, outhitting the Lady Sandites twelve to six for a 9-4 victory.

Hannah Kaler kicked things off with a solo home run in the second inning, then the Lions combined for five hits and three runs in the third. Madison Keel scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, Madyson Tolbert hit an RBI single in the fifth, then Tristyn Hamilton scored loaded bases on a triple for the 9-0 advantage.

Horn was the first to cross home plate for the Sandites, scoring on a single from Cameron Clemons, then Presnell batted in Madison Lee, Clemons scored on a passed ball, and Usher batted in Presnell for the final run of the game.

Mackenzie Bechtold (1-0) pitched nine hits, five runs, one walk, and one strikeout in the first four innings, and Rector (0-1) gave up three hits, four runs, and one walk in the fifth.

Rylie Boone scored Owasso's first run on an error in the third, then Jordan Hausher hit a two-run homer. Calee Gregory brought in Teigan Denny with an RBI single in the fourth for a 4-0 lead. 

Sand Springs loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with two walks and an error. Lee scored on a fielder's choice, Madelyn Blair doubled in Jacie Taber, Elizabeth Luttrell batted in Clemons, and Rector scored on a wild pitch to tie things up.

Boone reclaimed her team's lead with a single in the top of the seventh, but Rector tied it on an error, then Clemons scored Avery Tanner with a walkoff single in the eighth.

Blair (2-0, 21-5) got the win on the mound, throwing nine hits, three strikeouts, and no walks. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Tuesday at undefeated Ponca City (6-0) in their first district battle of the season.

CPHS Softball: Sandites undefeated at Broken Arrow tournament, Usher hits home run

The Charles Page High School Fast Pitch Softball team holds an undefeated 4-0 record after the second day of the season and the first day of the Broken Arrow Tournament.

After shutting out Tahlequah in their Thursday afternoon season opener, the Lady Sandites defeated Choctaw 3-2, Pocola 6-0, and Broken Bow 6-3 Friday at Arrowhead Park.

Choctaw (3-1) is always an exciting win for the Sandites, who were defeated 4-3 by the Yellowjackets in the 2015 State Championship. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma-commit Madelyn Blair (1-0) pitched her first win of the season in the close battle. 

The Yellowjackets outhit the Sandites six to four, but Sand Springs benefited from three walks and an error for the payback win.

The Sandites jumped out to an early lead with a sacrifice fly from Jensen Arnold to score Kimi Presnell in the top of the first, but Lainee Brown tied it up right away with an RBI single.

Jacie Taber reclaimed the lead with an RBI double to score Felicity Horn in the top of the second, then Emma Jackson singled in Tiffany Palmer to tie it in the fourth. Cameron Clemons smacked an RBI double in the fifth for the final run of the game.

Aaliyah Taff (1-0) got the win on the mound against Pocola (3-3), tossing three hits, two strikeouts, and three walks in seven innings.

Makenna Skaggs recorded the first hit of the game but was stranded in the top of the first inning. Pocola left two on base in the bottom of the second as Shakyrah Gladness reached on an error at third and Kena Chitwood drew a walk.

The Sandites hit pay dirt in the top of the third with an RBI single from Sabrina Usher to bring home Presnell, then Taber singled in Clemons in the fourth before scoring on a hit from Presnell.

Pocola was in hot water in the sixth inning as a walk from Horn and singles from Clemons and Taber loaded the bases with no outs. Blair scored all three on a double, then Presnell and Skaggs singled to reload the slot.

The Indians averted disaster as Usher hit a pop fly to third where Blair was tagged out, and Presnell was left stranded with a fly out from Arnold.

Pocola snagged a walk and a single in the bottom of the sixth and Mika Scott doubled in the seventh, but a strikeout and a pair of ground outs brought the game to a close.

Mackenzie Bechtold (1-0) handed Broken Bow (3-1) their first loss of the season with four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

Jaylee Lopez gave the Lady Savages the opening lead with an RBI double to score Jules Callaham, but Sabrina Usher hit the first Sandite home run of the season to score Skaggs for the advantage. 

Broken Bow tied it up with an RBI single from Shae Ebert in the top of the third, but Sand Springs ran away with it in the bottom of the fourth.

Elizabeth Luttrell and Horn hit back-to-back doubles and Clemons added a sacrifice fly to double the Savages 4-2, then Blair doubled in Taber and scored on an error to make it 6-3.

Callaham reached on an error in the fifth and scored on a different error for the final run of the game. 

Sand Springs will return to action Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. against Moore (0-3), then will play Durant (2-3) at 2:00 p.m., both on Field 5 at Arrowhead Park. They will begin bracket play at 4:00 p.m.