Daton Fix becomes fourth Division One commit in CPHS Class of 2017, more are possible

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Charles Page High School is on a roll lately with talented athletes in all areas, and has signed seven to play at the collegiate level this week. Four of those are going to NCAA Division One schools, and we haven't even got to winter and spring sports yet. 

Senior three-time State Champion Daton Fix signed with No. 1 Oklahoma State University as the number one most sought-after recruit in the nation. He's a ten-time Freestyle National Champion, three-time Folkstyle National Champion, three-time Greco-Roman National Champion, Freestyle and Greco Pan-American Champion, and two-time World Championship Freestyle Bronze Medalist. 

SEE RELATED: National Champion Daton Fix signs to No. 1 Oklahoma State University wrestling

Senior pitcher Jake Terry signed with the No. 21 University of Oklahoma to play baseball after committing to the program in 2015. He finished last season with a 5-4 record and 3.88 ERA and is currently recovering from shoulder surgery with his Senior year still ahead of him. 

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Jake Terry officially signs with University of Oklahoma baseball

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Senior pitcher/short-stop Sydney Pennington signed with the No. 31 Oklahoma State University softball team after committing to the program in 2014. She finished last season with a 6-0 record, 1.41 ERA, and .543 batting average and is also the leading scorer on the Lady Sandite Basketball team.

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Sydney Pennington signs with Oklahoma State University Softball

Senior seven-time State Champion Cheyenne Walden signed with the No. 15 Oklahoma State University cowgirls after committing to the program in October. She finished her Cross Country career with four State Titles and looks to the Spring track season where she already holds three State Titles in two distances. 

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Cheyenne Walden signs with Oklahoma State University Cross Country

Senior four-time State Qualifier Alexis Davis signed with the NCAA Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She finished her career as the first ever Lady Sandite (along with Walden) to ever qualify for State all four years. She took 21st in the State this fall and will continue to show off this spring in Track.

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Alexis Davis signs with SWOSU Cross Country

Senior All-State outfielder Jessica Collins signed with NJCAA Division I Connors State. She finished last season with a .316 batting average and was named to the All-District, All-Region, and All-State teams. She will join the Lady Sandite basketball team this winter before finishing her high school career with Spring slow pitch.

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Jessica Collins signs with Connors State College Softball

6'6" Senior center Kyle Keener signed with the NCAA Division II University of Central Oklahoma basketball team after committing to the program in September. He finished his junior year as the number three scorer on his team with 11 points and 6 rebounds per game.

SEE RELATED: CPHS Senior Kyle Keener signs with University of Central Oklahoma Basketball

The only other Sand Springs student currently committed to a college is Class of 2018 volleyball player Gloria Mutiri, who verbally committed to Ohio State University in September, but there are several other Seniors expected to go to the next level.

CPHS wrestling coach Kelly Smith says he has two or three other seniors who are more than capable of wrestling at the Division One level if they can get the exposure necessary. 

Sandite Pride's most eligible senior recruits are:

Wrestling
Jack Karstetter (73-15, 132 State Runner-Up)
Beau Bratcher (87-23, 138 State Runner-Up)
Zane Basma (62-25, 160 State Third-Place)
Delvin Jordan (31-12, 220 Regional Champ)
Michael Ritchey (29-24, 113 Regional Champ)
Derek Davis (17-12, 132)
Cody Mathis (18-14, 145)

Cross Country
Jacob Garbey (5K time 17:36)
Ian Baustert (5K time 18:36)

Football
Delvin Jordan (6'0" 224 LB)
Lincoln Adams (6'3" 300 OL/DL)
Hunter Greathouse (6'3" 180 QB)
Nathan Simonton (6'2" 256 OL/DL)
Kasey Bales (5'10" 165 WR/K)
Dalton Morgan (6'0" 190 RB/LB)
Josh Taber (5'11" 160 DB/WR)
Danny Ropp (5'11" 253 OL/DL)
Treyce Tolbert (5'10" 170 DB)
Brett Freeman (6'2" 174 DB)

Mens Soccer
Alex Hernandez (2 goals last season)

Mens Basketball
Mack Thompson (5'10" 7 points per game)

Volleyball
Baylee Mudd (167 digs last season)
Lee Leslie (68 kills, 131 digs last season)

Womens Soccer
Megan Deshazo (13 goals last season)
Kyndal Zicker (12 goals last season)
Melina Flores
Brooklyn Flores

Baseball
Hunter Greathouse (.405 AVG, 3.73 ERA)
Josh Taber (.363 AVG)
Treyce Tolbert (.306 AVG)
Mack Thompson (.238 AVG)
Josh Cordell (3.91 ERA)

Lady Sandite Volleyball defeats Yukon 3-1; finishes season with 25-14 record

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs: 63 kills, 44 errors
Yukon: 40 kills, 33 errors

SS Kills: Mutiri 24, Youngblood 11, Leslie 11, Burris 4, Madison Ward 2, Cypert 1.
Yukon Kills: Fowler 8, Brown 7, Benge 6, Blowers 5, Scott 3, Sauser 2, Collins 2, Hartman 1.

SS Assists: MaKenzie Ward 24, Burris 13, Leslie 2, Madison Ward 2.
YHS Assists: Fowler 20, Scott 1.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 9.
YHS Blocks: Sauser 2, Blowers 1, Brown 1.

SS Aces: Leslie 1, Burris 1, Youngblood 1, Mutiri 1.
YHS Aces: Fowler 1.

SS Digs: Burris 15, Leslie 14, Mutiri 7, Burris 4, MaKenzie Ward 4, Madison Ward 3, Mudd 2, Youngblood 1, Cypert 1.

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (25-14) saw their season come to and at Edmond Santa Fe High School Tuesday evening in the Regional Tournament. After winning their first match 3-1 against No. 18 Yukon (9-19), the Sandites were unable to overcome the host team and fell in straight sets.

No. 4 Edmond Santa Fe (23-9) has a highly decorated volleyball program with a long tradition of success. They have seen the State finals eleven times, secured five State Championships, and have won twenty-four consecutive Regional Championships. 

In the first match the Lady Sandites won their first two sets without difficulty before giving up the third to the Millers. 

Sand Springs emerged to a quick 6-0 lead before freshman Izzy Brown was able to get her team on the board. The Millers began to battle back and got close to tying it thanks to a series of Sandite errors and a block from Emma Sauser. After allowing the score to narrow to 13-11, Sand Springs exploded for the 25-16 win with 15 team kills, 6 of which came from Ohio State committed junior Gloria Mutiri. Both teams committed ten errors in the first set.

In the second game it was the Millers who took an early lead, working up an 8-4 advantage before the Sandites went on a run and tied it at 11-11 with a kill from Makenna Cypert before surging ahead to a 15-11 lead on a kill from Lee Leslie. Sand Springs led for the rest of the game and won 25-22. The Sandites stepped back their offense, scoring only thirteen times against eleven errors, while the Millers improved on offense with eleven kills, but gave up twelve errors. 

In the third set the Sandites actually led 74% of the time, far more than they did in the second or third sets, but the Millers scored when it mattered most. Sand Springs took a quick 9-3 advantage with a series of solo blocks from Mutiri and an ace from Madison Burris. After Sand Springs took a 2-1 lead, the Millers didn't tie it up again till 16-16 on a kill from Sidney Benge. It was back and forth from there and the Millers took their first lead at 20-19. Burris set up Mutiri for the tie, and an error from Haley Fowler gave the Sandites the last advantage of the game at 21-10. Back to back kills from Brown off Fowler sets gave Yukon the lead at 22-21. Fowler and Sauser combined to block a shot from Mutiri and the Fowler-Brown combo secured the Yukon win, 25-21. Sand Springs led in kills with fifteen, but added twelve errors to the Millers' thirteen kills. The Millers had their best offensive output of the night and were solid on defense as well with only six errors. 

The fourth set was far more competitive for the duration and Sand Springs only led 45% of the time with eleven ties. Neither team won two-straight rallies till the Sandites took a 6-4 lead with a kill from freshman Devree Youngblood and a pair of Miller errors. The Sandites gave up a pair of errors of their own to tie it at 6-6 and the back-and-forth melee continued. Yukon worked up as much as a 15-11 lead before the Sandites won four-straight rallies to tie it at 15-15. The teams exchanged the lead till the Sandites surged ahead once and for all with a kill from Youngblood off a set from MaKenzie Ward to make it 19-18. The Millers fought to the end, but the Sandites got the win 25-21. Sand Springs had a match-best twenty kills in the set, doubling the Millers ten kills. They also more than doubled the Millers on errors, giving up eleven points to the Millers' five. 

Yukon utilized their timeouts well throughout the match, scoring the first point after timeout ten out of eleven times.

Sand Springs: 27 kills, 26 errors
Edmond SF: 46 kills, 21 errors

SS Kills: Mutiri 15, Youngblood 5, Leslie 1, Burris 1, Taylor 1, MaKenzie Ward 1.
ESF Kills: Muse 18, Scott 8, Scholl 6, Peacock 6, Robinson 4, Barakhoyeva 1, Hungate 1, Moore 1.

SS Assists: Burris 9, MaKenzie Ward 4, Leslie 1.
ESF Assists: Scholl 22, Moore 1.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 3, Youngblood 1.
ESF Blocks: Robinson 2, Peacock 2, Muse 1, McCrary 1.

SS Aces: Burris 1, MaKenzie Ward 1.
ESF Aces: Scott 4, Scholl 1, Muse 1, Barakhoyeva 1, Moore 1.

SS Digs: Mutiri 6, Leslie 6, Taylor 4, Youngblood 3, Mudd 3, MaKenzie Ward 3, Madison Ward 2, Burris 1, Wise 1, Wyrick 1.

The Regional finals were a whole different beast from the Millers. Sand Springs has only faced a handful of teams this season on the level of the Wolves and had difficulty keeping up the high powered offense. Most teams have one or two powerful hitters that dominate the ball, but Edmond had several making it impossible to double up on anyone defensively.

The first set only saw three ties and the Sandites only led for one rally, though they were competitive for much of the first half. After the Wolves took an early 5-1 lead, the Sandites doubled down to take the lead at 7-6 thanks to a pair of blocks and a kill from Mutiri. Edmond quickly tied it up and never relinquished the lead for the duration. Sand Springs secured seven kills and committed twelve errors, while the Wolves scored thirteen kills and committed six errors.

In the second game Sand Springs toned back the errors to nine while scoring seven kills compared to the Wolves' sixteen kills and six errors.

The third set was the most competitive, though the Wolves still led for 85% of the game. Sand Springs only led thrice, but was within two points of their foes for nearly half the set. The Sandites recorded thirteen kills in the game, nearly as many as the first two sets combined. They committed only five errors, but were still overcome 25-21. The home team scored a match-high seventeen kills with nine errors. 

The Sandites' season came to an end with their first winning record since long before any of the current students were in high school. The team will only be graduating two seniors this year and will be in good shape next year as the young talent competes in club ball throughout the summer.

Lady Sandite Volleyball sweeps No. 6 Coweta 3-0

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (23-13) secured a solid win against 5A No. 6 Coweta (24-16) Thursday night on the road. The Sandites have now beaten the Tigers three times this season, and lost once, but this was their first 3-0 sweep. 

The Sandites got off to a great start in the first set, taking a 7-1 lead before letting the Lady Tigers catch back up. The home team started off with a service error and freshman Devree Youngblood hit an ace. Senior MaKenzie Ward set up back-to-back kills for Ohio State commit Gloria Mutiri and Lee Leslie to give the Sandites a 4-0 lead. 

Sand Springs: 52 kills, 27 errors
Coweta: 33 kills, 23 errors

SS Kills: Mutiri 18, Youngblood 9, Kersgieter 7, Leslie 2, Taylor 2, Bradshaw 2, Ward 2.
CW Kills: Russell 7, Thomas 7, Simpler 6, Casteel 6, Dill 2, Hodges 1, Stiles 1.

SS Assists: Ward 14, Burris 12.
CW Assists: Stiles 16, Thomas 2.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 5, Kersgieter 2, Youngblood 2.
CW Blocks: Russell 2, Thomas 1, Dill 1.

SS Aces: Mutiri 4, Taylor 2, Youngblood 2, Ward 2, Kersgieter 2, Leslie 1.
CW Aces: Casteel 5, Simpler 3.

SS Digs: Kersgieter 14, Mutiri 3, Taylor 2, Leslie 1, Bradshaw 1, Mudd 1, Ward 1.

Coweta freshman Reese Simpler got her team on the board with a tipped ball into a campfire, but the Tigers followed it up with a pair of errors and Mutiri smacked another kill to make it 7-1. 

From there the Home team got back in the game with six-straight kills: three from senior Makenna Russell and a pair of aces from Hannah Casteel to tie it up. Casteel hit a service error for the Sandite side-out, Mutiri scored on a block, and Leslie hit an ace. It was neck and neck from there with the Tigers tying it up with a pair of kills from freshman Linzy Dill and a combined block from Russell and Kaila Thomas. 

Sand Springs finally began to pull away once and for all, winning eight-straight rallies to make it 24-14. Thomas scored her third point of the game to end the streak, but Simpler faulted on the serve to give the game to the Sandites. 

Sand Springs committed only two errors, making it one of their best sets of the season. Coweta committed eleven errors and scored thirteen kills, while the Sandites only needed fourteen kills for the dominating win. The home team never once lead and only tied it three times.

The next two sets would be a lot closer, though the Sandites still lead 73% of the time and the home team only lead for seven rallies between the two games. 

Like the first game, the Sandites got off to a great lead at 8-3 before giving up five straight on two errors, a block by Russell, and a pair of aces by Casteel to tie it at 8-8. It was back and forth from there and this time the Tigers took the lead at 13-12 with a kill from Thomas. Sand Springs reclaimed the lead with a combined block from Youngblood and Holly Kersgieter and held it till Simpler added back-to-back aces to take the lead 20-19. Mutiri scored two-straight for the Sandite lead, then Russell scored two-straight for the Tiger lead. 

After falling behind 23-21, the Sandites used a timeout and came back onto the court pumped up after a "SwiftStrong" chant and scored four straight for the victory. Mutiri scored a kill, then a block to tie it. Kylie Taylor served an ace and Mutiri netted the win on a block.

Sand Springs scored a match-high twenty-one kills in the second set as the Tigers held themselves to a mere four errors against the Sandites' eleven.

The third game was equally competitive with the score tied ten times, though the Tigers only lead twice. Sand Springs pulled to a 6-3 lead with an ace from Mutiri before committing three-straight errors and giving up the lead on a kill from Thomas.

It was the Sandites' turn to go on a run from there with a kill from Youngblood, a pair of errors, and a pair of aces from Ward to make it 11-7. Coweta buckled down with kills from Claire Hodges and Dill and a pair of errors tied it at 11-11. Neither team managed to win two-straight rallies till Heather Stiles faulted on the serve and Mutiri served back-to-back aces to make it 18-16. 

Thomas and Kersgieter exchanged kills then Kersgieter added her second ace of the evening to make it 22-18. Sand Springs nearly had it wrapped up at 24-19 before giving up a pair of errors and an ace to Simpler before finally putting away 25-22 on a Madison Burris set and Mutiri kill. 

Sand Springs committed fourteen errors against seventeen kills in the third set while Coweta committed eight errors and scored eight kills. 

Mutiri lead both teams in scoring with eighteen kills, five blocks, and four aces, followed by Youngblood with nine kills, two blocks, and two aces. Ward and Burris split setting duties with fourteen and twelve assists, respectively. 

Coweta spread out their scoring with seven kills and a block from both Russell and Thomas. Simpler and Casteel each had six kills and Casteel lead both teams with five aces. Stiles handled almost all of the setting with sixteen assists. 

The Sandites have won six-straight sets for two-straight matches and will play their final match of the regular season next Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at No. 18 Bartlesville (12-17).

Lady Sandite Volleyball dominates Highway 97 Rivalry 3-0

Photo: Scott Emigh

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sand Springs: 51 kills, 27 errors.
Sapulpa: 17 kills, 24 errors. 

SS Kills: Mutiri 18, Youngblood 9, Burris 4, Kersgieter 3, Cypert 2, Ward 2.
SP Kills: Holland 6, Tyler 4, Hamilton 4, Hoey 2, Blevins 1.

SS Assists: Ward 11, Burris 9, Youngblood 1.
SP Assists: Blevins 10, #16 1.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 4, Cypert 2, Youngblood 1, Burris 1. 
SP Blocks: None.

SS Aces: Burris 4, Youngblood 3, Mutiri 3, Ward 2, Kersgieter 1.
SP Aces: Holland 1.

SS Digs: Kersgieter 5, Mutiri 4, Ward 4, Mudd 3, Youngblood 3, Leslie 3, Burris 1, Taylor 1.

The Sapulpa Lady Chieftain volleyball team (3-12) hosted the No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School (22-13) and the Lady Sandites defeated their Highway 97 rivals in straight sets for the first time since 2013. The last two years also went to the Sandites, but those matches were close 3-2 losses for the Chieftains. Sapulpa hasn't won a varsity volleyball match against Sand Springs since 2012.

Sand Springs came into the match off of a pair of back-to-back losses to No. 7 Broken Arrow (21-10) and 5A No. 5 Collinsville (23-9) and was looking to build some momentum to ride into Regionals. The girls just have two matches left before the Regional Tournament, and will take on 5A No. 6 Coweta (24-15) Thursday. 

Sapulpa won their last match 3-0 with a series of very close sets against Will Rogers and hoped to celebrate Senior Night with a rivalry win, but the Sandites weren't having it.

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter served an ace on the opening rally to set the tone for the game and junior Ohio State commit Gloria Mutiri followed it up with a kill off MaKenzie Ward's set. The Sandites gave up three straight points on errors and a kill by Macaila Holland and briefly gave Sapulpa the lead before going on a ten-point streak for the 12-4 advantage. 

Sapulpa picked up a point on a service error from freshman Devree Youngblood, senior Kyndall Hoey scored a hard spike past Mutiri, and Holland served an ace to cut it to 12-7, but Mutiri got the Sandites back on track with a kill off Ward. Madison Burris served an ace and set up kills for Mutiri Kersgieter to make it 19-8 before Grace Hamilton hit an ace to end a five-point streak.

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Mutiri and Makenna Cypert scored on a block, Mutiri got a kill off Burris, and Ward hit back-to-back aces to make it 23-10. The Chieftains got competitive and Amy Blevins set up kills for Hamilton and Holland, but they were too deep in the hole and gave up the 25-12 loss on an error.

In the second set the Sandites took an early 5-0 lead off four errors and a kill from Mutiri before the Chieftains got on the board with a kill from Holland. Burris scored a solo block, Mutiri followed it with a kill, and Burris added her second ace of the evening before a consecutive contact call made it 8-3. 

Mutiri scored three straight on a kill and two aces to make it 13-6. Burris scored another ace before the game was over and set up a pair of kills for Mutiri to end the game 25-11.

The Sandites struggled with errors in the third set and were basically competing against themselves for most of it. Sapulpa scored only five points in the game, but the Sandites gave up sixteen points on errors.

After Youngblood scored the opening point on a set from Ward, the Sandites gave up six-straight errors, followed by a kill from Hamilton and another error to make it 8-1 in the home team's favor. 

The girls rallied from there and scored seven-straight with a pair of aces and a kill from Youngblood, as well as a pair of blocks and a kill from Mutiri to tie it 8-8. An error gave Sapulpa the lead once again, but Mutiri tied it at 9-9 with a kill, then combined on a block with Cypert to take the lead once and for all. The rest of the game was still neck-and-neck due to continued Sandite errors, but aces from Mutiri and Burris and kills from Youngblood helped push the Sandites to a 25-21 victory for the sweep.

Mutiri led in scoring with eighteen kills, four blocks, and three aces, followed by Youngblood with nine kills, one assist, one block, and three aces. Madison Burris scored five points on four aces and a block, plus nine assists. Ward did the bulk of the setting with eleven assists and added two aces. 

Holland scored six kills and an ace for the Chieftains, followed by Hamilton and Holly Tyler with four kills each. Amy Blevins registered ten assists and one kill. 

The Chieftains celebrated Senior Night before the game and will be graduating eleven players this year. They not only presented their seniors with flowers, but also showed quality sportsmanship in giving flowers to the Sand Springs seniors as well. 

Sapulpa has one more match before Regionals at 5A #6 Coweta (24-15) next Monday at 6:30 p.m. 

No. 15 Lady Sandite Volleyball falls 3-1 to at 5A No. 5 Collinsville; Mutiri scores 19 kills

Photo: Scott Emigh

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (21-13) played a tough one against 5A No. 5 Collinsville (20-9) Thursday night, falling 3-1 in a match that at times felt like a slumber party for both teams. 

The Sandites started out with a 4-0 lead in the first game thanks to back-to-back kills from Ohio State University commit Gloria Mutiri and a pair of errors from the Cardinals. They gave the points right back, however. The girls committed a pair of errors, 6'5" Arizona-basketball commit Mallory Vaughn blocked a shot from Mutiri, and Shea Thomas set up Katlynn Wheeler for the game-tying shot. 

SS Kills: Mutiri 19, Kersgieter 8, Youngblood 6, Leslie 3, MaKenzie Ward 1.
CV Kills: Flanagan 14, Wheeler 7, Vaughn 6, Haught 6.

SS Assists: Makenzie Ward 23, Burris 3, Kersgeiter 2, Leslie 1.
CV Assists: Thomas 30.

SS Blocks: Mutiri 5, Burris 1, Cypert 1, Kersgieter 1.
CV Blocks: Vaughn 5, Haught 2, Thomas 1, Wheeler 1, Flanagan 1.

SS Aces: Youngblood 2, Leslie 1, MaKenzie Ward 1. 
CV Aces: Flanagan 6, Haught 1.

SS Digs: Leslie 7, Mudd 6, Youngblood 4, Mutiri 4, Kersgieter 4, Taylor 3, MaKenzie Ward 3, Madison Ward 1, Cypert 1, Burris 1.

Sophomore Holly Kersgieter set up Lee Leslie for a kill to regain the lead, but Vaughn blocked and Megan Rice hit the go-ahead kill. Sand Springs tried to hang tight with another Kersgieter/Leslie combo, but back-to-back kills from Rice and a slew of errors led to an insurmountable lead for the Cardinals who won the set 25-16.

The home team got off to a huge 7-0 advantage in set two thanks to a block and kill from Vaughn with four aces from Ashley Flanagan. The Sandites played catch-up with blocks from Mutiri and Madison Burris, a series of Cardinal errors, and an ace from Leslie to close the gap to 9-7. Rice went on a four-kill run from there, broken up only by a Cardinal error, before the Sandites found another kill from Kersgieter. 

Collinsville surged ahead to 19-12 with kills from Flanagan and Wheeler and four Sandite errors. The girls never stopped fighting, however, and once more closed up to 19-16 thanks to a pair of errors, a block from Mutiri and Makenna Cypert, and a kill from Mutiri. The two teams exchanged three-point runs from there and ultimately the home team won 25-19 with a kill from Flanagan.

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The third set went to the Sandites who built their own 7-0 lead this time. An error from Flanagan put the girls on a run with a pair of aces from freshman Devree Youngblood and kills from Mutiri off sets by Leslie and MaKenzie Ward. 

The Cardinals battled back to 7-4 with a pair of kills and a pair of errors, but the Sandites continued to hold their own, playing their most awake and competitive set of the match. The Cardinals never once led or tied in the duration of the game, though they came close at 21-19. The Sandites won 25-20 led by seven kills from the Mutiri and three by Kersgieter. 

The fourth set saw both teams step up their game, though the Sandites lead from the start till 14-14. An error from Youngblood gave Collinsville the ball and Flanagan served up fifth and sixth aces of the night. An error from Leslie and kills from Vaughn and Wheeler gave the Cardinals a six-straight run for a 16-14 lead that they held to the end. Ward set up a pair of kills for Kersgieter and served an ace late in the game to pull close at 23-21 and an error by Vaughn put the girls within a point, but Flanagan scored on a hard spike and Vaughn scored on a tipped ball for the 25-22 win. 

The Sandites were outperformed in both kills and errors by the Cardinals, who committed only 36 faults through the whole match compared to the Sandites' 44. Mutiri led both teams in kills with 19, in addition to 5 blocks. Flanagan was the leading scorer for Collinsville with 14 kills, followed by Vaughn with 11 and Rice with 10. Ward did the bulk of the setting for the Sandites with 23 assists, while Thomas did all of the setting for Collinsville and registered 30 assists. Leslie had 7 digs for the Sandites, followed by Baylee Mudd with 6.

Lady Sandites fall in straight sets to Broken Arrow despite being matched offensively

Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (21-12) hosted the No. 6 Broken Arrow Tigers (18-5) Tuesday night and battled valiantly through the match, dropping three close sets of 23-25, 23-25, and 21-25. Offensively the Sandites actually had the edge with 45 kills to the Tigers' 44, but the Broken Arrow team was more disciplined defensively and committed far less errors.

Sand Springs: 45 kills, 31 errors
Broken Arrow: 44 kills, 22 errors

SS Kills: Mutiri 22, Kersgieter 7, Youngblood 5, Leslie 3, Burris 3, Mudd 1, Cypert 1.
BA Kills: Bledsoe 19, Wratten 9, Smith 9, Blackburn 2, Bercher 2, Cowan 1. 

SS Assists: Burris 16, Ward 6, Cypert 2, Leslie 1.
BA Assists: Blackburn 31

SS Digs: Leslie 14, Taylor 11, Kersgieter 6, Mutiri 5, Burris 2, Mudd 2, Ward 2, Ward 2, Cypert 1. 

All three sets were back-and-forth affairs with the scoring being tied for nearly a quarter of the match. Broken Arrow led for the majority of the first and second sets, but the Sandites actually had the edge in game three before the Tigers came from behind to spoil it.

Sand Springs committed fourteen kills in the first set with eight of them coming from junior Ohio State University commit Gloria Mutiri. Madison Burris registered five assists in the first game. The most the Sandites ever trailed by was 17-13 before going on a four-point run to tie it up thanks to a kill from Mutiri, an ace from Holly Kersgieter, and a tipped ball from freshman Devree Youngblood. 

It was a back-and-forth game from there until an error by Makina Wratten tied it up at 20-20 and the Sandites took the lead on an ace from Burris. Kamryn Smith tied it back up at 21-21, but Mutiri scored back-to-back kills off sets from Burris and Makenna Cypert for the 23-21 advantage.

Those would be the last points the Sandites would score, however, as Mackenzie Backburn set up Mia Bledsoe for back-to-back kills, followed by back-to-back aces from Julia Bercher to win the game 25-23. Both teams committed nine errors apiece in the first set, but the Tigers had 16 kills to the Sandites' 14. 

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Sand Springs scored the first kill of game two thanks to Youngblood, but the Tigers won the next four with a pair of kills from Wratten and an ace from Smith. Sand Springs one-upped the Tigers with five-straight rallies off two kills from Mutiri and a combined block by Mutiri and Cypert to lead 6-4. They held that lead till 7-7 when Blackburn set up Bledsoe for back-to-back kills. The Sandites struggled to keep the lead from there and by 11-10, it was the Tigers with the advantage.

The Sandites didn't lead again for the duration of the game, but they tied it up six more times before Broken Arrow took the penultimate lead at 17-16. Sand Springs got close at 24-23 off a Mutiri kill and Burris assist, but Blackburn scored on a fake set tipped ball to secure another 25-23 victory. Once again it was Mutiri who led the scoring for the Sandites with nine points, and Burris registered seven assists.

Sand Springs got off to another great start in the final set and lead for 45% of the game. Wratten scored the first kill of the set, but Lee Leslie tied it up, Mutiri took the lead on a kill, Burris served an ace, and Mutiri registered a solo block for the 4-1 advantage. Broken Arrow didn't manage to tie it till 10-10 off a Sandite error.

From there the game was back-and-forth. Burris, Cypert, and Bledsoe all hit aces. The game tied at 19-19 off a Tiger error, but once they regained the lead, they held it till the end and won 25-21.

Errors have been the defining factor in nearly every Sandite loss this season as the high-powered Sandite offense led by Mutiri, Kersgieter, and Youngblood has little difficulty in keeping up in a shootout. Any time the communication is good, the Sandites win with incredible numbers. But when they start building campfires and colliding, that's when it falls apart. Lately, however, they've done far more destroying than falling apart.

The Sandites upset No. 14 Bixby 3-2, went 6-2 at the Catoosa Tournament, upset 4A No. 1 Metro Christian 2-0, and upset No. 10 Union 3-2 as well. Since the month began, their only losses have been 3-0 to No. 5 Owasso, 2-0 to 4A No. 3 Victory Christian, and 2-0 to 4A No. 1 Metro Christian, who they split with. The errors that plagued the beginning of the season are becoming fewer, the defense is getting tighter, and the offense is continuing to give it 100% all the way till the end. 

The Sandites have only two matches left before the Regional tournament and both are away games. They will travel to 5A No. 5 Collinsville (19-9) this Thursday at 6:00 p.m., and will take on their Highway 97 rivals from Sapulpa (2-11) next Monday at 6:30 p.m.