Sand Springs Volleyball program seeing success from the ground up

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The Lady Sandite Junior Varsity Volleyball team took second place at the Victory Christian Tournament. (Courtesy Photo).

The volleyball culture is changing in Sand Springs. Not too long ago, the Sandites were playing 3A and 4A tournaments and hoping for a break-even season record. Now they're scheduling the toughest competitors in the State and focusing more on the post-season than anything. 

While the Charles Page High School varsity team currently holds a losing record at 7-11, they're ranked No. 12 in Class 6A and are posing a legitimate threat to everyone they encounter. Thus far this season they have managed to upset the defending State Champions, placed third at a tough Broken Arrow Tournament, and won sets against powerhouse opponents like No. 8 Union, No. 4 Stillwater, and No. 5 Victory Christian. 

Head Coach Janna Green is in her fourth year at the helm of the Sand Springs program, meaning the current group of seniors is the first class to go through the program completely under Green's guidance. Last season the Sandites went 25-14, but peaked at the No. 13 ranking and saw their season come to a close at No. 4 Edmond Santa Fe, who hasn't lost a home Regional in a quarter-century. Green was recognized as the Frontier Valley Conference Coach of the Year.

The Sandites have been improving every week, most recently sweeping No. 14 Owasso in straight-sets, and doing so without their number two scorer in sophomore Devree Youngblood. They have ten matches left to improve their ranking before the Regional pairings are released. At least three of those matches are against ranked opponents that could earn the Sandites some points in the standings.

A major part of their success is that the whole team is developing the skill sets needed to compete at the top level. While the Sandites are anchored offensively by Division One recruit Gloria Mutiri, they have proven that every player on the court knows how to do her job and do it well. 

Sixteen players have seen varsity action this season and twelve have recorded kills. While the Sandites will graduate 69% of their scoring power this year, they'll retain their number-two hitter in Youngblood, their number-one setter in sophomore Madison Burris, and a whole mess of younger talent. 

Sophomores Gillian Wicker, Raylynn Mong, and Vanessa Wyrick have all seen varsity action this year. Cloe Campfield has proven herself as one of the most energetic players on the team. One freshman has even gotten in on the action in Madison Blaylock. A dozen other high-school athletes are seeing time on the JV and freshman teams, working hard to develop their potential and carry on the tradition in the years to come. 

The JV squad recently took on the B-teams from other top-level schools and placed second at the Victory Christian Tournament last week. The girls defeated the host school 2-1 with sets of 25-19, 15-17, and 15-11. They swept Catoosa (25-10, 25-19), topped Collinsville (25-16, 19-25, 15-12), then beat out Skiatook (12-25, 25-14, 15-11) in the semifinals before falling 17-25 and 19-25 to Lincoln Christian in the Championship round. The varsity programs from Victory Christian, Catoosa, Skiatook, and Lincoln Christian are all ranked top-ten in their classes.

While Sand Springs will no doubt miss the likes Mutiri, Madison and Makenzie Ward, libero Kylie Taylor, outside hitters Makenna Cypert and Kenzie Bradshaw, among others next year, the program will be more than capable of moving forward in their new tradition of competitiveness. 

With a dozen players seeing action on any given night, successful underclassman programs, a growing number of club athletes, and the dedicated coaching of Green, Alyssa Bargas, Brannon Scott, Lindsey Schwager, and Abby Harp, the Lady Sandite volleyball program is in good shape for years to come.

Varsity Mid-Season Stats

Sets Played
62 Madison Burris
62 Gloria Mutiri
61 Madison Ward
59 Chelsea Neely
58 Makenzie Ward
58 Kylie Taylor
52 Cloe Campfield
50 Makenna Cypert
47 Devree Youngblood
38 Kendall Wise
35 Kenzie Bradshaw
30 Kailie Johnson
25 Vanessa Wyrick
6 Raylynn Mong
3 Madison Blaylock
1 Gillian Wicker

Blocks
52 Gloria Mutiri
19 Chelsea Neely
7 Madison Burris
7 Makenna Cypert
7 Vanessa Wyrick
4 Devree Youngblood
2 Kailie Johnson
1 Kenzie Bradshaw
1 Cloe Campfield

Kills
282 Gloria Mutiri
94 Devree Youngblood
43 Madison Burris
28 Makenna Cypert
18 Kenzie Bradshaw
18 Cloe Campfield
16 Chelsea Neely
6 Vanessa Wyrick
4 Kailie Johnson
3 Kylie Taylor
2 Madison Ward
1 Kendall Wise

Digs
74 Kylie Taylor
59 Gloria Mutiri
51 Madison Ward
28 Madison Burris
21 Cloe Campfield
17 Makenzie Ward
9 Kendall Wise
5 Devree Youngblood
1 Makenna Cypert
1 Raylynn Mong

Assists
294 Madison Burris
96 Makenzie Ward
9 Kenzie Bradshaw
7 Gloria Mutiri
5 Raylynn Mong
4 Makenna Cypert
3 Cloe Campfield
3 Kailie Johnson
3 Kylie Taylor
2 Chelsea Neely
1 Madison Ward
1 Devree Youngblood

Aces
18 Gloria Mutiri
13 Cloe Campfield
13 Makenzie Ward
11 Madison Burris
10 Madison Ward
9 Kylie Taylor
8 Kendall Wise
8 Devree Youngblood
1 Makenna Cypert
1 Vanessa Wyrick

No. 12 CPHS Volleyball sweeps No. 14 Owasso 3-0 in home thriller

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The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (7-11) hosted a Frontier Valley Conference foe in the No. 14 Owasso Rams (8-9) Tuesday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House. It was the second meeting of the year for the two teams, and went much the way of the first. Sand Springs took the 3-0 sweep once again, but just like the first time, it was highly competitive.

CPHS 3 Owasso 0
Set One: 32-30 CPHS
Set Two: 25-22 CPHS
Set Three: 25-19 CPHS

Kills: CPHS 36, Owasso 25.
Blocks: Owasso 4, CPHS 2.
Aces: Owasso 13, CPHS 8.
Service Errors: CPHS 9, Owasso 7.

(CPHS Individual Stats)
Kills: Mutiri 21, Cypert 7, Burris 3, Campfield 2, Neely 2, Bradshaw 1.
Assists: Burris 29, Bradshaw 1, Campfield 1.
Aces: Wise 3, Burris 3, MaKenzie Ward 1, Mutiri 1.
Blocks: Neely 1, Mutiri 1.
Digs: Mutiri 7, Madison Ward 5, Taylor 2.

(Owasso Individual Stats)
Kills: Patton 8, Staggs 5, Henricks 5, Hendrix 4, Vancuren 3.
Assists: Hendrix 14, Berry 2, Staggs 1, Holderman 1.
Aces: Staggs 5, Hendrix 3, Daigle 2, Holderman 2, Vancuren 1.
Blocks: Staggs 1.
Block Assists: Hendrix 2, Vancuren 1, Staggs 1, Hendricks 1, Daigle 1. 

Sand Springs won the first set, but it was a lot closer than the last time the teams met. The set tied eighteen times in the highest-scoring game of the year for either team. Owasso led for the majority of the first half before Sand Springs won four straight for a 16-12 advantage. The Rams challenged right back with three in a row, including a pair of aces from Jenna Holderman, but Makenna Cypert lined up a kill with an assist from Madison Burris to end the streak.

The first set went into extra rallies and it was anyone's game from there. Avery Vancuren pushed her team to 25-24 but an Owasso error tied it up, then Gloria Mutiri scored a kill for the Sandite lead. Kylie Patton tied it back up, then the two teams exchanged errors before Patton scored the go-ahead point at 28-27. Cloe Campfield was next in on the action, followed by Mallory Hendrix, back to Mutiri, who then took the lead with a solo block at 30-29. It knotted back up with a service error from Kendall Wise, but Gabby Guerrero returned the favor to give Sand Springs the 31-30 lead. The Sandites' next serve was sent straight back to them as a free ball and Burris was ready with a spike to put the set to bed.

The second set didn't go into extra rallies, but was equally competitive with twelve tied scores. Once again, Owasso led out the gate and the scales began to tip toward Sand Springs midway through. After tying up at 22-22, the Sandites won three-straight for the win.

Hendrix served an ace for Owasso to start set three, but gave undid the damage with a service error and Mutiri scored an ace of her own for the lead. Game three belonged wholly to the Sandites who never once allowed the Rams to tie it up or take the lead after the first rally. Burris and Wise both recorded a pair of aces apiece and Mutiri capped the 25-19 win with a kill.

The Lady Sandites will return to action next Tuesday with a road match against Bixby (6-13). They will host 5A No. 5 Victory Christian (20-7) next Thursday at 6:00 p.m. 

CPHS Volleyball falls 3-1 to No. 7 Union despite strong effort and 25 kills from Mutiri

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Union 3 CPHS 1
Set One: 25-10 CPHS
Set Two: 25-7 Union
Set Three: 25-18 Union
Set Four: 25-17 Union

Kills: CPHS 37, Union 31.
Blocks: Union 7, CPHS 2.
Aces: Union 8, CPHS 5.
Service Errors: CPHS 10, Union 7.

(CPHS Only)
Kills: Mutiri 25, Youngblood 6, Bradshaw 4, Campfield 2.
Assists: Burris 29, Taylor 1, Johnson 1.
Aces: Wise 2, Mutiri 1, Youngblood 1, Taylor 1.
Blocks: Neely 1, Mutiri 1.
Digs: Mutiri 3, Taylor 1, Wise 1.

The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (6-11) hosted the No. 7 Union Redskins (9-4) in a Frontier Valley Conference showcase Tuesday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House. The Redskins had previously defeated Sand Springs twice this season, and despite getting hammered in the first set, the visitors battled back to complete the trifecta. 

Union gave up the first point in set one on a service error, evened it up with a kill from Abby Bryan, gave up a point to Gloria Mutiri, then evened it out once again with a strike from Ashley Barrows. Sand Springs went on a four-point run with kills from Mutiri and Kenzie Bradshaw to take the lead at 6-2. Union battled throughout but were unable to stymie the unstoppable tide of the Sandite offense. Mutiri scored eight points and Bradshaw had three in the 25-10 onslaught that ended with a hard-hit ace from Mutiri.

The second set started rough for Sand Springs, due more to errors than to Union's offense. A service error from Sand Springs and an ace from Union set the tone of the game. Cloe Campfield scored a kill, Union scored three points, Mutiri scored a kill, and Union scored three more. That pattern persisted for most of the set till the Redskins closed out with eleven-straight for the 25-7 win behind heavy defensive indifference.

Set three looked competitive at times and like a potential Redskin blowout at others. Union jumped out to a 6-2 lead, Sand Springs battled back for an 8-7 advantage, then Union ran away with it with eight-straight points including three aces from Grace Touthang. The two teams fought even from there, but Sand Springs was unable to make up the difference, falling 25-18. 

The fourth and final set was about the same as the third. Union took a 3-0 lead, Sand Springs tied it up with a kill from Mutiri and back-to-back aces from Kendall Wise, then Union added three more. The Sandites tied it up again at 8-8 thanks to a series of Redskin errors, but Union jumped back out to 15-11 with kills from Bryan and Barrows. Kylie Taylor notched an ace at 17-14, but Union won four-straight from there and surged ahead for the 25-17 win. 

Mutiri led all scorers with 25 kills, one block, and one ace, while Madison Burris recorded 29 assists. Devree Youngblood added six kills, Bradshaw had four, and Campfield tacked on two more for the Sandites. Barrows was the leading scorer for the Redskins with eleven kills, followed by Gabbie Inman with six, Juliet Roy and Madi Brown with five apiece, Bryan with three, and Nicole Merrill with one. Inman led in assists with 14.

The Lady Sandites will return to action next Tuesday with a home match against No. 17 Owasso (6-5). The Sandites previously defeated Owasso 3-0 at the Broken Arrow Invitational, sweeping the Rams with sets of 25-22, 25-19, and 25-19.

Lady Sandite Volleyball hammers No. 7 Coweta 3-0

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The No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (6-10) hosted 5A No. 7 Coweta (13-3) Thursday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House and dealt the Tigers their most devastating loss of the season in a 3-0 sweep.

CPHS 3 Coweta 0
Set One: 25-9 CPHS
Set Two: 25-17 CPHS
Set Three: 25-19 CPHS

Kills: CPHS 36, Coweta 23.
Blocks: CPHS 2, Coweta 0.
Aces: CPHS 6, Coweta 2.
Service Errors: CPHS 10, Coweta 5.

(CPHS Only) 
Kills: Mutiri 21, Cypert 5, Youngblood 5, Burris 4, Johnson 1.
Assists: Burris 25, Mong 2, Mutiri 1, Bradshaw 1.
Aces: Youngblood 3, Campfield 2, Madison Ward 1.
Solo Blocks: Mutiri 1.
Block Assists: Burris 1, Neely 1.
Digs: Taylor 3, Burris 2, Madison Ward 2, Mutiri 2, MaKenzie Ward 1, Campfield 1.
 

The first set was one of the fastest of the season as the Sandites used a massive ten-straight scoring streak to take an 18-2 advantage before letting the visitors back in the game. Were it not for a single service error, the streak would have been fifteen. The Tigers recorded only three kills in the 25-9 defeat, their second-worse loss, and the Sandites' biggest win of the season.

The second set was far more competitive, but still a handy victory for the home team. Sand Springs never ran away with it, scoring their longest streak at only three-straight, but they took the final lead at 5-4 and never looked back. Their biggest lead came with their final point, an ace from Madison Ward for the 25-17 victory.

By game three the Sandites were running the bench and every available player got to see action. The Sandites took the final lead at 4-3 and won four-straight capped by a kill from Makenna Cypert. Cloe Campfield scored an ace at 10-5, Raylynn Mong assisted Gloria Mutiri with a kill on her first rally of the game to make it 19-12, then Coweta staged a come-back attempt. 

The visitors scored five-straight points to cut it to 21-18 before Kailie Johnson scored a kill with an assist from Mong. Coweta Head Coach Tony Ramos demonstrated quality sportsmanship when the line judge ruled Johnson's hit as out of bounds. The visiting coach sacrificed his team's momentum to inform the referee that the hit was in bounds, awarding the point to Sand Springs. The Tigers notched one more kill and the home team closed out with an ace from Devree Youngblood to secure the victory.

Mutiri, who recently de-committed from Ohio State University, led the team per usual with her third-highest output of the season. The senior scored 21 kills and one block. Cypert and Youngblood each scored five kills, followed by Madison Burris with four and Johnson with one. Burris led the team with 25 assists. Youngblood notched three aces, followed by Campfield with two and Madison Ward with one.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Tuesday, September 5th with a home match against No. 8 Union (8-4). The Redskins previously defeated Sand Springs 3-1 in the third match of the season, and 3-0 at their home tournament. 

CPHS Volleyball: Mutiri scores 23 kills in 3-2 loss against No. 5 Bishop Kelley

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BK 3 CPHS 2
Set One: 25-20 CPHS
Set Two: 25-22 CPHS
Set Three: 26-24 BK
Set Four: 25-19 BK
Set Five: 15-10 BK

Kills: BK 50, CPHS 42.
Blocks: CPHS 8, BK 4.
Aces: CPHS 9, BK 8.
Service Errors: CPHS 14, BK 13.

(CPHS only)
Kills: Mutiri 23, Youngblood 7, Burris 5, Cypert 3, Bradshaw 2, Campfield 1, Neely 1.
Assists: Burris 33, Bradshaw 2, Campfield 1. 
Aces: MaKenzie Ward 3, Youngblood 2, Campfield 2, Burris 1, Madison Ward 1. 
Solo Blocks: Mutiri 3, Neely 2.
Block Assists: Neely 2, Cypert 2, Youngblood 1, Mutiri 1.
Digs: Mutiri 3, Campfield 3, Wise 3, Taylor 3, Madison Ward 2, Youngblood 1. 

The No. 15 ranked Charles Page High School volleyball team (5-10) hosted Frontier Valley Conference foe 5A No. 5 Bishop Kelley (5-4) Tuesday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House. The Kelley Comets defeated Sand Springs 3-0 (15-25, 12-25, 20-25) two weeks prior at the Union Tournament. This time it looked like Sand Springs would get some payback, but after falling in a 2-0 deficit, the Comets surged back for the win.

Sophomore Devree Youngblood scored the first point of the match with an ace, then turned the ball over with a service error. The teams traded punches from there till the visitors took the first substantial lead at 7-3 after winning four straight rallies. The teams exchanged errors, then it was the Sandites' time to shine with five straight points to take the lead at 9-8. Youngblood scored twice, Gloria Mutiri and Kenzie Bradshaw scored once apiece, and Madison Burris got the assists for all four.

Not to be outdone, the Comets retaliated with six points in a row, then Sand Springs tied it up at 14-14 with kills from Youngblood and Chelsea Neely, plus a pair of aces from MaKenzie Ward. The close affair tied twice more before Sand Springs took the lead once and for all. The Comets threatened at 21-20, but the home team won the next four rallies for the win.

The second game started much like the first, but this time it was Sand Springs who jumped out to the early lead with six straight rallies to make it 9-3. Kelley scored five in a row to make it 12-9, but Sand Springs did the same for a 17-9 advantage. Cloe Campfield scored a kill and Neely added a solo block for the biggest lead of the game at 20-11.

The Comets began to close the gap late in the game, winning four in a row to cut the deficit to 24-22. After a brief timeout, the Sandites secured the win with a tipped ball from Burris.

The third set was the most competitive of the four. The score tied eleven times and the lead changed eight times before the Comets closed out with three-straight for the 26-24 win. Kelley took a 23-22 lead before Mutiri scored a kill to tie it and Youngblood aced for the lead. Neely looked to have clinched the set with a solo block before the call was reversed in favor of the visitors. Mariana Hightower and Parker Ross scored a pair of kills for the Comets' first set win.

Sand Springs played from the hole for most of the game four. They went on a six-point run for a brief 11-9 lead, but Kelley came right back with four of their own. Mutiri tied it at 13-13, but Kelley took the lead back once and for all with a kill from Hightower. The visitors went on a five-point run towards the end, Sand Springs won three of their own, then Kelley finished it up at 25-19 to tie the match.

The Comets jumped out to a quick lead in the final stanza with two kills from Ross, a kill from Katherine Barlow, and back to back aces from Sadie Baumann. Mutiri broke things up with a kill, but Kelley went right back to work with three more. After a brief timeout the Sandites scored three in a row with a kill and block from Mutiri and an ace from Burris, but they were unable to close the gap the rest of the way. Ultimately the visitors prevailed 15-10 to return to a winning record. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Thursday with a home match against 5A No. 7 Coweta (13-2).

Sandite of the Week Gloria Mutiri scores 98 points in 17 sets at BA Tournament

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Charles Page High School senior Gloria Mutiri was selected as our Sandite of the Week for her performances over the past week, helping her team win three of their six matches, including a 3-2 upset of the defending State Champions. Mutiri's consistently outstanding abilities have earned her Division I attention and she committed to the Ohio State University last season. 

The Lady Sandite Volleyball team (5-9) improved from the No. 19 ranking in Class 6A to No. 15 after placing third in the Broken Arrow Tournament. 

Last Tuesday the Sandites fell 3-0 to No. 7 Jenks. Mutiri scored twelve kills, two blocks, and an ace. 

On Friday the girls came from behind to defeat No. 5 Edmond Memorial 3-2. Mutiri recorded her second-highest output of the season with nineteen kills and a season-best nine blocks. She scored seventeen points in a 3-0 loss to No. 9 Edmond North, and twenty points in a 3-0 win over No. 11 Owasso. 

On Saturday Mutiri scored thirteen points in a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Norman North and twenty points in a 3-0 win over No. 17 Southmoore for third place in the tournament. 

This is Mutiri's third time being named Sandite of the Week. She is also a starting player on the defending Frontier Valley Conference Champion basketball team. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Tuesday with a home match against 5A No. 5 Bishop Kelley (4-4) who defeated them 3-0 at the Union Tournament two weekends ago. On Thursday they will host 5A No. 7 Coweta.