CPHS Volleyball: No. 12 Sandites sweep Ponca 3-0 in Regional Playoff

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(Photo: Morgan Miller). 

The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (16-16) easily handled Ponca City (13-14) with a 3-0 sweep in the first round of the Regional Championship Tuesday evening in Stillwater. The Sandites won sets of 25-13, 25-18, and 25-18, led by Kansas State-commit Gloria Mutiri with 25 kills and sophomore Madison Burris with 27 assists.

CPHS 3 PC 0
Set One: CPHS 25-13
Set Two: CPHS 25-18
Set Three: CPHS 25-18

Kills: CPHS 34, PC 14.
Blocks: CPHS 6, PC 4.
Aces: PC 8, CPHS 2.
Service Errors: CPHS 9, PC 5.

Ponca started hot with a kill and ace from Sunny Bastchellett, but the Lady Cat's next serve was out and the Sandites went on a ten-point run from there. Mutiri and Kenzie Bradshaw recorded blocks, Mutiri scored a pair of kills, and Kylie Taylor served an ace before Hannah Balzer notched her first kill of the night. Things were a little more back and forth from there and both teams ran up the service errors, but the Sandites maintained their lead. Ponca tried to rally with a kill and ace from Emily Lawrence, a block from Balzer and Hannah Lawson, and a kill from Riley Barrick, but Bradshaw got things back on track with a kill and Mutiri sealed the deal at 25-13.

The second set was far closer as neither team broke out with a definitive lead till late in the game. The Sandites started to pull ahead at 16-12, Ponca battled back with a kill from Barrick and an ace from Balzer, but Balzer's next serve was long and the Lady Cats rattled off three more errors to give Sand Springs a healthy 20-15 lead. Sand Springs committed an error of their own, but Ponca kept beating themselves and the Sandites prevailed with kills from Cloe Campfield and Mutirifor the 25-18 win and 2-0 lead.

The Wildcats scored first in game three with a kill from Bastchellett, but forfeited four straight points on errors before Bastchellett notched another. They tied it up shortly after, but Sand Springs jumped back out to a 9-5 lead with three kills and a block from Mutiri. The game tied again at 12-12 and the Wildcats took a brief lead before netting the Sandites three-straight points. Campfield, Bradshaw, and Makenna Cypert all got in on the scoring action in the final stretch and Cypert sealed the deal with an assist from Burris. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action immediately with a match against No. 5 Stillwater (25-7). The winner will advance to the State Tournament next week.

Sand Springs Individual Statistics

Kills: Mutiri 25, Cypert 3, Burris 2, Bradshaw 2, Campfield 2.
Assists: Burris 27, Bradshaw 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 5, Bradshaw 3, Cypert 1, Neely 1.
Digs: Madison Ward 5, Burris 2, Blaylock 1, Mutiri 1, Wise 1.
Aces: Madison Ward 1, Taylor 1.

Sandite of the Week: Madison Burris leads No. 12 Sandites to Regionals at Stillwater

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Charles Page High School sophomore setter Madison Burris was selected as our Sandite of the Week for her outstanding performance, not just over the past week, but for the season as a whole. 

Burris leads her team in assists with over 500 this season, averaging 5.28 per set. She's lethal with a tipped ball, scoring 0.6 kills per set and has an equal number of digs. She is third on the team in total kills, fourth in digs, and fifth in aces. Together with Gloria Mutiri, she is one of only two players on the team to play every single set this season. 

The No. 12 ranked Sandites (15-16) won all three of their matches last week, 3-2 against No. 18 Muskogee and 3-0 against both Sapulpa and Ponca City. Burris tied her career-high performance of 29 assists in only three sets against Ponca City and recorded 20 in a rivalry win against the Chieftains. 

The Sandites received a Tuesday morning police escort to Stillwater for the Regional Tournament, where they will have a rematch with Ponca City (13-13) in the semifinals at 6:00 p.m. If they win against Ponca they will advance to the Championship round against either No. 5 Stillwater (24-7) or No. 19 Enid (14-12) to battle for the ticket to the State Tournament. Stillwater is riding a seven-match win streak, including a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-11, 25-7) of the Sandites at the Stillwater Invitational two weekends ago. The Sandites have won their last four-straight matches.

CPHS Volleyball: No. 14 Sandites fall 3-0 to No. 9 Broken Arrow

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The No. 14 ranked Charles Page High School volleyball team (10-18) has hit a rough patch lately, going 2-4 at the Stillwater Tournament this past weekend and suffering a 3-0 sweep at No. 9 Broken Arrow (16-12) Tuesday evening.

BAHS 3 CPHS 0
Set One: 25-15 BAHS
Set Two: 25-10 BAHS
Set Three: 25-21 BAHS

Kills: BAHS 31, CPHS 14.
Blocks: BAHS 5, CPHS 3.
Aces: BAHS 7, CPHS 1.
Service Errors: BAHS 8, CPHS 6.

(CPHS Only)
Kills: Mutiri 9, Burris 2, Campfield 1, Neely 1, Cypert 1.
Assists: Burris 10.
Aces: Madison Ward 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 3.
Digs: Mutiri 3, Burris 2.

The Sandites fell in straight sets to No. 8 Union (19-10), No. 12 Westmoore (15-12) and No. 5 Stillwater (23-7). They lost 3-1 to No. 17 Southmoore (10-17) who they had previously defeated in straight sets at the Broken Arrow Tournament. On Saturday they prevailed 3-0 against Bartlesville (4-22) and the Stillwater Junior Varsity.

Tuesday was another tough match against Broken Arrow, and though the first two sets were blowouts, the Sandites finished on a high night with a close loss in game three. 

After Madison Ward served an ace to start off the night, the home team won the next eight rallies before turning the ball over on a service error. Kansas State University-commit Gloria Mutiri scored a block and a kill, and the Sandites battled back to a 9-7 deficit. The home team slowly began to creep further and further ahead, however, and wrapped things up at 25-15. 

The second set was even more of a blowout as the Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Sand Springs tried to hang tight early on with a kill from Makenna Cypert and a block from Mutiri to make it 8-5, but after turning the ball over on a service error, the Sandites lost seven straight rallies for a double-digit deficit. Eventually the home team prevailed 25-10.

The third set was far more competitive as the Sandites found their rhythm and hung tight with their foes throughout. The set tied nine times and the Sandites led for 23 rallies by as much as three points before the home team won four straight to flip the script from 20-18 to 22-20 in their favor. Mutiri cut it back to a one-point deficit but Broken Arrow won three straight to close out 25-21 and complete the sweep.

The Lady Sandites will travel to 5A No. 10 Claremore (15-12) on Thursday in their last match before the final rankings come out Monday. They will host No. 18 Muskogee (18-14) on Monday, Sapulpa (4-13) on Tuesday, and Ponca City (11-11) on Thursday. The Regional pairings will be released Wednesday. 

CPHS Volleyball: Gloria Mutiri commits to Kansas State University

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Charles Page High School volleyball standout Gloria Mutiri has announced her decision to play collegiate ball for Kansas State University in Manhattan. The 6'2" senior previously committed to Ohio State University in September of last year before decommitting this August to look for a school closer to home. 

Mutiri has been the leading scorer for the Sandites for the past four years, and is also a star on the Lady Sandite State Semifinalist Basketball team that won the Frontier Valley Conference last year. She is currently averaging 4.5 kills per set this season, not including the Stillwater tournament played this past weekend. Her season stats currently stand at 309 kills, 58 blocks, 64 digs, and 22 aces. 

Kansas State is currently 8-7 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats are in their seventeenth season under Head Coach Suzie Fritz, who has amassed a 316-178 record in her time with the program. Last year the team went 21-10, tied for fourth in the Big 12, and made the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Their last conference title came in 2003. 

The Big 12 is a highly competitive volleyball conference with three of their nine teams ranked at present time. Texas is currently fifth, Kansas is eleventh, Iowa State is eighteenth. Baylor also received votes and currently holds a 12-3 record. Kansas State is in a bit of a rebuilding year after graduating five starters, but the Wildcats have only one senior in their current starting lineup, setting them up for an experienced unit in the coming year. 

CPHS Volleyball: Mutiri scores 15 kills in 3-0 upset loss to No. 20 Bixby

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The No. 20 ranked Bixby Spartans (8-13) hosted No. 12 Sand Springs (8-12) Tuesday evening at the Whitey Ford Sports Complex and sent the Sandites home with a 3-0 loss. The Sandites slipped to 2-5 in Frontier Valley Conference standings while Bixby improved to 4-3 with the upset sweep.

Bixby 3 CPHS 0
Set One: 25-21 Bixby
Set Two: 25-22 Bixby
Set Three: 25-22 Bixby

Kills: Bixby 40, CPHS 25.
Blocks: CPHS 4, Bixby 3.
Aces: Bixby 9, CPHS 3.
Service Errors: Bixby 4, CPHS 2.

(CPHS Individual Stats)
Kills: Mutiri 15, Cypert 3, Neely 3, Wyrick 2, Madison Ward 1, Burris 1.
Assists: Burris 20, Mong 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 4.
Digs: Mutiri 6, Madison Ward 4, Wise 1, Blaylock 1, Cypert 1, Makenzie Ward 1, Wyrick 1.

(Bixby Individual Stats)
Kills: Little 11, Justus 10, Childs 8, Hayles 7, Clark 2, Roth 2.
Assists: Roth 11, Clark 10, Roper 3, Childs 1.
Aces: Hoffman 3, Little 3, Childs 1, Davis 1, Roth 1.
Blocks: Hayles 2, Little 2, Childs 1, Clark 1. 

All three games were fairly close, but the Sandites were low on offense and slow on defense, amounting to losses of 25-21, 25-22, and 25-22. Gloria Mutiri led all scorers with fifteen kills and four blocks, while Madison Burris did the bulk of the setting for the Sandites, recording 20 assists. Kayla Little and Gaby Justus both broke double digits for the Spartan offense.

It seemed like the Sandites would have a typical, successful night at first. Cloe Campfield started off the match with an ace. Sophie Childs scored a kill to tie things up, then Chelsea Neely took the lead back for Sand Springs. Emma Clark hit back-to-back kills to tie it at 3-3, but Mutiri helped push the Sandites back out front to 7-4. The Spartans took a 9-8 lead with a pair of aces from Little, the game tied again at 9-9, then Bixby took the lead once and for all with a kill from Justus. 

For ten-straight rallies neither team could score back-to-back points and the Sandites were right behind their foes at 18-16, then Bixby went on a five-point run with a kill from Sydney Hayles and an ace from Josie Hoffman. The ball was in the Sandites' court, and they tried their best to undo the damage. Mutiri, Justus, and Neely exchanged kills and Mutiri scored a block, but Childs secured the 25-21 win for the home team. 

The second set was equally competitive, but this time it was the home team who took the initial lead with an ace from Hoffman. Neely tied it at 1-1, Mutiri tied it at 2-2, and Makenna Cypert tied it at 17-17, but Sand Springs never once took the lead. Bixby ultimately prevailed 25-22.

Campfield gave the Sandites another 1-0 lead with an ace in set three, but Skyler Roth aced for the Spartans to tie it at 2-2. The teams exchanged consecutive contact points, then Callie Davis scored an ace for the 4-3 Spartan lead. The game tied at 6-6 with a kill from Mutiri, 11-11 on a Spartan error, 13-13 on a kill from Vanessa Wyrick, and 20-20 with a block from Mutiri. 

Bixby led by as much as 20-16 before Mutiri blocked, Madison Ward aced, and Mutiri blocked again to tie it up. Sand Springs gave up a point on an error, but Mutiri took it right back with a spike to the face of Justus. Hayles avenged her comrade's pride with a kill for the lead, and the Spartans never looked back, securing the 25-22 win with an ace from Hoffman to complete the upset. 

The Lady Sandites will look to bounce back from the loss when they travel to the Stillwater tournament this Friday. The Spartans will travel to Ponca City (11-10) this Thursday where they hope to avenge a 3-0 loss from the Norman tournament earlier this season. 

CPHS Volleyball: No. 12 Sandites sweep 5A No. 5 Victory Christian 3-0

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The No. 12 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (8-11) won their second-straight 3-0 sweep Monday evening at the Ed Dubie Field House, upsetting 5A No. 5 Victory Christian (21-8) in a 3-0 payback win. The Lady Sandites conquered the Conquerors 25-16, 25-16, and 25-21.

CPHS 3 VC 0
Set One: 25-16 CPHS
Set Two: 25-16 CPHS
Set Three: 25-21 CPHS

(Individual Statistics)
Kills: Mutiri 13, Cypert 6, Campfield 4, Johnson 2, Madison Ward 1, Burris 1, Neely 1.
Assists: Burris 21, Madison Ward 1, Mutiri 1.
Aces: Mutiri 4, Madison Ward 4, Campfield 1, Burris 1, Makenzie Ward 1, Cypert 1. 
Blocks: Mutiri 2, Campfield 1.
Digs: Mutiri 3, Blaylock 1, Burris 1, Madison Ward 1, Makenzie Ward 1.

Gloria Mutiri led the team as usual with 13 kills, two blocks, and four aces, but was far from the only contributor in the dominating sweep. Makenna Cypert is on a roll lately, scoring six kills for the second-straight match, this time adding an ace and recording far less hitting errors. Cloe Campfield was next in line with four kills, one ace, and one block. Madison Ward served four aces, Madison Burris recorded 21 assists, and Mutiri led with three digs. 

The Lady Sandites own a losing record after an 0-8 streak a month ago, but have won six of their last nine matches, while playing one of their toughest schedules in recent memory. All of their losses have come at the hands of top-ten ranked teams, most of their losses were highly competitive, and half of their wins can be considered upsets.  

The girls placed third at the Broken Arrow Tournament, topping No. 5 Edmond Memorial 3-2, No. 11 Owasso 3-0, and No. 16 Southmoore 3-0. Since then they went toe-to-toe with 5A No. 5 Bishop Kelley and fell in a wild 3-2 battle, then swept 5A No. 7 Coweta 3-0 and No. 14 Owasso 3-0. They fell 3-1 to No. 7 Union, but are on a six-set streak after avenging a 3-1 loss to Victory Christian from earlier this season. 

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday the 19th with a Frontier Valley Conference road game against No. 20 Bixby (7-13). The Spartans (3-3) are sixth in Conference standings while the Sandites are seventh (2-4). Bixby still has two conference matches left against 5A No. 4 Bishop Kelley and No. 9 Union. Sand Springs still has to play No. 7 Broken Arrow, unranked Muskogee, and unranked Sapulpa.