Lady Sandites fall 3-1 despite valiant effort against #3 Norman North

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-8) met their match in the No. 3 Norman North Timberwolves (10-2) Friday afternoon at the Broken Arrow Tournament. It took the Sandites two games to find their rhythm against one of the most aggressive teams they’ve met this season.

Norman North utterly dominated the first two sets 25-7 and 25-8. Sand Springs managed to tie the first game 2-2 with a block combo from Gloria Mutiri and Lee Leslie, but the Timberwolves ran away with the next six rallies before Mutiri found a set from Mackenzie Ward for the kill. Norman grabbed five more points from there, gave up one on an error, then stole four more for a 17-4 lead. The Sandites only scored three more points, all of which came from errors.

In the second set the Timberwolves exploded to 9-1 before Leslie set up Holly Kersgieter for the kill. Leslie scored a kill off Ward, then combined on a block with Mutiri at 14-4. Mutiri added an ace and Kenzie Bradshaw scored a kill, but the Timberwolves coasted safely along for the win.

The Lady Sandites found their footing in the third game and doubled down on the Timberwolves for an early 8-4 lead thanks to kills from Mutiri and a block from Kenzie Bradshaw. Norman battled back with kills from Hallie Hembree, Lexi Thompson, and Maggie Davis, then tied things up at 9-9 as Davis and Lauren Kersey blocked a Mutiri spike. 

The teams fought back and forth for the lead and eventually Norman pulled away as far as 18-13 with a kill from Hembree, but the Sandites got back within a point thanks to a Bradshaw kill, Mutiri block, and Lee ace. Thompson found Abbey Woodrow's set for a kill, but Mutiri scored three straight with a kill and two solo blocks, capped off by a Baylee Mudd ace for the 21-19 lead. Ward set up Mutiri for back-to-back kills to solidify the win at 25-20.

The fourth set started with promise as neither team posted a three-point lead till halfway through the game. After Ward set up Kersgieter for a kill to tie it at 8-8, Norman went on a run with six straight rallies before handing the ball over on a serve error. The Sandites were unable to capitalize on the side-out and the Timberwolves went back to piling on the kills for a 25-12 victory. 

Mutiri led the Sandites with nine kills and seven total blocks, including three solo. Bradshaw and Kersgieter each added three, and Leslie, Madison Burris, and Mudd each scored two.

Mutiri and Leatherland both score 31 in shootout at BA Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The No. 18 ranked Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-7) dropped their opening match at the Broken Arrow Tournament Friday morning to the Northeast Oklahoma Association of Homeschools (3-2).

The Lady Sandites dominated the first game 25-16. The Jaguars took an early 8-5 lead, but four straight aces from junior Gloria Mutiri put the Sandites up 10-8. Marysia Erb broke up the streak and Hannah Williams served an ace to tie it up 10-10.

The Sandites won the next five rallies with three errors, a kill from Holly Kersgieter, and an ace from Mackenzie Ward. Malia Leatherland got in a kill, but Kendall Wise scored back-to-back aces to push the lead to 19-12. Ward set up kills for Lee Leslie, Mutiri, and Kersgieter and the Sandites surged to a 25-16 finish.

The second set featured far fewer Jaguar errors and far more kills from Leatherland. The heavy-hitting senior daughter of Coach Mike Leatherland was all over the place throughout the set.

Mutiri was an ever-present threat, scoring the first three kills of the game for the Sandites and joining with Ward for a block. Leatherland scored on a tipped ball and followed it up with an ace. A series of Sandite errors and another kill from Leatherland gave NOAH the 10-7 advantage before they gave it up with six errors of their own and Devree Youngblood and Madison Burris joined for a block to make it 13-11.

NOAH pulled briefly ahead before a Mutiri ace tied it at 16-16, but the Jags tried to run away with it and pushed their lead to 22-17 before the Sandites found their feet and tied it up at 23-23 with a pair of blocks from Mutiri and Burris, and Mutiri and Leslie.

The game tied at 24-24 after a kill from Leatherland, Kersgieter tipped a kill for the lead, but Leatherland tied it right back up at 25-25. Both teams exchanged errors and NOAH took the lead on a blocked tip from Mutiri. The Sandites got the side out on a service error and Burris set up Kersgieter for the 28-27 kill. A Jaguar fault sealed the victory at 29-27 and the match was solidly in the hands of Sand Springs 2-0.

The third set was a mess of errors and NOAH took a 4-1 lead before either team scored a single kill. Makenna Cypert scored the opening kill for the Sandites, Leatherland retaliated, and Mutiri spiked in another to make it 5-3. The teams exchanged service errors, Mutiri and Leslie combined on a block, and Youngblood scored a kill to make it 8-6. A kill from Kersgieter followed by three-straight Jaguar errors gave the Sandites the lead at 11-10. Leatherland scored back-to-back kills, then Mutiri did the same.

The back-and-forth affair continued all the way into extra points where the game tied for the final time at 27-27 on a block from Mutiri. Leatherland and Erb both scored kills for the 29-27 victory.

In game four the Jags took the lead early on with back-to-back kills from Leatherland. Sand Springs pulled close at 7-5 with a kill from Mutiri, but Leatherland scored a kill followed by four-straight aces. The lead was comfortably NOAH’s till Mutiri scored three-straight to close it to 19-16. Mutiri scored off a Ward setup and a pair of errors put the Sandites within a point, 20-19. They would only win one rally from there and NOAH prevailed 25-20 to tie the match.

NOAH pulled a quick 4-1 lead in the final set and didn’t give up the lead till 13-13. Leslie scored an ace, but Leatherland scored two. Ward served one of her own and Mutiri followed with a block, but the girls still trailed 11-8. They got within a point on a kill from Leslie to make it 12-11, then scored a block from Burris and Mutiri to tie it up. Leatherland scored a kill from there, then put up an impressive block on one of Mutiri’s infamous spikes for the 15-13 win.

Mutiri and Leatherland tied in scoring with 31 kills each. Mutiri scored seven blocks to Leatherland’s four, but Leatherland scored seven aces to Mutiri’s five. Kersgieter added another twelve kills and Leslie scored seven. Ward led in assists with twenty-four and Burris added another twelve.

Gloria Mutiri scores 22 kills in 3-2 loss to Victory Christian

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-5) gave the 4A No. 4 Victory Christian Conquerors (9-3) a run for their money Thursday night at Victory. The Conquerors likely thought the match would be a breeze after winning the first set 25-14, but Sand Springs surged to victory in the next two games.

The Lady Sandites managed a mere six kills in the first game. Gloria Mutiri got the girls on the board with an assist from MaKenzie Ward, but Victory held the lead at 3-1. Senior Lee Leslie picked up a point on a solo block, but Senior Andrea Redmond responded with a tipped ball for the kill. Mutiri scored one of her signature spikes, but Redmond got in another tipped ball and the Conquerors gained a point from a Mutiri error for the 8-3 advantage. 

The Lady Sandites briefly closed the gap to 16-13 thanks to a pair of Victory errors and a kill from Mutiri off MaKenzie Ward, but the Conquerors surged ahead with four straight rally wins and an ace from Redmond. Mutiri added one more kill before Victory won the next five rallies to end things 25-14.

In the second game the Conquerors started 2-0 once again with an error from Leslie and a blocked shot by Redmond, but the Sandites battled neck-and-neck and tied things up at 3-3 with a block from Makenna Cypert, and 4-4 as Mutiri blocked a spike from Redmond. Redmond committed an error to give the Sandites the lead and Cypert added an ace to push it to 6-4. 

Sand Springs held the lead for seventeen-straight rallies before committing three straight faults to tie it at 13-13. Redmond scored a pair of kills to make it 16-14, but another Cypert ace gave Sand Springs the upper hand at 18-17. The game tied twice more at 23-23 and 24-24 before Lee Leslie got the go-ahead kill and Mutiri added a block for the 26-24 win. 

In game three the two teams exchanged errors till Mutiri scored the first kill for the Sandites to make it 3-2. The teams traded the lead three more times before Victory finally started to build ground on the Sandites and push the advantage to 17-12. A timeout for the Sandites made for a scoring catalyst and the girls won four straight rallies to force the Conquerors to use a timeout of their own. 

Freshman Devree Youngblood scored a pair of back-to-back kills and Mutiri tied things up at 22-22. A consecutive touching call gave Sand Springs the lead, Madison Ward served up an ace, and Holly Kersgieter scored the winning kill off an assist from Madison Burris. The Sandites led the match 2-1.

The fourth game was decidedly Victory's from the get-go. Youngblood scored an early kill to make it 1-1, but Victory won the next eight straight rallies. Mutiri and Redmond exchanged kills, but Redmond managed to block a pair of Mutiri's spikes and the Conquerors furthered their lead to 14-3. 

Mutiri picked up a solo block and the Sandites added another point on a waffle. Kersgieter added a block and MaKenzie Ward scored an ace, then Mutiri tipped a kill into a campfire. Ultimately the early errors were insurmountable and the Sandites lost the set 25-13.

It came down to the final set. Sand Springs scored first on an error, but gave the point right back and allowed an ace. Redmond added three more kills for an 8-5 advantage, but Sand Springs won three straight rallies with kills from Kersgieter and Youngblood to tie it up. 

Victory used a timeout to break up the Sandite momentum and the girls were unable to score again for the duration, save for a service error by the Conquerors. Victory narrowly grabbed the 15-9 win for the match.

Mutiri led her team in scoring by a landslide with 22 kills, including five blocks. MaKenzie Ward registered fifteen assists as well as two aces. Redmond led the scoring for both teams with 23 total kills including three blocks and an ace. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. in round one of the Broken Arrow Tournament against Tulsa NOAH Home School. Immediately after that match they will play No. 3 Norman North (7-2) and at 3:00 p.m. they will take on Moore (1-8). 

Lady Sandite Volleyball places second at Coweta Tournament with 8-1 record

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (10-4) blew through the opening rounds of the Coweta Tournament this past weekend, defeating every team in the tournament during round-robin pool play, but fell to the host team in the Championship round.

On day one, the Lady Sandites won a pair of close games over 5A #9 Heritage Hall (6-10) with sets of 25-20 and 25-19. Junior Gloria Mutiri led in scoring with ten kills in the second game alone. In the second match they fended off 4A #8 Catoosa (8-6) who was looking to avenge a week one sweep at Sand Springs. The Lady Sandites won the first game 25-18, but lost the second 23-25 after rallying from a massive deficit of 21-12. The two teams battled closely in the deciding set but Sand Springs prevailed 15-9 thanks to fifteen kills from Mutiri and ten from sophomore Holly Kersgieter.

The girls got their first crack at the home team in match three and dominated the opening set 25-13. 5A #6 Coweta (8-4) turned the tables in game two with a 25-16 victory, but the Lady Sandites turned up the heat in set three to win it 15-10. They capped off the first day with a blowout victory over Edison Preparatory Academy (4-11) with sets of 25-6 and 25-12. Mutiri scored eleven kills in the melee, followed by freshman Devree Youngblood with seven kills, including two aces.

The Saturday opener was another blowout as Sand Springs trumped 5A #15 East Central (6-9) 25-12 and 25-14. Mutiri scored fifteen kills and Kersgieter added eight including four aces. 

5A #13 Tahlequah (3-7) brought the heat in the next round and gave the Lady Sandites a run for their money in both sets. The Sandites won 2-0 but both games went into extra points for final scores of 28-26 and 26-24. Mutiri scored an incredible twenty kills in the two games, with major help from MaKenzie Ward who registered seventeen assists.

Sand Springs played back-to-back games against 5A #8 Claremore (7-6) and won both 2-0. In the final round of pool play the Sandites breezed through the Zebras 25-10 and 25-12, but in the bracket semifinals the Zebras upped their game and competed hard for losses of 25-16 and 25-19. Youngblood led the scoring in the first match with seven kills and two aces. Mutiri and Kersgieter each added six kills and Kersgieter serving up three aces. In the second match Mutiri ran away with the scoring for fifteen kills followed by Kersgieter with six and Youngblood with five.

In the tournament finals the Sandites were rematched against Coweta who went 7-2 and avenged an opening-round loss to Heritage Hall in the semifinals. The Tigers rode their success from the last match into a 25-19 victory over the Sandites in the first set. In game two the two teams battled back and forth to a 9-9 tie before the Sandites exploded to a 25-16 finish.

The final set was neck-and-neck with neither team ever getting more than two points ahead till the very end. Kersgieter served up an ace for the first Sandite lead at 3-2 and Ward setup Mutiri for the 5-3 advantage. Coweta blocked a pair of Mutiri's signature spikes, but the standout scored a block of her own and added an ace soon-after to make it 10-8. Coweta reclaimed the lead off a consecutive touch call on the Sandites to make it 11-10, but Kersgieter got a kill off Youngblood to tie things up. Coweta went on a run from there with three straight kills. Madison Burris got in a kill, but Coweta retaliated on the next rally for the 15-12 win.

The Sandites have come a long way since last year when they finished the season 12-24 and went 4-4 at the Coweta Tournament. The girls will return to action Thursday at 4A #4 Victory Christian (7-3). The Sandites have fallen to the Conquerors in straight sets the past two years and look to end that streak.

Lady Sandite Softball wins six-straight shutouts, run-rules Muskogee 11-0

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Sydney Pennington is batting over .500 this season and scored three runs against Muskogee.

Charles Page High School junior Madelyn Blair (3-2) got it done on the mound Friday evening for the Lady Sandites (11-3, 4-0) pitching five strikeouts over four innings and only giving up two hits in an 11-0 run-rule shutout over the Muskogee Lady Roughers (3-3). Oklahoma State University-commit Sydney Pennington was the leading batter for the evening with three runs and three RBI, including a home run.

The Lady Sandites didn't waste any time in getting on base with a single from Jessica Collins. Pennington reached on an error and Sabrina Usher scored Collins with a single. Kimi Presnell singled in Pennington, but was left stranded with Usher.

Elexis Watson and Amber Purdin each drew walks over the next two innings but the Roughers failed to bring them home. Makenna Skaggs hit a single for the Sandites but was left stranded in the top of the second. 

Sand Springs blew the game wide open in the top of the third as Pennington hit a lead-off double to center field and scored on a double by Usher. Presnell reached on an error that allowed Usher to score. Jacie Taber singled and scored on a 2RBI single from Cameron Clemons. Skaggs and Collins both hit singles with Collins scoring Clemons, then Pennington rounded out the batting order for a 3RBI homer for the 10-0 advantage. Madelyn Blair hit a single but was left stranded.

Watson and Brookelyn Gilmore both singled in the bottom of the third but were left on base. 

Jensen Arnold made her season-debut behind the plate in the top of the fourth and doubled, then scored on a single from Rachel Blair to make it 11-0. Madelyn Blair retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning and the Sandites secured the victory via run-rule.

Jacie Taber has pitched double digit strikeouts in each of her last two games.

In the second game of the Rogers State Festival in Claremore, sophomore Jacie Taber (5-1) continued to prove herself as an outstanding pitcher and led her team to a 3-0 victory over Pryor (7-4).

Thursday evening Taber pitched ten strikeouts in a 10-0 shutout of Sapulpa. Friday evening she pitched ten strikeouts over Pryor with only two hits in the five inning game. University of Oklahoma-commit Olivia Rains also fared well on the mound for Pryor with six strikeouts and only one hit.

Pryor was the first to threaten as Hunter Gilstrap drew a walk and Rains reached on error in the bottom of the first. Taber struck out MKayla Hillman and Payton White to strand the two runners.

In the top of the second Presnell drew a walk, Taber reached on error, and both nabbed an extra base on a passed ball before being stranded. Pryor's Maeme Ward was walked and stranded in the bottom of the inning. Gilstrap and Olivia Cummings were both walked in the bottom of the third and Rains hit a single, but Taber struck out White and Kennedy Cramer to save the inning. 

Madelyn Blair reached on a dropped third strike in the top of the fourth and Halee Nichols reached on an error in the bottom of the inning. Both were stranded. 

Sand Springs finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth thanks to a series of errors from the Pryor defense. Rachel Blair reached on error, Skaggs walked, and Collins reached on an error that scored Blair. Pennington singled to score Skaggs and Madelyn Blair reached on an error to score Collins for the 3-0 advantage. 

The Tigers tried to rally with a single from Gilstrap, a walk from White, and a reach on error from Cummings, but Rains and Hillman were struck out and Cramer grounded out to first to end the inning and the game. 

The Lady Sandites will return to action Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Jenks (4-7). 

Lady Sandite Volleyball goes undefeated in day one of Coweta Tournament

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO GALLERY

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (6-3) won four straight matches Friday at the Coweta Tournament. Heritage Hall (1-9) fell 2-0 with sets of 25-20 and 25-19. Catoosa (1-4) fell 2-1 with sets of 25-19, 23-25, and 15-9. 

SEE RELATED: Sandite Volleyball tacks on two exciting wins at Coweta Tournament

The Sandites took on the home team in their third match of the day and defeated the Coweta Tigers 2-1 in an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The first game was hotly contested in the beginning, but the tide steadily turned in the Sandites' favor. 

Lee Leslie drew first blood with an assist from Madison Burris, then MaKenzie Ward set up kills for Leslie and Gloria Mutiri to make it 4-2. Coweta scored a pair of kills and profited from a Sandite error to take the lead back at 5-4, but Mutiri got in on four straight kills to put the Sandites on top once and for all. Sand Springs went on a run at the end of the game, winning six straight rallies for a 25-13 victory. 

The second game's outcome was nearly just as lopsided in Coweta's favor. The back-and-forth battle for the lead continued till Ward set up kills for Mutiri and Devree Youngblood to tie things up at 14-14. From there Coweta ran away with a long list of faults on the Sandites. Five straight errors and a handful of kills gave the Tigers the 25-16 win. 

In the final set the Sandites regained their footing and left Coweta behind after Mutiri nailed a pair of back-to-back kills for the 5-3 advantage. The Tigers grabbed one point on an error, but Mutiri and Holly Kersgieter added another pair of kills before giving up a point on a service error. Coweta handed up a fault of their own and Youngblood got back in on the action with a shot off Ward, then combined on a block with Kersgieter to double down 10-5. Leslie got back in the fray and Ward scored a solo shot. Youngblood and Leslie blocked a shot to make it 14-6 and the Sandites had plenty of wiggle room. Coweta won the next four rallies somewhat due to defensive indifference on the part of the Sandites, who already had the win in the bag, but ultimately Youngblood smacked a kill off Ward for the 15-10 win. 

Sand Springs breezed through their final match of the day in a 2-0 victory over Edison (2-6). 

Kersgieter scored back-to-back aces to start the match. Kylie Taylor scored a kill off a Mutiri assist, Youngblood took a solo shot, and an Eagle fault gave Sand Springs the 5-0 advantage. Edison picked up their first point on an error from Taylor, but the next seven rallies went to the Sandites. Sand Springs continued to pile on the points until Mutiri wrapped things up with an ace for the 25-6 win. 

In the second game it was Edison who started things off with an ace, but it didn't take the Sandites long to get back in the lead once and for all with an ace from Youngblood. Madison Ward got in the game and served up a pair of back-to-back aces and MaKenzie Ward scored three-straight aces soon-after. 

The Sandites gave up five errors from there before tightening back up. Youngblood made it 22-11 on an assist from MaKenzie Ward. Kersgieter served, dug the return and scored on the dig, then followed it up with an ace. She gave up one point with an error, but followed it up with a kill for the 25-12 win.

The Lady Sandites will return to action bright and early Saturday morning with a 10:00 a.m. match against East Central (5-6). The Cardinals went 1-3 on day one of the tournament with losses to Tahlequah, Claremore, and Catoosa, and a win over Edison. Immediately following that match the Sandites will take on Tahlequah (2-2). Tahlequah started their season Friday with wins over Edison and East Central, but lost to Claremore and Heritage Hall.

At 1:00 p.m. the Sandites will take on Claremore (5-3) in the final round of pool play. Claremore went 3-1 in day one of the tournament, defeating Edison, Tahlequah, and East Central, but lost to Coweta. 

All eight teams will compete in bracket competition. The Sandites have already earned their way into the gold bracket and if they can finish undefeated they'll play at 3:00 p.m. against the number four seed. The second and third-seeded teams will meet at 4:00 p.m. and the Championship match will be at 5:00 p.m.