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.

Sandite Volleyball places third at tough Broken Arrow Tournament

The No. 19 ranked Charles Page High School volleyball team (5-9) took third place in the Broken Arrow Varsity Tournament this weekend, upsetting some of the top teams in the state in the process.

On Friday the girls defeated defending State Champs, No. 5 Edmond Memorial (4-2) and No. 11 Owasso (3-5), but fell to No. 9 Edmond North (9-3). In the first round Saturday they were pitted against State Runners-Up, No. 3 Norman North (11-1) and lost 3-0, despite leading for most of two of those sets. In the placement match they took on No. 16 Southmoore (3-6) and won 3-0.

The Lady Sandites brought their A-game, and easily handled the Sabercats. The first set was hotly contested with neither team winning more than three-straight rallies till the final stretch. At 20-17 Sand Springs turned up the power and scored five straight for the win. Sophomore Devree Youngblood scored a kill, Ohio State commit Gloria Mutiri aced, Madison Burris scored a kill, and Chelsea Neely recorded a solo block to clinch the win.

Southmoore notched the first two points of the second set, but Sand Springs went on a six-point run and never looked back. They led by as much as 24-12 before the Sabercats tried to rally, but Mutiri scored a solo block to finish 25-15.

The third set was far closer. Sand Springs only trailed briefly at the very beginning and after an ace from Cloe Campfield at 6-5, they never gave Southmoore the lead again. The game tied ten times, most dangerously at 24-24, but Mutiri scored a kill and a block to seal the deal.

Burris, a sophomore, finished with 21 assists and six kills. Mutiri had 15 kills and five blocks, and Youngblood had five kills.

Sand Springs will return to action Tuesday with a conference home game against 5A No. 3 Bishop Kelley (4-4) at 6:00 p.m.

Lady Sandite Volleyball falls to No. 3 Norman North, plays for third place at BA Tournament

After a 2-1 performance on day one of the Broken Arrow Tournament, the No. 19 ranked Charles Page High School volleyball team (4-9) found themselves in the Gold bracket on day two, taking on even tougher competition than the day before.

On Friday the girls defeated defending State Champs, No. 5 Edmond Memorial (3-2) and No. 11 Owasso (3-4), but fell to No. 9 Edmond North (9-3). In the first round Saturday they were pitted against State Runners-Up, No. 3 Norman North (11-1).

The first set served as a wakeup call for Norman North, who trailed for the majority of the game. Three-straight Timberwolf errors gave the Sandites the 5-3 lead, and they didn't relinquish it till the wolves went on an 8-0 run to make it 20-17. Sophomore Devree Youngblood scored back to back kills off Madison Burris assists to tie it at 20-20, but Norman won five of the next six rallies to finish 25-21.

The Sandites caught a mild case of lethargy and fell 25-10 in game two. Burris scored the first point on a tipped ball, but Norman won the next nine and Sand Springs never recovered.

The Sandites were back to their normal selves in set three, however, and once again led for the majority of the game. Ohio State-commit Gloria Mutiri scored a block and a kill en route to a 6-1 lead that the Sandites held till 13-13. Mutiri scored once for the lead, Norman retaliated with three straight, then Sand Springs won four straight soon after to make it 19-18. The game tied again at 19-19 and 20-20, but the Timberwolves ended on a strong note with five-straight victories.

Mutiri finished with six kills, three blocks, three digs, and two aces. Youngblood scored three kills, and Burris, Makenna Cypert, and Kenzie Bradshaw scored one apiece. Burris recorded eight assists while MaKenzie Ward and Bradshaw contributed one apiece. Ward also had an ace.

The Lady Sandites will play the loser of Edmond North vs. No. 16 Southmoore (3-4) at noon for third place. The tournament is being played at Neinhuis Park Community Center at 3201 North 9th Street in Broken Arrow. Seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair if you have one! Tournament matches sometimes start ahead of schedule so plan on arriving early. Concessions are available on site.

Sandite Volleyball upsets defending State Champions 3-2 at Broken Arrow Tournament

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (4-8) took down some top-tier talent Friday morning at the Broken Arrow tournament, defeating No. 5 Edmond Memorial (3-1), the defending State Champions, and No. 11 Owasso (3-3) in pool play.

CPHS 3 EDM 2
Set One: 25-23 EDM
Set Two: 25-17 EDM
Set Three: 28-26 CPHS
Set Four: 25-19 CPHS
Set Five: 15-11 CPHS

Kills: Mutiri 19, Youngblood 14, Bradshaw 3, Neely 2, Burris 2, Taylor 1.
Assists: Burris 29, MaKenzie Ward 7.
Aces: Taylor 2, Burris 2, Madison Ward 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 9, Youngblood 1.
Digs: Taylor 4, Madison Ward 3, Campfield 3, Mutiri 2. 

The Lady Sandites got off to a strong start, winning five straight rallies to take an 8-6 lead over Edmond Memorial. The game saw five lead changes and ten tied scores before the Bulldogs pulled ahead for the 25-23 win. The second game started out back and forth, but Memorial won six-straight rallies for an 18-10 lead and never looked back, ultimately winning 25-17.

The third game was hotly contest with the largest lead of the set coming at 16-12 in favor of the Sandites. The score tied thirteen times and came down to the wire. Ohio State-commit Gloria Mutiri scored a kill and a block to take the 25-24 lead, but the Bulldogs tied it right back up. Mutiri and Memorial exchanged blows once again before a pair of Bulldog errors gave the Sandites their first win at 28-26.

After losing the third set, the Lady Dogs were noticeably flustered and the Sandites were on fire, leading for all but one rally. After tying it up at 1-1, Edmond began to lag further and further behind. Sand Springs led by as much as 21-11 before their foes staged a rally attempt. Edmond went on two separate runs, cutting the deficit to 22-18, but Mutiri and Madison Burris combined for three more kills to tie the match.

In the fifth and final game, Memorial took a 6-4 lead before turning the ball over on a service error. Kylie Taylor served an ace and a pair of Memorial errors gave Sand Springs the 7-6 advantage. The score tied at 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, and 10-10 before Sand Springs took the lead once and for all with a kill from Youngblood. The Sandites prevailed 15-11 for the upset.

EDN 3 CPHS 0
Set One: 25-15 EDN
Set Two: 25-22 EDN
Set Three: 25-19 EDN

Kills: Mutiri 16, Youngblood 6, Burris 2, Neely 1
Assists: Burris 13, MaKenzie Ward 7.
Aces: Mutiri 1, Madison Ward 1.
Digs: Taylor 3, Madison Ward 2, MaKenzie Ward 1, Burris 1, Mutiri 1.

In round two the Sandites took on No. 9 Edmond North. The Huskies came out strong in the first game, winning 25-15, but Sand Springs challenged heartily in the second.

Mutiri scored three straight kills for a 5-1 lead and the Sandites didn't relinquish their advantage till the Huskies scored four straight to make it 19-16. The game tied again at 20-20, but the Huskies pulled ahead for the 25-22 win.

Sand Springs played the third set almost entirely from the hole after allowing the Huskies to take an early 8-2 lead. The Sandites rallied as close as 17-15 and battled back and forth in the final stretch before being undone 25-19.

CPHS 3 Owasso 0
Set One: 25-22 CPHS
Set Two: 25-20 CPHS
Set Three: 25-19 CPHS

Kills: Mutiri 17, Youngblood 8, Burris 4, Cypert 3, Neely 1.
Assists: Burris 22, Cypert 1, Youngblood 1. 
Aces: Youngblood 1, Mutiri 1, Burris 1, Cypert 1, MaKenzie Ward 1. 
Blocks: Mutiri 2, Johnson 1, Neely 1.
Digs: Madison Ward 2, Campfield 2, Youngblood 2, Mutiri 1, Burris 1.

The final match of the day was against a Frontier Valley Conference foe, the No. 11 Owasso Rams. Owasso scored the first three points, but the Sandites caught fire with nine straight. Youngblood scored three off assists from Burris, who added one of her own on a tipped ball. Owasso rallied soon after and scored seven straight to tie it at 11-11. Sand Springs retook the lead, briefly allowing Owasso to tie it once more at 20-20 before surging ahead to a 25-22 victory on a kill from Makenna Cypert.

The second set was much like the first. Owasso took an early 5-2 lead, Sand Springs surged ahead to 7-5 and never looked back. The Rams cut things as close as 21-18, but the Sandites had too much momentum and prevailed 25-19.

In the final game the Sandites quickly emerged to a 6-2 lead and never looked back. Owasso tied it up at 2-2 but never once led. The Sandites' biggest lead came on the final rally, finishing 25-19.

The Lady Sandites qualified for the Gold bracket and will play at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning. The tournament is being held at Neinhuis Park Community Center at 3201 North 9th Street, Broken Arrow. 

CPHS Volleyball drops seven-straight matches against top-ten foes

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (2-7) is riding a rough streak of seven-straight losses following a 2-0 start to the season. After opening the year with straight-set victories against Bartlesville (0-4) and 5A No. 13 Booker T. Washington (3-5), they suffered their first defeat 3-1 at No. 8 Union (5-4). They returned to Union for a tournament this past weekend and lost all five matches, then fell to No. 7 Jenks (7-7) on Tuesday.

Jenks 3 CPHS 0
(25-7, 25-22, 25-21)

Kills: Mutiri 12, Youngblood 5, Burris 2, Bradshaw 1, Madison Ward 1.
Assists: MaKenzie Ward 8, Burris 7, Bradshaw 1, Mutiri 1. 
Aces: Mutiri 1, Taylor 1.
Blocks: Mutiri 2.
Digs: Taylor 4, Madison Ward 3, Burris 1, Mutiri 1. 

The Lady Sandites won only two of seventeen sets in the tournament, but Head Coach Janna Green wasn't too disappointed with the results. "This last tournament was rough, but we got a lot better and played some very competitive teams even though we went 0-5."

"Very competitive" may have been an understatement. All five teams are ranked in the top-ten of their division, and three are ranked in the top five. Sand Springs, meanwhile, just cracked the rankings at No. 19 in Class 6A.

Despite a winning 24-14 record last season, the Lady Sandites are still considered underdogs in the eyes of traditional powerhouse programs. They lost Holly Kersgieter who decided to focus exclusively on basketball, for which she has received seven NCAA Division I offers. However, they still boast a senior-heavy squad of experienced players led by Ohio State University-commit Gloria Mutiri.

On Friday the girls fell 3-0 to 5A No. 3 Bishop Kelley (4-3) who were the State Runners-Up last season. The Lady Comets defeated Sand Springs 25-15, 25-12, and 25-20. Then Sand Springs took on No. 1 Edmond Santa Fe (7-0) who made the State Semi-Finals last season. The Lady Wolves prevailed 25-17, 25-16, and 25-14. Finally, the closest round of the tournament was a rematch with Union. The Redskins won 3-0, but each set was highly contested at 25-21, 25-23, and 25-21. 

Saturday was another day of close losses to highly skilled competitors, and the Sandites notched set wins against each of their opponents. Against No. 4 Stillwater (8-3) they won the third set 28-26, but lost the other three 25-19, 25-13, and 28-26. Against 5A No. 7 Victory Christian they won the second set 25-18, but fell 25-22, 25-20, and 25-20 in the other games.

On Tuesday the girls took on another tough opponent in No. 7 Jenks (6-6), who was undefeated against Oklahoma teams. All of their losses came at the John Turner Invitational in Houston, Texas. Jenks was also coming off a State Semifinals appearance.

The Lady Sandites got off to a rough start, falling in a 4-0 hole before receiving a point off a Trojan error. All of the Sandites' early points came from Jenks's mistakes, and the home team worked up a 15-5 lead before Devree Youngblood scored the first Sandite kill of the game. Youngblood's two kills, both with assists from Madison Burris, were the only kills of the set for the Sandites, who lost game one 25-7.

The second game was a whole different story. Mutiri came alive with a kill, a block, and an ace en route to a 7-3 lead. Youngblood added a kill, Burris and Chelsea Neely combined for a block, and in just a few minutes the Sandites had outscored their entire first set. 

Sand Springs held on to the lead till 10-10 when Jenks went on a six-point run, but the visitors retaliated with a seven-point streak including five points from Mutiri and a kill from Kenzie Bradshaw. 

Things continued to stay all knotted up, but Jenks didn't take the lead again till 22-21 when Ally Stoner served an ace. Unfortunately for the Sandites, they would only score one more point on a campfire kill from Youngblood. Despite trailing for most of the set, Jenks rallied in the end for a 25-22 win. 

The third set was another close one with eight tied scores, though Sand Springs led for the majority. Jenks took the lead out of the gate, but MaKenzie Ward set up Mutiri and Madison Ward for back-to-back kills and an 11-9 advantage. The game tied a few times, but Jenks didn't lead again till 19-18 when they surged ahead in the final moments for a 25-21 win.

The Lady Sandites will return to action Friday at the Broken Arrow Tournament at Centennial Middle School. They will play on Court #2 against No. 5 Edmond Memorial (1-0) at 11:00 a.m., against No. 9 Edmond North (4-3) at 2:00 p.m., and against No. 11 Owasso (2-1) at 3:30 p.m. Bracketed matches will be played on Saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. Other teams participating in the tournament include No. 3 Norman North (6-1), No. 10 Broken Arrow (2-2), No. 16 Southmoore (1-2), and Bartlesville.

Lady Sandite Volleyball sweeps Bartlesville 3-0 in season opener

CPHS 3 BHS 0
Set 1: CPHS 25-20
Set 2: CPHS 25-20
Set 3: CPHS 25-11

Kills: Mutiri 10, Bradshaw 3, Wyrick 3, Neely 1, Madison Ward 1.
Assists: MaKenzie Ward 10, Burris 3, Taylor 1, Mutiri 1.
Blocks solo: Mutiri 1.
Block assists: Mutiri 5, Wyrick 5, Neely 4, Cypert 2, Burris 1, Johnson 1.
Digs: Taylor 11, Madison Ward 7, Burris 4, Mutiri 2, Cypert 1, MaKenzie Ward 1, Wise 1. 
Aces: Taylor 2, Burris 1, Wyrick 1, MaKenzie Ward 1, Mutiri 1.

Click here to view the game's photo gallery.

The Charles Page High School varsity volleyball team (1-0) kicked off the season with a bang Tuesday evening in Bartlesville, sweeping the Lady Bruins 3-0 in a Frontier Valley Conference matchup.

The first set was a back and forth affair, with neither team pulling ahead in the first half. The Bruins struck first with an ace, but followed it up with a service error. The game tied eleven times before the Sandites took the lead once and for all at 13-12 with an ace from Kylie Taylor. Sand Springs led by as much as 22-16 before the home team began to rally, but ultimately the visitors secured the win 25-20 with a kill from Vanessa Wyrick. 

Bartlesville took a quick 4-1 lead in the second set behind kills from Sarah Covell and LaRissa Johnson, but the Sandites didn't stay down for long. Gloria Mutiri scored on a set from Burris, Mackenzie Ward served an ace, and a two-touch error tied it up.

Covell took the lead back one last time, but Sand Springs surged ahead and never looked back. They led by as much as 24-16 and let the Bruins back in the game briefly before pulling out the 25-20 victory with a set from MaKenzie Ward and a kill from Mutiri.

The third set wasn't even close as the Lady Sandites jumped out to a 5-1 lead with a pair of kills from Mutiri and blocks from Mutiri and Wyrick. At one point the girls went on a seven-straight streak, ultimately prevailing 25-11.

Mutiri, a senior committed to Ohio State University, led all scorers with ten kills, six blocks, and an ace. Covell was the top hitter for Bartlesville with eight kills.

The Lady Sandites will host their first home game Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against the Booker T. Washington Hornets. This will be the first game on the new court at the Ed Dubie Field House.