Tandem Today: Athletics Highlights

Dave Levy
Volleyball
Led by five talented seniors and recent Tandem grad, Coach Anna, the Girls Varsity Volleyball team played a highly challenging schedule with unmatched joy. The team finished as runner-up at the Mount Carmel Christian Academy Tournament and Maya was named MVP, tallying the most kills of any player. Additionally, they took on the best Charlottesville has to offer—Monticello High School and STAB—to five sets, despite the enormous differentials in enrollment. It was an amazing season of growth and grit. Congratulations to our Girls Varsity Volleyball team who set the stage for our extensive three-team program.
JV Girls Volleyball notched their highest win total in five years. A signature highlight was an exciting road victory over Monticello, fueled by a clutch third-set service streak from Zoey and Maeve’s signature net tip. The team also secured hard-fought three-set victories at Regents, Millwood, and against Grace Christian Staunton at home. Coach Elize praised the team’s hard work and commitment, calling them "a great team to coach." 
The Middle School Volleyball roster was jam-packed—with talent and with 21 players —this season. The team grew so much throughout the season, working on skill-building. In their season opener, the Badgers rallied from a 14-8 deficit in the final set before Rory ran off eight consecutive service points, many of them aces, earning Tandem a 2-1 victory! They balanced hard practice with fun activities like making tie-dye tee shirts and singing karaoke. Congratulations to the Middle School Girls Volleyball team—an enormous team with incredible spirit!
Soccer
The Varsity Boys Soccer team dominated an early season home game with an 8-2 win over United Christian Academy and a 2-1 victory on the road against Grace Christian Mechanicsville, featuring goals from Levi and Van. Additionally, Shaan, our Senior leader, returned from an early season injury to spark a 5-1 home win against Cristo Rey Richmond. On Tandem Day, the squad battled #4 ranked Fishburne Military to a tight 2-1 finish.
Led by Coach Isaiah, the Middle School Boys Soccer team made massive strides this season. With players with a variety of experience levels, the team focused practices on positioning, passing, and setting up their teammates to be successful. Offensively, five different players scored a goal this season! Defensively, the Badgers worked together to put a lot of pressure on their opponents. They saved the best for last—defeating Field School with a whopping 8 goals.
Cross Country
Senior Hayes has won six of our seven meets, including the coveted Ragged Mountain Cup. His only non-victory was also a season PR: Hayes ran 15:28 and finished 20th at the Virginia Showcase, one of the most competitive meets in the country. He is ranked #1 in the Ragged Mountain Poll and #5 in Virginia, and the Boys Varsity Cross Country team is in a great position heading into the VISAA State Championship next week. Focused on winning our fourth consecutive state title, seniors Miles and Peter W have each continued to deliver. These successes are the result of months of hard work from the team, which has been practicing since June!
Paced by strong summer training, the Girls Varsity team displayed incredible depth and pack running all fall, placing high at both the FUMA and New Covenant Invitationals. At the VTCA Invitational, Eve, Dhruvi, Samari, and Victoria finished within one minute of each other. Sawyer and Lucy led the squad at New Covenant with top-ten finishes and Sawyer taking home a PR. The team has worked incredibly hard in practice, consistently taking on challenging workouts and high mileage! With states only two weeks away, there is no doubt that this team will build upon their success and finish strong!
Since August, our Middle School Cross Country Badgers have been running hills and logging miles—both on and off campus—under the tutelage of Coach Julia. They have earned medals at Grymes and battled hilly courses at Darden Towe and Monticello Mountain. The team completed their season with a big win over CCS on the Tandem Two Mile "Big Mac" course. Robert led the way, winning the race in 13:41, while April and Rowan took 1st/2nd on the girls side in 14:38 and 14:44! The team worked incredibly hard this season—and also had lots of fun exploring the woods and playing games en route to massive improvement.
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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