This Week in Sports #2

Dave Levy, Athletic Director
Fall sports games got underway this week, with V Boys Soccer, V Volleyball and JV Volleyball. All three teams got their seasons off to a good start. We're back, Tandem! Can't wait for a full year of Badgering Up with all of you!

Varsity Boys Soccer

"It just feels different this season," Coach Nemanja reflected.  Maybe it's the elite senior leadership from Jack, Owen, Oscar and Luca. It could be the fast-paced, intense, competitive workouts that were on display throughout the preseason. Maybe it's the influx of new young talent. Whatever the case, it's definitely going to be a special season!

Only moments after the first whistle blew, Levi found Jack for an aggressive push on the outside.  Jack found Mason in the middle for a shot, and the Fishburne defense winced.  They had to be wondering: is it going to be like this all afternoon?  Seconds later, Levi took on two defenders before sending the ball wide to Van and Henry, who maintained possession as they passed back and forth.  The ball never left the Tandem zone as Shaan worked with Seamus to keep possession and generate scoring chances.
Six minutes in, Jack got by his defender, using his body to keep the Fishburne defender at his back, and fired a vicious shot right down the middle.  It hit the post, but Jack would not be denied.  Oscar got the rebound, keeping the pressure on the opponent.  Fishburne cleared it, for a moment, and were feeling a sense of relief before they witnessed the extraordinary skills of Owen for the first time.  Owen drilled the ball over the entire defense, right into the box, and Jack smashed it to the right of the goalie - Tandem took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute!

Oscar, Levi and Luca worked together to keep the ball in an offensive posture, and Van beat his defender into the corner. The ball got deflected out bounds, to Tandem, and Owen took the throw in.  In a feat never before attempted, he fired the ball over forty feet on a perfect arc, the throw-in of the century, landing right on Jack's left foot.  His shot was just as powerful from his non-dominant leg, and Jack added a second goal in only four minutes!

With a 2-0 deficit, Fishburne picked up the pace.  They fired a shot on goal, and Levie dove to the ground to make the save.  He set the ball up the left side to Quinten, who sped around his defender and sent the ball wide to Levi.  Setting up his defender, Levi faked the shot and then found Mason in the middle of the box.  Mason launched it - Fishburne got a hand on the shot - and Tandem set up for a penalty shot.  

Like he had done it 1,000 times, Quinten shot the ball as hard as he could - like a rocket - and the goalie made the save.  Quinten simply followed it, got the rebound, and scored from point blank range.  The Badgers led 3-0 and were not done.  Moments later, Shaan showed off some elite footwork, spinning through a sequence of defenders and squeezing through a narrow space.  Somehow, the ball was still on the base of right foot - and he fired it through the net for Tandem's 4th goal of the day. Yes, Fishburne. It is going to be like this all afternoon.

Other first half highlights included Jack slicing to the inside of his defender, firing a laser beam on goal, and earning his first hat trick of the season! Fans threw their hats on the hill in celebration, as the Badgers went to halftime with a 5-1 lead.

In the second stanza, Eli and Jayce did a fine job maintaining possession and pinning Fishburne in the corner.  Seamus was step for step with the opposing striker, and Luca's speed made it impossible for Fishburne to set up their offense. "Levie, Owen and Seamus are working so well together in a defensive triangle," Coach Nile added.  Before the game was over, Levi showed great patience setting up Mason for his second goal of the game, and later knocked in a goal of his own.  

The Badgers emerged victorious with a big 7-2 win!  Thanks to the families for their support this afternoon, and to Kavi for keeping stats! The team is off tomorrow, and will have a restful long weekend before taking on RMA on Tuesday at home at 4pm. Looking forward to it!

Varsity Girls Volleyball
 
Throughout the United States, many Badgers live in burrows that are, coincidentally, called "setts." Tonight, throughout the first set of the season, STAB did the burrowing - they were forced to "sett" up their defense to attempt to prepare for the ferocious power of Tandem's Senior Co-Captain. Sofia opened the match with six straight massive serves: shaking the room so much that it registered as an earthquake on the Richter scale. One was returned weakly, Sofia moved up from her position on the back line to set up Maya for a cross-court smash.  The next five serves were aces, impossible to handle, and STAB was forced to call an early timeout and "resett."  A few moments later, Maya took the ball to the line, and fired her patented jump serve to the tune of three more aces - and another timeout! STAB  used both of their available timeouts early - must have been quite un"sett"ling for them.
The Badger fan community never ceases to amaze me. Tandem West was jumping - an enormous amount of families came to the game including the basketball team and cross country crew who came to support their classmates, and they had a lot to cheer about.  Tandem led 10-2 early, and kept adding points at the service line as Zella fired another serve over for an ace!  The Badgers were up 15-7, and showing off some accurate passing from the back row in serve/receive situations.
 
The team has been practicing for nearly a month now, led by Seniors Lola, Sofia, Taylor and Cora.  The Badgers have been focusing on passing and defensive positioning, and their hard work has paid off! Zella's perfect pass to Maya on the left side set her up for a big swing - firing the ball past STAB's blockers, which she did with ease throughout the match.  STAB made a late run, but the Badgers led most of the first "sett," cheering each other on, communicating, and making Tandem West their home.
 
Showing no fear in the second set, Althea hit the ball right at STAB's front line, who could only deflect it out of bounds.  As the momentum shifted, Emory had two vicious blocks, sending the mail back to its return address. Emory continued to shine as she shifted her approach to tip the ball over the outstretched arms of her opponent, and she worked closely with Zella as they sprinted to save a three ball that was beyond their service line.  Maya got the pass well behind the net, but still smashed it across the court, ending the set with her sixth kill of the match.
 
The Badgers also got great contributions from Cora: two perfect passes to open the third stanza.  Claire unleashed a big time ace, Lola had a huge swing from her favorite spot on the left side, and Ella had an enormous serve - and then dove to the ground for an excellent dig.  Tandem's Varsity Squad took on an opponent with an enrollment more than four times the size of Tandem - and, as Coach Anna eloquently stated "were right there on every point." 
 
I spent the entire spring and summer talking about volleyball coaches to anybody who would listen.  I called everybody I could think of, and then, like a golden beam of light from the sky, Coach Anna arrived on campus and worked brilliantly with Coach Elize to make 2025 an exceptional preseason experience.  "Nobody has a larger following than Anna Warren," I was informed, and now I know why, and I am all in on the aforementioned following.  
 
I'd like to extend an enormous thank you to our wise, talented, calm and thoughtful coach who has stepped up to lead this team in the most incredible way - "sett"ing them up for success! Under Coach Anna's guidance, this team played at a high level and had a blast today - taking the court for the first time - and they are already prepared for GPAC competition.  Their first home match will be next Wednesday, September 4 at 4pm in the Badger Den vs Highland. Don't call it an up"sett!"  It was so loud at Tandem West, let's bring that same energy back home!
 
Some quick schedule notes: on Thursday Varsity will practice from 5:15 - 6:30. The Senior Day game has been switched from 10/16 to 10/7 against Stuart Hall at 5:15. Don't miss it!
 
Girls JV Volleyball
 
Remember that sheet of paper you took notes on in math class today?  Imagine trying to slide it between the floor and a volleyball that is moving at a rate of fifty miles an hour.  From her position on the back line, that's what Ginger did all afternoon - abandoning her platform position and diving - somehow sliding her hand underneath the ball.  From there, Emory showed off her soft touch, beautifully setting up Sophie, who drilled the ball into a perfect spot!
 
The JV team is led by a much improved group of juniors and sophomores - they have added significant skills to their volleyball toolkit in the off-season.  For example, Emory clobbered an overhand serve with enormous power, leaving the floor shaking as she scored the first point of the second set.  Catriona got to every single ball - setting her teammates with soft touch and positioning them to succeed. Late in the second set, it was Kaylee who wound up her right arm and WHAM - the ball sped past STAB and found a home on the floor. Elle was also a beneficiary of Catriona's setting prowess, she had a big time hit right down the middle!  Coming off the bench, Maeve made an immediate impact: a kill off the right side on one point, and a beautiful dig on the next.
 
With Marilyn, Aofie and Nieve bringing tremendous energy from the sidelines, the Badgers played a tight match against a tough opponent - showing off just how much they have improved since 2024!  Coach Elize has been a true rock for our program - her third year is clearly going to be the best one yet! Thanks to Elize for all the work she did with Anna to make preseason a success!  
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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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