List of 5 news stories.

• Week #4: Super Season Openers for Varsity XC and MS Soccer!

  9/10/2026
  Dave Levy, Athletic Director
  Varsity Boys Cross Country - "And your 2026 Ragged Mountain Cup Champion, the most underrated high school boy in the state, from Tandem... Hayes Buppert!" Back on Tandem Lane, we're fully aware that we have a special student-athlete in our midst - but not everybody in Virginia is up to date. While he's already won five individual state championships between Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, the Ragged Mountain Cup is a very unique Charlottesville-area tradition. It's been a close race for each of the last three years, but this season, at an astounding pace of 4:58, Hayes' time of 9:55 earned him 1st Place - and the Cup title - by three seconds. Coach Ned told him to "be a little reckless," and as Hayes came barreling down the hill, it was clear that he responded in kind. Running as the anchor of our Tandem Boys Varsity relay, Hayes was a freight train that could not be stopped, flying by runners left and right.  

   

  The extraordinary Boys Varsity Tandem 4 x 2 Mile Relay team of Hayes, Miles, Peter D and and Peter W finished fifth overall at today's Ragged Mountain Cup - but also finished as only the THIRD SCHOOL to complete the eight mile course. The only schools to defeat Tandem today were Albemarle and Western Albemarle, with enrollments of 2,100 and 1,400 students respectively.

   

  It should be noted that Badgers defeated big public schools like Monticello, William Monroe, Charlottesville High School, Louisa, Orange and Fluvanna, while also dominating larger private schools including STAB, Fork Union, Covenant and Miller. Miles got the ball rolling, as he flew off the starting line and went immediately after the top pack. Our first leg of the relay, Miles was determined to put the team into a strong position, and his time of 10:20 - which is 13 seconds faster than he ran at the time trial - did just that! Miles finished 15th overall, earning him a coveted "The Cup," tee shirt. 
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• Week #4: Exciting Rallies Highlight JV/V Double Header at Regents

  9/8/2026
  Dave Levy, Athletic Director
  JV Girls Volleyball - Her first serve hit the opposing libero so hard that the ball was deflected all the way into the back of the gym. Striking fear into the opponent, Emory changed the game tonight. In the first set, she ran off a sequence of three aces. In the second set, the team scored ten points in a row with Emory at the line - seven aces - and three incredible rallies. So when she took the ball behind the line in the third set, the opponent knew there was nothing they could do. Regents had already called both timeouts, which had no impact on Emory whatsoever. She had four huge serves in the final set, creating the key difference between the two teams, and had the game-winning dig off a big Regents hit - finding a perfect spot between the defense. As Lisa said, "this is truly the Emory era!" 

   

  Zuri and Hadley held a block party this afternoon - both meeting their opponent at the net, and returning the ball back to sender! Rising to the occasion, Zuri had a key block in the third set. It was 3-3, and Regents would take the lead a moment later, before Hadley had a block on the next point! The third set, just like the first two, went back and forth with the game on the line.
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  Week #3 - Clutch Serving in the Third Set: Badgers Win Their Season Opener!

  9/3/2026
  Dave Levy, Athletic Director
  Middle School Girls Volleyball - With the match tied at one set apiece, Juno, Sage, Vex, Livia and Nora took the court. The Badgers relied on outstanding service play and a few exciting rallies as they made the push for 15 points. Juno served first, showing off the excellent underhand technique she has been working on. Sage was next, achieving two powerful aces along the way! The Badgers trailed 8-3 when Kenly walked to the line for the first time in a Tandem uniform. Her debut was one to remember - running off four strong serves and consecutive points! Kenly cutting the CDS lead to 1! Each serve landed right in the middle of the defense, impossible to return.  

   

  The Badgers were still trailing 14-9 when Rory returned to the game. For a different player, the pressure and moment may have been too much. Rory stepped to the line and hammered over an ace into the back right corner, like she has done so many times before. Trailing by four, she did it again, cutting the lead to 14-11. Then a third time, as she aimed for the back row - running off another two points. It was 14-13 when CDS finally got a pass on the ball, sending it over the net to the waiting arms of Valentina. She passed it to Sage who got the ball back to Rory, and the game was tied. After Rory gave Tandem a 15-14 lead on yet another ace, CDS called timeout - hoping to ice the server. Rory remained calm, took a deep breath, and gave Tandem their first win of this young season, 2-1!
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• Week #2: There's No Place Like Home: Badgers Excel on the Hill and in the Den

  8/28/2026
  Dave Levy, Athletic Director
  Badgers played three home games on Thursday, August 27 - see details below.
  
  Boys Varsity Soccer - "Their strikers are afraid of Mason," Juli pointed out. "They're always looking around to see if he's coming before they go for the ball." From one elite defender to another, Juli was the first to mention the intimidation factor of Mason's presence on the back line. As UCA made a push, Mason won the ball with a skilled tackle and sent it ahead to Van. With perfect vision, Van launched a through ball deep down the left side, where Seth used a perfect one touch to get the ball in the box. Levi made a move, drew a penalty, and cashed in moments later - firing the ball left and low, under the outstretched arms of the goalie.

   

  The Badgers took a 1-0 lead early, and did not let up. After an incredible Levie save, Seamus sent a pass ahead to Cord, who helped to set up yet another attack. The goal came off of Coach Nemanja's patented press. Luke, flying like a rocket, cut off the sideline. He sent the ball into the middle, where Levi controlled it like a yo-yo, dribbling through defenders before crossing it into the box. Van trapped it and kicked it so hard that the goalie had the same experience as the rest of us: he turned and watched that fireball leave a mark on the back of the net. Juli described it as a "beautiful goal from Van," noting the placement in the top right corner, entirely out of reach.

   

  Already ahead 2-0, Eli tackled the ball away from a defender. He got the ball to Van in space - and you know the rest. Van notched his second goal of the game - and Aven informed me a two-goal game is called a brace. So cheers to Van on his first brace of the season!!!
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• 

  Week #2: Challenge Accepted: Volleyball Badgers Open Their Season on the Road at Monticello

  8/26/2026
  Dave Levy, Athletic Director; photos by Beverley McCaskill
  Girls Varsity Volleyball - Every time we walk across the street to compete against Monticello High School, people ask the following questions:

   

  1."Wait, isn't Monticello a public school?" Yes, in fact they are.

  2. "Isn't their student body much bigger than Tandem's?" Yes, they have 1,185 students enrolled - more than 11 times larger than our upper school.

  3. "Are you sure you can compete with them? Shouldn't we just play schools our own size?"

   

  I was reflecting on that third question during the second set this afternoon. The Badgers trailed early, 6-5, before Maya had a sequence of perfectly placed hits right into an empty spot in the back corner. Between the power and the precision, well, those balls easily could have caused an earthquake. The team trailed 10-8 when Emory extended her arms for a block - taking in all of the force from a powerful hit, containing it, and returning it, skillfully, to the opposing middle hitter. Zella followed that up with an ace on a snazzy jump serve, and then Confident Claire dove to dig out a pancake - sending the ball to Aoife who redirected it right behind Monticello's front line. Claire also had several aces in the third set!

   

  The Badgers took the lead, 11-10, when Aoife dove to her left, got a hand on the ball, and somehow sent it over to Maya who snapped her wrist and delivered a vicious hit at the opposing libero, who wanted nothing to do with all that force. Who could blame her? I speak for most folks - we would have ducked and covered our faces. Monticello would respond, eventually scoring five straight to go up 15-11.  
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