This Week in Sports - Week #11

Dave Levy, Athletic Director
What a week for the Tandem Badgers! Varsity volleyball hosted and won the GPAC tournament quarterfinal and semifinal matches this week, taking down King Abdullah. They are at Highland, taking on Highland for the tourney championship this afternoon. Currently ranked #8 in the state in their division, they find out on Sunday if they play in the state tournament next week. The varsity cross country team hosted the GPAC championship meet Tuesday - the boys easily won by 20 points to defend last year's title and our girls team came in second. There were personal records galore, with Tandem boys Hayes, Jack and Miles coming in 1st, 2nd, 3rd overall, and Lucy and Claire coming in 3rd and 4th overall. 

All-Conference honors were announced this week as well. In cross country, sophomore Hayes was named GPAC Runner of the Year. Four boys and four girls each made the All-Conference Team by placing in the top ten at the meet: for the boys, sophomores Hayes, Miles and Peter, and junior Jack; for the girls, junior Claire, sophomore Lucy, 9th grader Hazel and 8th grader Eloise. In volleyball, seniors Chloe B and Maggie W made 1st Team; senior Tessa D made 2nd Team; junior Sofia S received Honorable Mention. Way to go, Badgers!

Read more about this week's matchups below and watch for details about state play next week!

Cross Country - 10/30/24
 
Running as an elite unit, three Tandem Badgers crested the top of the hill with ease. Out of one eye, I watched them round the corner along the tree line and head for the finish. Out of the other eye, I looked for an opposing runner. There were none to be found.  Hayes dominated today's GPAC Cross Country Championships. The GPAC Runner of the Year, Hayes won for the second consecutive time on his home course, completing the 5K race in a time of 16:57 - nearly a minute faster than he ran in September.  His talent is second only to his leadership, and Hayes used this opportunity to work together with his teammates to best position them for success. Jack Blemker was second overall - his time of 17:12 was over a minute faster than his last race on the same course. Miles has taken his game to another level entirely. On September 19th, he ran 18:25 - today was 17:21 - a minute course PR and 40 seconds faster than his time at Panorama Farms.  This trio came across the line 1st, 2nd and 3rd, guiding Tandem to a well deserved conference championship.
 
 
On September 17th, the Badgers laced up their spikes and took on the GPAC at Darden Towe Park for the first time. Since then, the team has run workouts like "Big Macs," "Newtons" and "Man Makers" - each more difficult than the last - giving them confidence, grit and tenacity as they have approached the postseason. This team pushes one another - encouraging their teammates with their words and with their actions - and they took their effort to another level today against 6 other GPAC teams.
 
Determined to break 19:00 for the first time, Peter was in a full sprint as he blasted his way towards the finish.  His time of 18:59 is a PR by 40 seconds - earning him all conference honors with his 8th place finish. Rounding out the scoring five, Jack Nachbar rose to the occasion - cruising home in 19:37 - a 1:40 improvement over his race back in September! Jack Johnson (20:17), Gabriel (20:49), John (20:56) and Will (21:02) were hot on his tail!
 
Hitting the mile mark in 6:35, Zeke had a fabulous race today. He approached the hills with intensity, shortening his stride and increasing his turnover, resulting in 22:07 - a minute faster than his earlier Darden Towe race. It was a breakout race for Bela, his training partner, as Bela dropped over a minute off his PR, running 21:16!! This is the second straight breakout race for Bela - as he also performed at a high level at Fredericksburg Academy last week! Brendan came in just behind Bela, his time of 21:26 is a TWO MINUTE personal record. Congratulations, Brendan!
 
Alexander (23:20), Kai (24:27) and Orro (24:34) had particularly impressive finishes. Each runner gained a point by passing an opponent right at the finish, and Orro dropped a full minute off his September time on the same course. Ian's 26:08 is a new PR and THREE MINUTES faster than he ran a month ago, while Daniel (28:32), Nico (29:53) and Lennon (30:30) finished their seasons in style!
 
The Tandem Boys won the meet by 20 points, had an average scoring time of 17:37, and four runners in the top ten!! This was a dominant showing - Hayes #1 (GPAC Runner of the Year), Jack #2 and Miles #3!! With the GPAC's in the bag, this team has their eyes on the Virginia State Championships at Panorama Farms on November 8th.
 
With confidence and intuition, Claire made a decision this afternoon. Claire knew she had reached the first mile in 7:05, and as she approached the halfway point, her attitude and cadence changed.  With Fredericksburg Academy in the lead, Claire opened up her stride, flew downhill and sped along the side of the creek.  When she reached the big incline - well she is the hill queen - and Claire changed gears. By the time she reached the top, she had moved from 9th place to 5th - and eventually 4th! Claire broke 24:00 for the first time, an enormous accomplishment! Her new PR of 23:48 is TWO MINUTES faster than she ran in September and FORTY SECONDS faster than she has ever run before! Earning all conference honors, one might say that October Claire is unrecognizable from September Claire - she truly stepped up for her team on the biggest stage!
 
Claire trains regularly with Lucy, who earned 3rd place overall in a time of 23:42 (16 seconds faster than her last race on the same course.) Lucy has been incredibly consistent - she served as our number 1 runner in every single race this season - and has pushed her teammates to do their best. She led the team to a second place finish, earning Tandem a runner-up plaque as they defeated six other teams on this unseasonably hot day at Darden Towe!
 
Hazel (25:17) and Eloise (25:18) ran together and finished 9th/10th respectively, also earning all conference honors. For Eloise, this was a thirty-six second PR! She continues to bring her best each time out - shooting through the mile mark in 7:00 and holding on for an incredible second half.  Sadie's 26:17 was her best race of the year, a 23 second improvement from her race at Panorama. Sadie had an incredible kick, blowing by opposing runners as she crossed the line!
 
Fletcher (27:50), Malena (30:09) and Laurel (30:32) each showed great improvement - each running over 2:00 faster than their first race of the season! The Tandem Girls finished second place overall - four runners in the top ten - and Lucy and Claire earned 3rd and 4th place! Congratulations to this incredible team on an epic performance, coming home with some hardware, and they'll have one more race next Thursday at Panorama Farms for Virginia State Championships.

I first got to meet Tandem student-athletes at Darden Towe as part of their summer training program way back in July. These athletes have been training for FOUR MONTHS and Jason, Ned and I are so proud of their hard work, effort and spirit - every run, workout and meet has been so much fun as this team has pushed themselves to their limits! Congratulations, Badgers - Boys GPAC Champions and Girls GPAC Runner-Up!
 
Volleyball - 10/30/24
 
Volleyball is a game of adjustments. These are made even more challenging when you are experiencing fatigue. For the Tandem Varsity Volleyball team, this was their third game in three days. But it's the playoffs, and the Badgers are always up to the task.  Having defeated Wakefield 3-0 in the quarterfinals, Tandem had their hands full with a tough team from King Abdullah. Tandem dropped the opening set 25-22... and then they got angry - and you do not want to upset a Badger.
 
Tessa opened the second set with a hit so hard that the sound of the ball hitting the floor echoed in the main building. After a few lengthy rallies, Maya drew the blockers to the net and shot the ball right over them, giving Tandem their third point of the set.  Trailing 5-3, Maggie set up a post office in the middle of the and returned the ball to sender - setting up Mary for an impressive service streak.  KAA wouldn't go away, and with the score tied at 19, Chloe had an ace and Maggie had a big slam off the return of her second serve.  Sofia closed it out at the service line, and Tandem won the second set 25-22, tying the match 1-1.
 
Sofia then picked up where she left off, having herself a little ace party. She ran off five straight points. (More on that later.) During that streak, Chloe pushed the ball right over the blockers and then through them on the next occasion. Maggie had a vicious kill directed to the right corner from her middle position.  After Golden's excellent dig, Sofia set Tessa for a huge hit.  Maggie jumped too - drawing the entire defense (I'd be focused on Maggie as well) as KAA called time out with a score of 12-7. It was 22-7 when they called timeout again. By the time Sofia's service streak was over, she had amassed 13 straight points, five aces, and given Tandem a 2-1 lead!
 
Chloe opened the fourth set with a massive hit. Have you seen the part of the Sandlot movie where the ball breaks open? Yeah. It was like that. Chloe was also tremendous in the back row - KAA had some big hitters and the Badgers got low, passed those big hits high into the air, and Sofia did the rest. First, she surprised the defense on two with a kill of her own and then she set Tessa for one of her sneaky push shots.
 
Maya was all over the floor as she dove for the ball on multiple occasions, keeping it alive for her teammates. Trailing 9-7, Chloe had back to back aces. On the ensuing rally, KAA wound up for a big swing and Maggie invited them to a block party at 279 Tandem Lane. With a big hit down the middle, Maggie forced a timeout from KAA, as Tandem had scored six straight points. 
 
The home stretch featured stellar play from Tessa, who delivered a huge hit down the line.  Lili had a spike around the blockers, and another one right through them. With a 21-19 lead, Sofia set Chloe from the back row, where she slammed the ball over the net. She followed it up with an ace! After a few KAA points, Sofia got the ball in her hands to serve and won it with another ace (her 8th of the day!)
 
The Badgers defeated a tough KAA team - playing through fatigue and adversity - and they advanced to take on Highland in the GPAC Championships on Friday at 4pm! Looking forward to seeing you there! Congratulations, Tandem! You have played your heart out - at Highland, and now for consecutive days in front of your loving home crowd. We believe in you! Go get 'em on Friday! 
 
Thank you to fans/families for making the Badger Dome... and Darden Towe a special place to compete!

Badger Up: Tandem Advances to GPAC Semi-Finals - Volleyball, 10/28/24
On Monday afternoon, Tandem drove up to Highland for a 4:00 contest - our final regular season game. At 3:59 Highland may have thought their road to the GPAC Championship would be easy... but don't tell that to my 12 favorite Varsity Volleyball players.  By the time the game was over, everybody in the building had been informed. The Badgers, now 14-5, are for real. Tandem took the first set with ease, 25-16. The following three sets were determined by four points or less. Razor thin. We plan to see ya Friday, Highland.
 
There was no rest for the weary, as the Badgers returned home today for the start of the GPAC Playoffs. After Sofia opened the first set with an ace, Wakefield braced themselves for the inevitable experience that is now officially known as Tessa Time. Tessa ran off six points in a row. On the rare occasion that Wakefield was able to return Tessa's punishing serves, Chloe delivered an earth shattering hit right down the line.  
 
Tandem was up 10-4 when Sofia got going.  First she set Chloe on one side and then Maya on the other, each delivering multiple kills in the opening stanza. Maggie was next to the party - delivering a vicious spike from her middle hitting position.  Then she walked to the service and did her best Tessa impression.  Maggie had SEVEN CONSECUTIVE ACES each with power and precision.  Most were perfectly aimed and found a home on the ground - others were a shock to the system of the players who dared to get in front of them.
 
Beatrice closed out the set with a series of perfect passes to Tessa - who crushed the ball and let out a scream as Tandem won the first set 25-12.  The second started much like the first - Sofia's left handed laser resulted in a desperate dig for the opponent and Tessa mashing it into the ground.  Wakefield then challenged the Badgers with a long rally - Lili had multiple big hits - ending in a cross-court kill from Maya.  After that, it was Tessa Time. Before you knew it, the score was 11-4.
 
The second set also featured multiple massive swings from Lola - she is so powerful - and consecutive aces from Chloe. Wakefield called timeout, and then Sofia returned to the service line. For many setters, their game is about finesse... not Sofia! One laser beam after another - her serves were loosely deflected into the rafters. On the rare occasion the opponent got under the ball, Chloe pounded the return back to the floor.  Zella had a key pass to Tessa and another to Lili, who hit the ball around the blocker.  Tandem won the second set 25-11.
 
Facing elimination, Wakefield played a tough third set. Tied 8-8, the Badgers got a quality pass from Golden to Tessa - her 7th kill of the game changed the momentum for the home team.  Maya swatted the ball on the right, and then Chloe on the left, right through the blockers. On the next play, Chloe lightly tapped the ball over the same defenders, as it lightly landed on the hardwood.  With the Badgers up 15-10, Elisabeth entered the game.
 
Elisabeth made an impact right away. First she had a quality set for Chloe, then Mary.  After a side out, Maggie went behind the line again.  She continued her serving prowess (she had NINE aces this evening.) Then Elisabeth returned to the line, and served for both of Tandem's final points. With a 25-14 total, Tandem closed out Wakefield 3-0 for the third time this season.
 
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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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