The TJ Spartan Volleyball team is moving at a steady pace, taking on challenging teams before entering league play and holding at 5-3 record.
Photo by Henry Jackson Jr.
Tuesday September 13, 2011 volleyball took a hard loss to the Golden High School Demons. After losing the first set to the Demons they came back with vengeance and took the second. However, the third game was littered with bad calls on both sides, and on the Demons’ game point yet another poor decision was made and the Lady Spartans who lost 23-25. Senior Olivia Breningstall was devastated at the outcome. “We came back from 12-20 deficit and had such a great level of intensity, losing the third set that way was a tough blow to the team but we were determined to come back at them,” she said.
Despite having to mentally recover from the unfair loss in the third set, the ladies came out with fire but sadly lost steam after many calls against them, and the final score of the match was a loss of 1-3. The glory of the game came from the ladies emotions after, all in high spirits knowing they fought their hardest in an incredible game. Head Coach Kathleen Nickless commended the ladies on their performance, saying, “They need to learn to play their game and not let other people call it or get in their head. They are really starting to play together and show a lot of maturity; it’s going to be an awesome year.”
On Saturday September 10, 2011 the Lady Spartan’s made the long trip to Colorado Springs to participate in the Palmer Tournament at Palmer High School. Also scheduled at the tournament were: Alamosa, Peak to Peak, Monte Vista, Frederick, Sand Creek, and Palmer High Schools. Losing the first game 2-3 against to Frederick they were put in the lower bracket and after winning their next two games against Monte Vista (3-1) and Peak to Peak (3-0), they placed fifth overall.
The Lady Spartans’ games against Arvada and Westminster were quick sweeps, invigorating the team with confidence and excitement for their upcoming season. The ladies may have had a slow start in the season, not pulling off the win as expected against challenging teams such as Conifer, after their glorious season last year; however, the ladies’ game is finally beginning to take shape. After Tuesday’s game against Golden the ladies have promised to come out playing with passion and confidence in the young team. Senior Trisha Mortel expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “We’re a fresh young team and yet we’re beginning to play like we’ve known each other for a long time. The team chemistry is beautiful; we all really care about each other and this is going to take us farther than anything else, and I can’t wait.”
The ladies are looking to have a very impressive season and really prove themselves in the league games. So get out there TJ and support your Lady Spartans.
Thursday 9/2 @ Arvada High School 7:00 pm (L 3-0 )
Wednesday 9/7 Conifer High School @ TJ 7:00 pm(L 0-3 )
Thursday 9/8 Westminster High School @ TJ 7:00 pm (W 3-0)
Saturday 9/10 @ Palmer Tournament (Fifth Place)
Tuesday 9/13 @ Golden High School 7:00 pm (L 1-3)
Monday 9/19 Alameda High School @ TJ 7:00 pm
Thursday 9/22 George Washington High School @ TJ 7:00 pm
Monday 9/26 @ Fountain Fort Carson High School 7:00 pm
Tuesday 9/27 Denver West High School @ TJ 7:00 pm
Tuesday 10/4 @ Denver North High School 7:00 pm
Thursday 10/6 @ Kennedy High School 7:00 pm
Wednesday 10/12 Standley Lake High School @ TJ 7:00 pm
Thursday 10/13 @ South High School 7:00 pm
Wednesday 10/19 @ Rock Canyon High School 7:00 pm
Friday 10/21 @ Evergreen High School 7:00 pm
Saturday 10/22 League Crossovers TBA
