photo by Carlos Covarrubias

Playing well in a four-game match, the Lady Spartans battled with every breath to bring home the win against the East Angels. Alas, to no avail, as the Angels applied the pressure first and did not let up enough to allow the Spartans to pull out the win.

A glimmer of hope flew through the crowd, though, when TJ rallied back strong in the third game, coming back to win 25 to 21. Senior Monique Kuykendoll, disappointed with the loss, looks at it as a building period. “We played well, yes, but not to the best of our ability. Though we thought we were playing at the pinnacle of our game, we were not.  We won’t make that same mistake ever again.”

Although this will probably eliminate their chances at a League Title the ladies are looking forward to the wins they will bring home over the next few weeks. Reflecting on the game, Senior Leader Paige Wilson said, “It was a really tough, hard-fought match. I wish we could have pulled out the win, but we did our best at the time.” With districts coming up, and league coming to a close Wilson shared, “I think we will handle the rest of league very well. And I think we have a nice shot at districts, placing somewhere – hopefully – our team just has to come together and we can do it.”

Thu 09/03/09 @ Golden Senior High School Golden High School 6:30PM L 1-3

Thu 9/10/09 Overland High School Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM L 0 – 3

Fri 9/11/09 Rock Canyon High School Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM L 0 – 3

Mon 9/14/09 @ Alameda Senior High School Alameda Senior High School 7:00PM W 3-0

Wed 9/16/09 Gateway High School Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM L 1-3

Tue 9/22/09 @ Denver South High School Denver South High School 7:00PM W 3 – 0

Wed 9/23/09 George Washington High School Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM

Tue 9/29/09 Aurora Central High School Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM

Thu 10/1/09 Denver East High School Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM

Tue 10/6/09 @ Montbello High School Montbello High School 7:00PM

Fri 10/9/09 @ Abraham Lincoln High School Abraham Lincoln 7:00PM

Tue 10/13/09 Denver West High School Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM

Tue 10/20/09 John F. Kennedy Thomas Jefferson High School 7:00PM

Thu 10/22/09 @ Denver North High School Denver North High School 7:00PM

photo by Rebecca Holt

After a tough week the Lady Spartan Volleyball team finds themselves in a major improvement phase. Facing two non-league losses, the ladies consider it an effective warm-up for the league matches which they will be faced. “We are all feeling great right now. Going into league we are looking to do well, and we are all going to have the hyped up enthusiasm to take city,” said Junior Mia Nogueira.

Bouncing back from a disappointing first few losses the ladies have rallied back to win five matches, two of them conference bouts. Most recently taking it to the Aurora Central Trojans, the team plans on taking that momentum into Thursday’s match against league rival, the Angels of Denver East. Being the last match they need to take the league championship, the girls have a whole new drive behind them. “If we beat East, we take league.  There will be no one else out there that could come close to beating us. We are coming in to the game to play, and are striving for the victory here,” Senior Paige Wilson shared with a face of complete confidence.

Reflecting on their previous three-match win streak, Senior Monique Kuykendoll said, “How we played in the Central game was amazing because we really came together then. And leaving with the victory got us really hyped up for our run at the league title. Honestly, we thought George and South would pose more of a challenge,” Monique said. “They were only warm-up matches, taking us through the motions to the league title.” On how to win the East match, Monique Kuykendoll shared, “I think we will do well if we come together as a team. When we come together we come with intensity, and every time we do that, our opponents stand no chance.”

Commenting on the team as a whole, Wilson said, “We are starting to mesh better as a team, coming together to be very effective. Heading back to basics and fine-tuning our fundamentals, we are just playing the game the way we know how to. I am confident we could play anyone right now and give them a highly competitive, difficult game.” Coming off of three straight, heading into one big league bout, the Lady Spartans could not be looking any better. The Spartans, more determined than ever, go into the match tomorrow night with only victory on their minds. TJ is looking forward to extending the streak to 4-0, eventually leading them to bring home this year’s league title.

Spartan Volleyball gets ready to slam oponents. photo by Rebecca Holt

Opening the gates to another year of Spartan athletics, the girls’ volleyball squad looks to start the year off right. And with only one piece of last year’s varsity puzzle missing, the competition should look to bump themselves up a bit.

Senior Paige Wilson is ready for the season. “We have a lot of new potential on the lower levels and this year we should be the best we have ever been because almost all of our entire varsity team is returning,” she said.  After making some major adjustments this year, the ladies will be boasting some new techniques and rotations that will only add to the ladies’ stellar defense from last year.

Also, with a new arrival here at TJ, the Spartans will also look to add more surprises to their play, “Coach Molly at one point played for Thomas Jefferson and knows how the program works really well,” said Senior Andrea Shacklock about new Assistant Coach Molly Petrelli.

The ladies are working hard on and off the court to bring it home this season. With a determined voice, Wilson said, “We all want to go all the way and win. In my years here so far we have done really well, but we have never been able to take it all the way and win.” With so many fresh faces joining the ranks, new coaches leading them to battle, and a returning varsity group back on the court, where can they go wrong? Following the game-plan with a little bit of determination, the ladies should be an unstoppable force for anyone to face come the post-season.

    October 25th, 2008, The Thomas Jefferson Spartans hosted the 4A district volleyball competition, and being ranked number one, the Spartans were picked to make it to regionals.  The Lady Spartans played their first match against Arvada, underestimating their competition and losing to Arvada 3 – 1 in set counts; however, the girls had a chance to win their way back into action by playing Windsor High School, but yet again fell behind and lost 3 – 0. With regionals out of their future, the girls packed up their gear and reflected on their awesome season.

    Andrea Shacklock stated, “Next year, should be even better. We are losing one key player, but hope to gain fresh new talent. Looking back on this year, I would say it was up and down…but as a whole, it was fulfilling.” 

    Junior Paige Wilson’s perspective on the year was, “From start to finish, the season ended on a good note. Looking back at the beginning of the season, through the end, I realize we finished great by overcoming tough obstacles and team problems.”

     On October 15, 2008, the Spartan Volleyball Squad took on the Patriots of George Washington at George Washington High School. The Spartans brought up key players from junior varsity including Lauren Rowe, for her down-low digging skills, and Paige Milstein for her exceptional serving for the showdown with G.W.

    Milstein said, “ I am so excited for districts this year. The team looks great, and I am going to bring my ‘A’ game.” 

    Rowe also made a comment about districts: “The anticipation is killing me. We have a great chance to win districts and make it to regionals for the first time in 15 years.  This is our year!” Milstein and Rowe were put in at key moments in the game, helping the Spartans to rally back from being down two games to one and force the contest to five games.  In the fifth game, temptation and lack of communication blanketed the Spartans and gave the match to the Patriots in the fifth game 15 – 11. Wilson said, “We made a lot of mistakes at crucial times during the game. Also, communication was lacking the whole volleyball game.”

    Districts determine who makes it to regionals, which in turn leads teams to the state competition. Districts are divided into more skill-level based competitions and regionals are the winners of districts. If a team makes it far in districts it has the chance to compete for the state title of volleyball champs in Colorado.

    At Denver East High School October 17, 2008, the Lady Spartans came into the match with their heads high, ready to rebound against the Angels of East. In the first set the Spartans played their hearts out, yet, the Angels proved themselves to be superior, winning the first set 25 – 18. Shacklock stated, “The first set we played great, but after losing that game we lost focus, and didn’t work as hard as we should have as a team.”  Due to the lack of focus against the Angels, the practices became more mental than physical. Shacklock said, “The coaches are trying to teach us, not work us.”

    To all the Lady Spartans of the 2008 volleyball year, good job and a job well done. Next year’s team is going to be unstoppable and TJ is looking forward to seeing a totally refurbished, high-spirited team comparable to this year.

    The first game, the Lincoln Commanders came out strong pulling ahead of the Spartans 24 – 22. One more point and the Commanders would clinch the first game. However, loosing isn’t in the Spartan vocabulary. The Spartans rallied to win 26 – 24 in an amazing set of points that drives the team to be the far more superior than anyone else in their conference.

    Junior Setter, Andrea Shacklock said, “ We are connecting so much better.  We are meshing as a team and we look incredibly sturdy.”  Shacklock had a total of 27 assists during the Lincoln game, and leads the team with an outstanding 178 total assists for the season.

    Also a power player on the team Junior Middle Back, Paige Wilson agreed with Shacklock’s statement and added, “We no longer play as individuals, we play as a team, and we have never looked this good this season.” Wilson has been an overall great player working the court in every aspect. Against Lincoln, Wilson had an exceptional dig that even awed the coaches, which made the Commanders shake with fear and in turn allowed the Spartans to kill the point and win the second game with a score of 25 – 18.

    Junior Middle Hitter, Monique Kuykendoll, an up coming superstar at Thomas Jefferson, never ceases to amaze everyone with her dominance on the court and attitude towards the game. Kuykendoll has an exceptional amount of kills; 114 to be exact. Kuykendoll is said to be the prodigy of Thomas Jefferson for this year and the year to follow.

    The Ladies took on Cowboys of West at Denver West High School winning 3 – 0 with great communication and skyrocketing attitudes.  Shacklock said, “Our team was really clicking, and the communication really motivated us during the game.”

    The next home game is the “game of the year” against South, tonight, October 10th, 2008.  Fan support needs to be high at the South game so lets pack the house and show the Rebels what Spartans can accomplish.
 

    Even in victory over the Commanders, the Spartan team shows needs of improvement.  The Commanders’ crisp sense of communication and passing skills, which TJ wants to improve upon this year, seemed to dominate the Spartans throughout the match. Andrea Shacklock said, “It has taken a while for us to work together, but it is coming along slowly but surely.”  Also, Shacklock is dismayed about the lack of fan support. “We need a stronger fan base.  It seems like people just come and go as they please and just linger around.  We need the support, because it helps us get pumped up and dominate on the court,” she said.  The majority of the varsity volleyball Spartans agree with Shacklock, that the improvement of communication is the greatest need. 

     As the Spartan Ladies were suiting for their meeting against Montbello last week, many varsity girls were nervous about the improved Montbello Warriors’ squad, and how they were going to match up against them this year.

    Without hesitation, the first game started with huge serves and key plays, and Montbello came out of the gates with speed and agility. Montbello is said to have the hardest servers in our district, and that they are deadly with speed and agility. This combination of power and athleticism assisted the Warriors as they clinched the first game, winning the set 26 – 24. 

    With worried looks on the faces of the Lady Spartans’ volleyball squad, the Spartan fans looked anxious for a change in the pace of the game, and the girls responded to the slow start and put on their game faces getting down and dirty.   Andrea Shacklock demonstrated leadership with her great sets and pristine focus, winning the second set for the Spartans. With their confidence back, the ladies took the second set 25 – 15 over the Montbello Warriors.

    The Spartans seemingly always rise to the occasion, and send their expectations skyrocketing over the competition.  Paige Wilson, a junior, who has been in the Spartan Volleyball program for all three years of her high school career, has never looked better. This fall she has been the power of the team with her ability to spike the ball with precision and authority.  With that confidence the girls claimed the third game 25 – 13.

    However, it is not just the veterans of the squad who are carrying this team to victory. Freshman Shonn McCaffrey, a  new prospect for the Spartan squad has done nothing but improve her skills and prove herself on the court.  McCaffrey is well known for her quick agility and fiery spirit, lighting the way for the Spartans when they are down.

    With the Lady Spartans up two games to one, the girls could see the win right around the corner.  With great communication and with skills flashing, the ladies dominated the Warriors in the final set 25 – 18, and proved once again that Warriors are no match to the power and determination of the Lady Spartans.

    The next home game is September 25th, against North at TJ. The Lady Spartans beat North in the Regis Gold Crown event this year, and the Ladies are not shaken up one bit about the thought of North tomorrow. Let’s pack the house for this game and show our support for the Spartan Volleyball Squad.

    Determination, attitude, and a driving spirit to win; that is what the Lady Spartan Volleyball squad brought to the court Thursday against the Golden Demons.

    The Lady Spartans won the first set, led by the two seniors of the squad, Chelsea Stine and Sage Severson.  The girls were pumped up and looked to be in the right state of mind for obtaining that second set.
    That’s what they thought, but The Golden Demons came back strong winning the second set 25 –19 over TJ, and that brought silence to the Spartan fans. Tied one to one, Sage Severson brought the team together and got the girls heads back into the game. “Set,” “Dive,” “Out,” and the girls, with amazing communication between each other, sparked a new light in the game. The Spartans came alive with fury and with clutch serves and spectacular saves flung the team to a 2 – 1 game lead over the Demons.
    However, yet again with the thought about being one game up, the Spartans slipped and lost focus which allowed the Demons to tie up the game with the score of two to two.
    With tensions running high, and fans biting their nails, the crowd was focused on only one thing: seeing their Lady Spartans thrash the Golden Demons in the fifth and final set. Trotting out on the court, Sage Severson led the gritty Spartans into their positions.  The score: 10 – 8 Spartans. Then 17–16 Spartans on top. Close margin game with no mistakes to spare.  The Spartans managed to spike and set their way to a score of 24 – 23 over the Demons.  One more point was all the Spartans needed to pull out a win for their first season game.  With the crowd totally silent on both ends of the gym, Spartan Chelsea Stine ripped a serve into the Demon’s side of the court.  With a bobbled hit and a weak set, our lady Spartans locked in the big win for TJ. The next game that the Lady Spartans have is against Gateway at Gateway Friday September 5, 2008.

By Phillip Karlberg

    Despite a strong season from the Thomas Jefferson volleyball team, the year ended on a sour note when the girls lost both of their tournament games on Saturday, October 27th.
In their first game, the TJ girls lost to Broomfield three games to none. Although the Spartans started off well, they gradually lost steam as the match went on. In the first game they were defeated 18-25. The second game was very similar, and ended in a final score of 16-25 for Broomfield. In the third and final game, TJ lost by a decisive score of 12-25.
    After Broomfield, the Spartans battled the Longmont Trojans. With a record of 19-4, the outlook was bleak. The first game set the pace of the match with a final score of 16-25. The second game also ended in a hard loss of 25-13. The match was ended when the Trojans crushed the Spartans with a score of 12-25.
    Although Saturday was a loss on paper, the Spartan girls fought valiantly. They put forth their best effort and represented TJ in the best way. The girls proved to be a strong team all season, as they were among the top ranked in the Denver Prep League. They have come a long way since the shaky match against Alameda that started the season. As a team, they have learned to work and play together. The season is now over and it has proven to be an overall success.

By Keenan Moore

    The boys’ tennis team completed their season on a positive note this year, having a total record of 5-4.  This year proved to be a good all around season for the boys, as they improved in all aspects of their game.  They were led by the strong effort of number one single Justin Blackburn.  This being his final year as a TJ tennis player, it proved to be an emotional season, as the Spartans brought their A game to every match.
     The number one doubles pair, PJ Sleichter and Mitch Montgomery, were both successful, as they won the majority of their matches together.  This is PJ’s third year at TJ and Mitch’s second, which means that they will be together again for another successful season next year.
     The team brought some of their best athletes to compete in the regionals competition. The people who had the chance to go to the competition were Andrew Briss and Jack Bain along with Blackburn, Sleichter, and Montgomery. While they all were not very successful in their matches, they showed great effort all the way to the end.  “I think it was a honor to just be able to go and play against all sorts of players from all different parts of the Denver area,” said Blackburn.
     The sky is the limit for the boys’ tennis team next year.  They will lose Blackburn, but number two single Robert Lampert is ready and willing to step up to the challenge.  They will have the same number one doubles combination, and will hopefully get a few new freshman on the team that are ready to work their way up to the top.
     The team will have to find a way to get past the tough teams from both George Washington and East if they want to take the City Championship next year.  The Patriots and Angels have always found a way to beat the Spartans, as they are a combined 0-7 against the two teams over the past two years.  There is no way to decide how they will step up in the future, but there is only good hopes for the team as they look forward to another season next fall.  The boys are always ready for a challenge and there are limitless possibilities for them next season.

By Phillip Karlberg

    On Friday night, the Thomas Jefferson girls’ volleyball team smashed Kennedy three games to none, bringing their record to eight wins and nine losses. Despite the success of the varsity team, both JV and the C-Team lost.
    During the first game it became very clear who had the better team.  The Spartans were hot from the beginning and jumped ahead to an amazing 17-0 lead.  Eventually Kennedy gained a few points of their own, but the game ended in a score of 25-9.
    In the second game Kennedy began to pick up steam.  Although they did better in the second round, they could not stop the Spartan onslaught and lost with a decisive final score of 25-14.
    The third and final game was the closest.  Kennedy jumped ahead and for much of the game was in the lead.  The TJ girls looked to have lost their edge, but eventually recovered and pulled away to a 25-18 win.
    The TJ girls have proven themselves to be a very competitive team.  Their next game is on Tuesday, October 23 at 7:00 against Jefferson H.S.  With a little luck and the way the girls are playing, TJ should b able to rack up another victory in their last regular season match of the year.