A fast start helped serve the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir Spartans their first Senior boys volleyball league title in nearly two decades. Spartan Aadam Nanji served 14 straight points to open the first set as Strathcona-Tweedsmuir went on to sweep the Foothills Falcons 3-0 in the Foothills Athletic Council final Nov. 7 at the Crescent Point Field House. “We served aggressively and that just set us up for set 1,” said Spartans coach Dale Roth. “Aadam Nanji has a great serve and I often start him there because I know he can really take some momentum away from the other team.” The Falcons didn’t ever take flight in the opening set, losing 25-5. However, they showed grit by taking the Spartans to extra points in a 28-26 loss in the second set. The Spartans then won their first league title since 2000 by winning the third set 25-16. “Foothills kept right in it, we had to keep our focus,” Roth said. “It’s not over until it’s over kind of thing.” Falcon coach Curt Colfer said his squad came up against a better team. “I give them full credit, they played clean didn’t make many mistakes as a group, they were aggressive and covered the court well,” Colfer said. “Kudos to Dale and that group.” Getting bombarded in the opening 14 points didn’t help. Colfer was proud to see his team rebound with a strong performance in the second set. “We got down early and it took the wind out of our sails,” Colfer said. “After we took a little bit of a whuppin’ we came out and played real well in the second set. At 26-26, we had serve. If we win that set, it’s 1-1 and it is a totally different match. “A couple of mistakes and that whole match could have been different.” The Falcons had trouble receiving serves in the final set, as STS went on a 10-point rally in the 25-16 victory to clinch the banner. “They served us really tough and were consistent,” Colfer said. “It is something we have to work on before zones.” The Spartans have a new look in 2018, traditionally they are a defensive blocking squad. While they continue to dig on D, they rely on a lot more thunder from their big hitters. “Last year we had great kind of defence and this year it is all about offence for us,” Roth said. “It starts with the serve. We serve aggressively and we hit aggressively.” Supplying some of the Spartans’ lightning bolts was Grade 12 right side Jeremy Pierce-Lord. “We tend to come out really strong and then back off a bit,” Pierce-Lord said. “We need to work on that a bit but it still worked out. This year we are strong in the middle, and in the outside with Jared Klotz, we have a strong offence.” The biggest Spartan factor is the work that goes on when nobody is watching. “It’s our work ethic,” Pierce-Lord said. “We’ve been practising hard. Our team was incredibly mixed up this year and we have been getting to know our chemistry.” If the chemistry were any better, Roth would win the Nobel Prize for science. STS went undefeated in Foothills Athletic Council play and its season has been highlighted — so far — by winning their home tournament in October. But like Roth said it’s not over, until it’s over. Like The Carpenters’ sang: ‘We’ve only just begun….” The Spartans are off to the 2A South Central Zones at St. Joseph Academy in Brooks on Nov. 16-17. Meanwhile, the Falcons have a mini-tournament against the Holy Trinity Academy Knights and the host Chestermere Lakers to determine who will represent the South Central at 4A provincials. The Falcons beat Chestermere 2-0 in Foothills’ home tournament, but the Lakers had only seven players. Foothills has beat HTA in their matches this year. “The games weren’t far out of reach though,” Colfer said. “A serve in or out here and that will be the difference at zones.”
