Things are about to get interesting...

October 4th, 2010 - Langley, BC

This week begins the long haul over the next 7 weeks taking the Spartan Men's Volleyball team right through the first semester. After a busy preseason already the Volley-boys from Tee-Dub now embark on a cross country romp beginning this weekend locally taking them out to Halifax and Fredericton and then back again to finish the semester in the friendly confines of the LEC.

Not sure what brainiac decided it was a good idea for the Spartans to have 28 preseason matches but whats done is done. At the time the roster looked deep but now injuries have taken their toll. While the healthy bodies are more than capable of taking on all comers their once deep ranks have been thinned.

This weekend the mighty Spartans take on 6 matches all locally:

October 7th 6pm vs Thompson Rivers Wolfpack @ MEI in Abbotsford
October 8th 7pm vs Thompson Rivers Wolfpack @ LEC in Langley, BC
October 9th & 10th: Douglas College Tournament, New Westminster, BC
Oct. 9th 10am vs Capilano Blues @ Douglas College
Oct. 9th 1pm vs Douglas Royals @ Douglas College
Oct. 10th 10am vs UFV Cascades @ Douglas College
Oct. 10th TBD vs TBD
October 13th 8pm vs Columbia Bible College @ Langley Christian HS in Langley, BC
October 15-17th: Queen's University Tournament
Oct. 15th 8pm vs Queen's Gaels @ Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario
Oct. 16th 6pm vs Western Mustangs @ Queen's University in Kingston, ON
Oct. 17th 1pm vs Brandon Bobcats @ Queen's University in Kingston, ON
October 18th TBD vs Team Canada Full Time Centre Athletes (To Be Confirmed)
October 19th TBD vs UNB Reds @ University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB
October 20th TBD vs UNB Reds @ University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB
October 21st TBD vs Dalhousie Tigers @ Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS
October 22nd TBD vs Dalhousie Tigers @ Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS
October 23rd TBD vs Dalhousie Tigers @ Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS

whew...that was tiring just to type...sorry fellas.

Then Canada West Conference play begins:
October 29/30 @ UBC T-Birds in Vancouver, BC
November 5/6 vs TRU Wolfpack @ LEC in Langley ---- HOME OPENER!!!
November 12/13 @ Regina Cougars in Regina, Saskatchewan
November 19/20 @ Alberta Bears in Edmonton, Alberta
November 26/27 vs Winnipeg Wesmen @ LEC in Langley --- LAST GAMES OF SEMESTER!!!

and that ladies and gentlemen is how to run a team through the gauntlet. The first question is why? Well, looking at this year's team and the opportunity to host the National Championships in March we have an opportunity to develop two teams during the first semester without worrying about the potential for losing a match here or there due to exhaustion. This schedule allows us to prepare the current 'core' for this year's run towards the Championship in March. While allowing us to prepare the 'next cycle' for their turn as they take over the reigns once the older guys begin to graduate. The opportunity for the babies and toddler Spartans to play in meaningful matches this early in their careers will pay huge dividends later giving them more experiences on court to rely upon when their time comes to be middle children and old men.

The strength of the 10-11 Spartans is their depth. 1-15 they can all play and sustain the level of play regardless of who is on the court. This depth also allows us to train at an extremely high level day in and day out as the "2nd Side" can battle with most anyone in the country and the "1st Unit" makes sure on a daily basis that they are prepared to play the best. This model has been stolen from Coach Pete Carroll during his time at Univeristy of Southern California. Their motto was "always compete" and they created an environment in practice that was as if not more competitive than their regular season matches on the weekend. This allowed them to play with a toughness and focus that was unmatched for the better part of a decade. While Spartan Men's Volleyball has a long way to go before we can claim the level of the USC Trojan Football Program it has to start somewhere.

This weekend begins the long run toward the end of November when the semester ends and the arrival of the newest and youngest Spartan is sure to add to the team's depth.

Go Jen & Go Spartans!!!