MADISON- The second season of the Madison Adult Co-Ed Volleyball League was highlighted by a torch- Torch Technologies, that is. One of the nation’s top 100 Federal technology contractors and employee owned, Torch Technologies had two of the six teams, which made up the league played at Dublin Memorial Park. In the post-season tournament, the finals came down to the blue and orange teams representing   the 17-year old company.

“It was incredibly competitive and there was a good deal of trash talking throughout the season and in the tournament,” said Jim Braswell, a program manager at Torch Technologies and team captain for the orange squad.

Jacqueline Butler, a contract administrator at the company located on South Parkway in Huntsville, was the blue squad team captain and concurred with the fact the competition was fierce, but friendly at the same time. “The competition grew throughout the season as we had two weeks of practice prior to the season and both squads practiced together, helped one another and were very friendly.”

The first week of the regular season changed the demeanor of the squads made up of eight players each.

“The blue team, called Block Party, defeated the orange squad, which took the name Some Spike It Hot,” added Butler. “Block Party drew first blood.”

Throughout the regular season the orange squad continued to progress in skill level to evenly match the blue team that has been together for two previous seasons of play. The orange won the season title with two losses, both coming at the hands of the blue team from Torch.

In the post-season tourney, both Torch squads made it to the final match in which the blue posted a victory with scores of 25-20 and 30-28. Butler added, “The first game we were pretty dominate, but the second game went back and forth before we took the win. The match was very emotional with few frustrating moments and lots of encouragement and cheering from both squads.”

Each squad were awarded medals for their place in the tournament and many of those medals were proudly worn by the players at work the next day, but the friendly trash talk was underscored by the fact when Braswell arrived at his office and opened his office door to a totally decorated in blue workspace.

“We arrived to work early and put up blue ribbons, streamers and suckers,” said Butler. “We even had one employee who wore his medal around his neck during a company presentation.”

“The volleyball season generated a lot of excitement at work and that type of comradery is very much desired and is part of Torch’s culture,” said Braswell, who actually played for the blue squad prior to this season, but chose to take the new team as a complete shot in the dark. “The entire season was employer endorsed.”

The Some Spike It Hot finished with a 10-2 record while the Block Party was 9-3 and tournament champion.

For those involved the posted records meant nothing more than bragging rights, which led to fun times among fellow employees, lasting memories and the burning desire to carry the “torch” to the next season.