Boys Volleyball Seizes 3rd Straight County Crown

As the Bergen County Tournament Final neared its conclusion on Thursday afternoon, a Fair Lawn hitter sent a wildly struck ball out of bounds, drawing an interesting reaction from his bench.

Rather then scolding the player who had committed the error, Fair Lawn coach Peter Zisa let out a playful laugh and the rest of the team followed his lead.

Perhaps in a more competitive match, the minor folly would have had major implications. But as Fair Lawn crushed Wallington in straight sets, 25-8, 25-10, to earn its third-straight Bergen County title, the state’s No. 1 team could afford a moment of levity.

Zisa’s crew zapped whatever potential there might have been for a drama-filled championship match as the Cutters (32-2) used aggressive serving, relentless defense and a steady dose of outside hitter Dan Nugent (12 kills) to thoroughly dominate an overmatched Wallington squad.

“We wanted to establish ourselves early with our serving, take them out of their offense,” said Zisa. “That type of team, if they gain some momentum, they’re going to raise to another level. We didn’t want to compete against that level today.”

Two days after being pushed to the brink by Don Bosco Prep in a three-set semifinal, the Cutters were all business against Wallington (17-5). To prepare, Zisa devoted the first hour of practice on Wednesday working on serving, as he felt his team hadn’t been serving aggressively in the previous matches.

He also stressed the importance of jumping on Wallington early on—something they struggled to do against Bosco.

“I think we learned from the Don Bosco match. Don Bosco gained some confidence early in the match and that could have been anyone’s game. We definitely had a different approach today.”

Fair Lawn closed out the first set with a 13-2 surge and then wore Wallington down in the second set, forcing the Panthers to commit countless errors. The Cutters built a 9-2 lead in the latter set, with seven of those points coming on Wallington miscues.

“We knew if we were able to serve aggressively and keep them down, we would be able to come out and beat them,” said Nugent, who added six digs and two aces.

Setter Brian Toron recorded 22 assists, while libero Oren Zyndorf chipped in with nine digs and two aces for Fair Lawn, which looks to secure a league championship on Friday when it takes on Wayne Valley. After that, the Cutters will begin their pursuit of a state championship.

“This is our first of three goals, which is the county, then the league, and then the state. It was good to accomplish this one,” said Nugent. “Tomorrow we have to take care of Wayne Valley for the league and then a few weeks, everybody else.”