Cutters Volleyball Gets Its Revenge

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Oren Zyndorf can remember the pain and sadness he and his Fair Lawn teammates experienced after their 2010 season was ended in a state semifinals loss to St. Peter’s Prep.

One year later, with that memory still fresh in their minds, Zyndorft and the rest of the Cutters got their revenge in the volleyball rematch of North Jersey powers.

Zyndorft and Fair Lawn were nothing short of dominant yesterday as they posted an impressive 25-14, 25-8 victory in the NJSIAA State Semifinals at South Brunswick High School. With the win, the Cutters’ ended St. Peter’s four-year reign as North Jersey champions.

“I wanted to take this team off the court for what they did to us last year,” said Zyndorf, believing that the loss has served as a motivator all season. “I still remember the feeling of the season ending to them last year, and now it feels good to end their season.”

“I respect (St. Peter’s Prep head coach) Don Guide very much. I look up to him, he’s one of the founders of volleyball in New Jersey,” Fair Lawn head coach Peter Zisa said. “But believe me, St. Peter’s Prep has been a nemesis of mine as a coach of volleyball at Fair Lawn for the last five years. It’s nice to finally get a big win against them.”

It wouldn’t take long for Fair Lawn (36-2), the state’s top-ranked team, to show that this time would be different. Zyndorf would set the tone with his serving as the Cutters raced out to a quick 11-2 lead in the opening game. Nine of those points came with Zyndorf at serve, four of them aces.

“It was very important,” Zyndorf said about the strong start. “The team that comes out in the beginning of the match with the most energy is the team that’s going to come out strong at the end.

The Cutters built up another quick lead in the second game behind Zyndorf’s serving as the senior libero added five more service points and two aces to give Fair Lawn a 7-1 lead it would never relinquish. As a team, the Cutters had 12 aces.

“He’s a fantastic jump-float server,” Zisa said. “He can hit any spot on the court and its really tough to receive.”

Zyndorf also anchored a stellar Fair Lawn defensive effort with eight digs to go with his 14 service points and six aces. Virginia Tech-bound outside hitter had another huge night, finishing with 16 kills. Brian Toron added 22 assists in the victory.

St. Peter’s Prep (22-6), ranked 14th in the state, was led by Lorenzo Samin’s eight kills, five blocks and five digs.

With the victory, the Cutters have reached the finals for the first time since 2004 and are now just one win away from their first state championship since 1995. Standing in Fair Lawn’s way is Southern Regional, the two-time defending state champions in Thursday’s title match at 4 p.m. at South Brunswick High School.

As much as the Cutters have accomplished thus far, they know Thursday’s showdown represents the final step in their journey — a journey which started after the painful end of a year ago.

“It’s the worst feeling in the world. I just don’t want to go through that again,” Zyndorf said. “Not many teams get to end their season with a win, most teams lost in their last game. I want to win in my last game.”

“We’re on a mission, but our goal is not complete,” Zisa said. “Southern is a great team, they’re playing an exceptional brand of volleyball. We still have one match left to accomplish our ultimate goal and until then I’m not satisfied.”