Fair Lawn Volleyball Falls Short Against Old Tappan

OLD TAPPAN–So many times in 2010, the Fair Lawn girls volleyball team rose to whatever challenge lay ahead. On Friday afternoon, the Cutters finally fell short.

Fair Lawn's season came to an end with 25-18, 25-13 loss to Old Tappan (21-1), ranked No. 1 in the state, in the second round of the Group III North state tournament.

"They fought hard. They were resilient. We had a lot of breakdowns and a lot of tough moments, but they kept on believing," Fair Lawn coach Peter Zisa said when asked to reflect on the season as a whole.

"Today, that was probably the thing that I was happiest about, because they really believed that they had a chance," he said.

The Cutters showed the same grit and tenacity that helped propel them into post-season play against the reigning Bergen County champs on Friday. When the season hung in the balance in mid-October, Fair Lawn rolled off five-straight wins to qualify for the state tournament as a ninth seed.

Fair Lawn then rallied for a dramatic three-set victory over Wayne Valley in the opening round of the state tourney earlier this week. But despite putting on one of its best performances of the year, Fair Lawn was overrun by a simply superior Old Tappan unit.

Led by 6-foot-5 middle hitter Aiyana Whitney, who posted a game-high 21 kills, Old Tappan closed out the second game with a 14-1 run. The Penn State-bound Whitney spearheaded the impressive spurt with seven straight kills at one point.

"Against a team like that, if you have any breakdowns in serve-receive, which is what we had in game 2, they can put 10, 15 points on you very quick because of their offensive power, and that's what happened," Zisa said.

Fair Lawn was sharp through most of game 1 and early in game 2. Playing Old Tappan for the fourth time this season, the Cutters were seemingly unfazed and appeared not the slightest bit intimidated.

Zisa's team even held an 11-9 lead in the first game and a 12-9 advantage in the latter game, but could not hold on against Whitney and Company.

"They played with a lot of heart, a lot of passion," Zisa said. "We won a lot of hustle points. We played the type of defense that was necessary."

Senior Jana Nieman recorded five kills, while senior Jillian Green and Michelle Rojas posted four kills apiece. Sisters Allison and Ashley Sudol had nine digs and 10 assists, respectively.

Zisa loses a talented group of seniors composed of Nieman, Green, Allison Sudol, Jackie O'Leary, Rebecca Carlone, Emily Mastrobuoni and Marianna Del Rio. He should have a strong and experienced group returning in 2011, led by setter Ashley Sudol, Megan Tuchler, Jillian O'Leary and Michelle Rojas.

"Rojas is a junior so it was really nice to see her step up and rise to the occasion. I thought she played excellent today," Zisa said.

While the Cutters finish the season only one game over .500, Fair Lawn's record was far from mediocre, especially given their formidable schedule. The Cutters played a total of seven matches against teams currently ranked in the Top 20, including two matches against No. 6 Ramapo and four against Old Tappan.

"It was a fun group to work with. They have great character, great personality," Zisa said. "Unfortunately we came up a little short on the court today and for the season, but hopefully they enjoyed it as much as I did."