(For photos from the tournament, taken by Scott Teske, go to http://sjtdesigns.smugmug.com/invite/1310926744466dd26fd77fa4.55239122)
By Fred Siegle
LAKE HIAWATHA - It was the kind of comeback that's only possible in sideout scoring.
Joe Zdaniewicz, Freedon Twp., N.J., and Annie Holliday, Middletown, N.Y., trailed 7-0 and 10-2 but came back and won, 15-11 to capture the reverse coed title at the Parsippany Grass Tournament at Volunteers Park on June 10. They beat Tom Narath, Boonton, and Macia Penha, Maywood, in the championship game.
"It was terrific volleyball,'' said Zdaniewicz, 22, who recently graduated from West Point and will start his Army career in two months as a lieutenant. "This was my first grass tournament ever, I'm so happy to come out first, especially since it was such good competition throughout the day.''
Zdaniewicz had 3 aces and 7 kills in the final, while Holliday, 26, who is the coach of the West Point club volleyball team, had 10 kills and 2 aces.
They went undefeated throughout the day, compiling a 6-0 record in pool play, then beating Tracy Reasoner, Flemington, and Rafael Innis, Plainsboro in the semifinals. Narath and Penha came out first in their pool, then beat Cheryl Vadas and Michael Campbell in the semifinals.
Narath had two aces at the start of the final and his tough serve helped his team take the 7-0 lead. "He was serving so well,'' Zdaniewicz said.
After Narath's third ace, which landed in the back right-side corner, he and Penha had a 10-2 lead. But Zdaniewicz had two straight aces after that to start the comeback. A dig and a kill by Zdaniewicz made it 10-5, and his third ace made the score 10-6. "You're carrying me,'' Holliday said to him after the point.
An error by Zdaniewicz made the score 11-6, but Narath and Penha weren't able to score again (Narath had to take a time out at one point because of a cramp in his foot). Zdaniewicz completed the comeback with a dig and kill after a serve by Holliday.
In sideout scoring, teams can only earn points by being successful in a rally that started with their serve. If the game had been played under the rally scoring format - which is used in almost all volleyball except grass tournaments and where there is a point scored on every serve - Narath and Penha would have held on for a 25-23 victory.
"That shows the beauty of sideout scoring,'' Holliday said.
Narath finished the game with 3 aces and 7 kills, while Penha had 6 kills and an ace.
Parsippany grass tournaments feature men's, women's, and coed play for all levels of competition. Men's and women's doubles divisions, along with girls (18-under and 16-under) quads divisions are played on Saturdays, while reverse coed doubles, and women's and men's triples divisions are held on Sundays at each event.
The next tournament will be held July 14-15, with events also scheduled for August 11-12 and September 8-9. Hudson Valley volleyball also holds grass tournaments at Memorial Park in Beacon, N.Y. It has events set for July 7-8, Aug. 4-5, and Sept. 15-16.
For more information on Parsippany tournaments, email info@powerzonevb.com. For details on Hudson Valley, visit the website (www.hvvolleyball.com).
