Boys Volleyball Falls to Southern in State Semis; Won't Three-Peat as State Champs

The Fair Lawn High School's Boys Volleyball team's quest for a third consecutive state championship ended Tuesday after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of South Jersey rival Southern Regional in the state semifinals.

Fair Lawn had bested Southern in the state title game the past two years, but the Rams got the better of the Cutters this season, winning the last three times the teams met, including on Tuesday when it mattered most.

Fair Lawn kept it close in the first game, trading points early with Southern and making a comeback after the Rams surged ahead by six, but the Cutters ultimately fell 25-21. The second game, which Southern controlled throughout, ended 25-14 in the Rams' favor.

While Cutters' coach Peter Zisa told NJ.com he was disappointed by the loss, he said he was proud of what the current group of Fair Lawn athletes had accomplished over the past few years.

“After what we established the last couple of seasons, if we are not standing as the last team at the end, we’re going to consider it a failure,” Zisa said. “But in a year or two from now we’re going to look back and see what we were able to achieve was magnificent.”

Southern faces St. Joseph-Metuchen for the state title on Thursday at South Brunswick.