Updated 4/24/03
East End Volleyball History
East
End Volleyball Classic Match:
In 1989 Corona Beer offered a $2,000 prize
purse for coed doubles teams. Winners at selected tournaments during the season
played off at the Hampton Beach Club (now The Ocean Club) in E. Quogue. The
classic match of the day was the championship match of Phil & Teri Melese
versus Rafael Del Valle and Halina Pavels.
Melese/Melese won the first match in the winners bracket. Del
Valle/Pavels then won all of their consolation bracket matches setting up a
double final.
Melese/Melese had won fairly easily in the winners bracket match and were
expected by most observers to win the finals. Del Valle/Pavels did not buy into
that line as they eked out a close win the first game, setting up the final
match. Melese/Melese then pulled out to an early 8-2 lead in the final game and
were completely in control. Del Valle/Pavels started a methodical comeback
leading to a 16-14 victory.
The key factor in the match was the ability of Halina Pavels to dig the hard
spikes of Phil Melese and to set up partner Rafael Del Valle on the 2nd hit in
one of the truly classic matches in East End Volleyball's first 20 years
East End Volleyball Classic Moment
The Hampton Beach Club was the beach
volleyball hot spot on Long Island in 1990 when the DeKuyper Volleyball
Tournament was held. The California team of Tom Hooper and Chris Allard, both
with top 50 AVP rankings, came east expecting easy pickings in the $1,000 cash
tournament.
Hooper and Allard played against up and coming eastern Long Island stars
Andy "Flop" Fotopoulos and Tom "Smitty" Smith in the most
watched match of the day. Playing in front of a crowd 2 deep all around center
court, Smitty & Flop dug almost every ball hit at them and hustled after
every loose ball before finally losing 15-13.
Hooper and Allard were completely frustrated by the quickness of Smitty & Flop and spent most of their energy to pull out this match. It came back to hurt them later when they lost in the finals to NYC stars Keith Seidmann and Steve Zelko.
The Hampton Beach Club washed into the ocean in 1992 but has been reborn as the Ocean Club and has again hosted top tournaments in 1999 and 2000