Fans are nice during return of 16th Street Labor Day Weekend Volleyball tourney in Hermosa Beach

Greg Faulkner uncords during the finals. Photos by Kevin Cody

by Kevin Cody

For Hermosa Beach volleyball fans, the recent Tokyo Olympics and the AVP Manhattan Beach Open were just preludes to the 63rd Annual 16th Street Labor Day Weekend 4-Man Volleyball Tournament. The tourney’s bragging rights equal the Olympics’, at least locally. The Calcutta purse exceeds  the AVP’s. And fan fervor exceeds both, though this year, because the pandemic cancelled last year’s tournament, fans were uncharacteristically cordial. There was only one fight.

Trash talking Danny Newman, a 6-9, former USC middle blocker, was told by his supporting cast prior to the finals to focus on the ball, and let his fans razz the other side. Their opponents were led by 6-foot-7 Greg Faulker, a former middle blocker at Cal State Northridge, where his number was 17 because that’s his shoe size. 

The strategy worked. Buoyed by their fans cheering and jeering, Newman’s team jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished it. 

Sharing the first place purse were Newman, Jorge, Mike Osborne, and Juice. Faulkner and teammates Jayden Glenn, Corey Mathis and Jay Gleason shared the second place purse. Ryan Wald took a share of both purses. He owned both teams. 

Tournament director Mark Paaluhi’s team finished third. ER

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