TOURNAMENT SPONSORS (click on logo for information):

DUDA PROVISIONS

Fine Meats & Catered Goods - 973-809-9794 - bobbyuke@aol.com

UKRAINIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER NJ

Whippany NJ  -  www.UACCNJ.org

UKRAINIAN YOUTH ASSOCIATION

www.cym.org

PLAST  - Organization of Ukrainian Youth

Newark Stanycha  -  George Shypailo, Stanychniy

WHIPPANY NJ  -  Morris County, New Jersey embodies rapidly-developing demographic shifts in the Ukrainian community. Previous generations that established community life in urban enclaves such as New York, Newark and Jersey City today watch their children re-establish beloved institutions in contemporary suburbia. Morris Country already boasts one of the largest Ridna Shkola in North America, and has witnessed recent ground-breaking on a major community center to house its sports, youth and cultural organizations. And now Morris County inaugurates the next inevitable requisite on the community landscape: hosting its own volleyball tournament for Ukrainian sports clubs.

Host MCVC (Morris County Volleyball Club) conducted The First Annual Ukrainian American Cultural Center NJ Volleyball Invitational 2005 on Saturday, October 22, with proceeds accruing to the building fund of its new community home. Co-hosts included Whippany CYM, Newark Plast and Chornomorska Sitch. The Organizing Committee responsible for the MCVC tournament was all too-typical of the expatriates carving a new hromada in Morris County: Myron Bytz (originally raised in Detroit), Bohdan Porytko (Brooklyn), Orest Kucyna (Yonkers), Orest Fedash (Oradell) and Andrij Hadzewycz (Hartford).

As expected, the fiercest competition came in the MENS OPEN Division, where Chornomorska Sitch from Newark, CYM Hartford, Trenton Community Home and MCVC slugged it out. Sitch and MCVC would wind up playing a see-saw, two-hour final until Mens MVP Roman Bulawski finally took charge and led MCVC to victory.

In the WOMENS OPEN Division, the final came down to Sitch and the MCVC as well. The MCVC took the first two games of the match, and held an early lead in the third. But the Sitch women, using only five players and no subs all day, finally shook off their initial rust and allowed their natural skills to re-emerge with each successive game. Led by the Womens MVP Alexandra Zawadiwsky, Sitch swept the last three games to win the match 3-2.

The YOUTH Division was an all-CYM affair, with Yonkers, Whippany and two teams from Passiac competing. Passaic CYM took the crown among the Under-18 Co-ed teams, with Maggie Krol winning the MVP trophy.

The Over-40 SENIORS Division witnessed MVP Jaroslaw Palylyk prove unable to lift his Yonkers Krylati team over the MCVC Seniors in the finals.

The PowerZone in Denville NJ, a six-court facility dedicated to volleyball, provided a professional venue. Certified referees were used exclusively, and the courts sported all the amenities such as regulation nets with antennae, scoreboards and hard-rubberized surfaces. Registrar Katia Kucyna and Scorekeeper Natalka Hucul maintained order. Chris Bytz and Mary Kucyna supervised the complimentary lunch catered by sponsor Duda Provisions, as well as the Awards Dinner at St. John’s Church Hall in Whippany NJ.

Awards included Team and Individual trophies for First, Second and Third place in all divisions, as well as for the MVP. Each division also established a permanent Cup which will have the winner’s name engraved each year and be on the display in the Cultural Center when construction is completed. Finally, there was an Overall Club Champion trophy awarded to the club that achieved the most Top Five finishes across all divisions. MCVC won the inaugural trophy, outdistancing Sitch in second place.

Sponsors that ensured the viability of the event include Ukrainian National Federal Credit Union, Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union, Plast Newark, CYM Whippany, Duda Provisions and the Ukrainian American Cultural Center NJ.

UKRAINIAN AMERICAN

CULTURAL CENTER NJ

VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL

OVERALL CLUB TROPHY

UACC NJ 2005

OVERALL CLUB STANDINGS

Click HERE for ARTICLE

Thanks to our HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE!

And an Acknowledgement to the CERTIFIED REFEREES working the Invitational!