Pittsburgh Grass Open at South Park Fairgrounds once again deemed a success

After another successful weekend of grass-court volleyball, Ned Bacheson is looking forward to what the future holds for Pittsburgh Grass Open tournament.

A total of 740 players across 326 teams took part in this years event, held July 26-28, at the Allegheny County Fairgrounds in South Park. That number is up from over 600 last summer.

Bacheson, who founded the tournament nearly 10 years ago, says that a trip about four hours east of Pittsburgh opened his eyes to the sport.

“Back in about 2008 I had a friend that told me about the Pottstown rumble, which is a grass volleyball tournament in Pottstown, Pa.,” Bacheson said. “After going there I loved the format of it, and wanted to start something in the Pittsburgh area.”

That vision was born in 2015 for the Bethel Park and Duquesne graduate, who says volleyball has always been a big part of his life.

“The best part about this event is getting all the kids into the sport,” said Bacheson, who was a member of Bethel Park’s volleyball team from 2002-06. “I would have loved to have something like this when I was growing up as a teenager.”

The eighth annual event included divisions for players ages 11 and up, along with different brackets for varying skill levels. The first day featured a 3-on-3 style followed by a 2-on-2 competition for Saturday and 4-on-4 and 2-on-2 matches on the final day.

The top eight men’s and women’s teams split a total of $8,000.

The eight winners for the men and women were:

Women’s Pro Doubles Division

1st: Emily DeGeorge/Hannah Greene

2nd: Natalie Carr/Isabelle Hoppe

3rd/4th: Danielle McMaster/Katherine Perry Denise De Vine/Lauren Lubarski

5th-8th: Skye Eicher/Jessica Hanson, Jenna Vogen/Sophie Catalano, Lauren Kolenik/Jenna Potts, Kendall Edwards/Alex Mollohan

Men’s Pro Doubles Division

1st: David Evans/Anthony Winter

2nd: Michael Krueger/Cameron Milligan

3rd/4th: AJ Schmidt/Matthew Menosky, Coleman McDonough/Nathan Zini

5th-8th: Anthony Baronio/Quinn McCracken, Nikolas Manheim/Canyon Tuman, Avery Farabaugh/Kody Trude, Mitchell Pierson/Caleb Pierson

With the event being held at the county fairgrounds, there was lots of space for the courts, Bacheson said. The community engagement was pronounced with so many people showing up to support.

The big difference between sand and grass, Bacheson said, is that grass is easier to run on for participants who are looking to play volleyball in a non-traditional role.

After all, grass is much more common than sand in Pittsburgh.

“There are lights to go along with the enormous field, so it’s very spacious for all of our patrons,” Bacheson said.

“I think getting the city interested in the sport has built up a level of excitement that has continued for many years.”