One of the biggest strengths of the NVA is the ability to allow great players, who compete professionally overseas but don’t necessarily get the opportunity to play with the national team, a chance to showcase their skills domestically. They are able to continue to grow as a player developing and fine tuning their skills year-round. One of those elite players is Ryan Manoogian, who is returning to Finland this Fall to compete for Loison Raimu and hopefully win the Finnish league.
Ryan Manoogian has a deep and impressive volleyball history, playing at Orange Coast College in 2014 where he won a state championship, and then transferring to Long Beach State where he finished his collegiate career in 2017. Since then, he has continued playing overseas in Austria, Norway, and Finland. Ryan mentioned his excitement at going back to Finland, “I am very happy that Roison Loimu picked me up this summer, as they’re a very good team and have a deep history of being one of the best teams in Finland.” He continued, “Our head coach is the Swedish national team head coach which is very exciting. We also have two Argentinian National Team players and one Finnish National Team player, so the roster is going to be super explosive.”
Although Ryan spends most of the year competing overseas, the summer is also filled with training and competing for the Las Vegas Ramblers, which is led by General Manager, Vinny Rodriguez. When asked about his experience with the Ramblers, Ryan said “I am really high-spirited playing with the Ramblers because every teammate is a team player, hungry, and always looking to evolve and take their game to the next level.” He continues to equate playing for the Ramblers to playing for a hometown, by explaining that, “Every Rambler tries their best in practice and in games because Las Vegas people are so proud of where they’re from, and although I am not from Vegas myself, I am proud to be part of such a great team.”
Finally, Ryan shared his excitement big picture, stating, “I believe the NVA looks like a really fun league to play in and I keep seeing big names joining the league” He continued, “The NVA owners seem so passionate about bringing big time volleyball here to the United States where it would thrive as a professional sport.”
Like most, Ryan misses home often but that doesn’t deter him from chasing his dream to become the best volleyball player he can become. “I want to play until I’m 40 years old! I want to continue to constantly grow and develop and push my body to the limit” He concluded with “The one thing I want in life is to not have any regrets, and volleyball will never be a regret, this is what I believe I was put on Earth to do.”
The Ramblers look forward to keeping an eye on Manoogian’s continued progression, and bring him back in as a top libero once he’s back stateside.