This week’s biggest news in volleyball came from the historic conclusion of the 2021 North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Championship. There the Puerto Rican Men’s National Team took home their first NORCECA title. The team’s first gold medal has also given them an automatic bid into Russia’s 2022 FIVB World Championships.
The event also saw a momentous run from the Mexican national team taking home their third bronze medal, showing the program’s growth. The Canadian men took home second, losing to Puerto Rico, and the USA took 5th.
BYU Alumni Opposite hitter Gabriel García was the kill leader for the championship match with 11 points, 10 kills, and one ace. While Cal Baptist alumni, Arturo Iglesias, was selected as MVP for his performance as the team’s leading setter. The competing teams also had a great supporting cast of players from the NVA, with LA Blaze, Vegas Ramblers, OC Stunners, IE Matadors, and Southern Exposure being represented.
“This win feels great since Puerto Rico has never won a NORCECA championship ever on the men’s side. Achieving gold with a very young group is a great satisfaction for everyone involved as well for me personally.” – Kevin Lopez.
Lopez represented the Vegas Ramblers as he and Jair Santiago (Stunners), Pedro Nieves (Blaze), Jonathan Rodriguez (Blaze), and Ismael Alomar (Matadors) led Puerto Rico to win the championship. This has been Kevin’s 5th appearance with the Puerto Rican national team on the world stage. The gold medal has become his second in international competition, adding to his 2017 Pan American Cup silver medal.
From the moment the 2021 NVA ended, Kevin was back in Puerto Rico, taking no time off to pursue his objective of qualifying Puerto Rico for the 2022 World Championships.
“This experience has been fantastic. We maintained an impressive level of work in training as well as staying together outside the gym. When the tournament was coming, all of us understood the commitment we needed for this tournament. None of us were playing for ourselves but as a group. I think that was the reason why we made history.” – Kevin Lopez.
The Ramblers will be eager to have Kevin Lopez back next season as this added championship experience will be vital in helping to secure Vegas’ first NVA Title in 2022. If you haven’t done so yet, go give Kevin Lopez (@kevoo_lopez), and the Ramblers (@ramblersnvausa) a follow on Instagram to stay up to date with Kevin’s during the next. Also, be sure to follow the link below to watch the gold medal match of the 2021 NORCECA Championship Event!
NORCECA Main Website
Championship Final: Puerto Rico vs Canada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ9X9g1UYJI
“Volley On With the NVA!”
– NVA Staff Writer
]]>After steamrolling through the regular season and efficiently handling the reigning champions, the Utah Stingers, in a 3-0 upset in the Semi-Finals, the Ramblers had their championship dreams cut short by the OC Stunners in the finals. Still, the team has been able to walk away with their heads held high as they take home the silver medal in only their second year of competition. Making huge strides from their first competition during the 2020 NVA November Showcase, where they took the bronze, it seems the sky is truly the limit for the Vegas Squad.
Their success has come even after losing outside hitters Kendall Ratter and Gianluca Grasso to the Texas Tyrants. The two were both pivotal in the team’s success in Salt Lake City, Utah. However, with the 2021 best outside hitter Brandon Rattray and best setter Michael Keegan and returning opposite Ryan Mather and middle Antwain Aguillard, the Ramblers made an even stronger showing in this year’s finals. Even with injuries and unavoidable absences for some of their other core players, the Rambling Men pulled out a stellar performance.
“I was super proud of how our guys competed, and I think it was a huge learning opportunity for so many of our younger guys. Most of our roster are 26 or younger and have not yet competed in gritty matches as we had for the final. Alternatively, the Stunners are built for those matches, so I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue getting our guy’s experience playing against teams like that in playoff situations.
We have no plans for stopping now; we took 3rd in 2020, 2nd in 2021, so we want that 1st in 2022. We have a great core squad but are always looking for any advantage we can create on the court or through other support for the team off of it.”
The Ramblers organization has shown that they are filled with passion for the sport of volleyball and are dedicated to pursuing success both for their team and the NVA. Both Nick England and Owner Vinny Rodriguez have shown great promise for this team and are eager to push their players further next season.
“While he had a couple of bumps in the road, this team was able to finish the regular season with the best overall record in the NVA and came up one match short of a Gold Medal. We also made excellent progress off-the-court this season by securing sponsors, selling merchandise, and developing overall branding.
While we are stoked at the direction this team is going, we are still always looking to grow and improve. To make this dream a reality, we rely heavily on our players, staff, and fans. This team and organization is nothing without the remarkable group of players we have on our roster and our VP Nick England. These guys all work so hard and sacrifice immensely to keep this train moving. We are hoping 2022 can be another benchmark year for the Ramblers and the NVA as a whole!”
To watch a replay of the NVA Finals where the Las Vegas Ramblers took on the OC Stunners for gold, follow the link for YouTube below. Also, stay updated on the Ramblers (@ramblersnvausa) this off-season by following them on Instagram and the NVA (@nvausa) to find highlights of the 2021 season!
2021 NVA Championship Final: Las Vegas Ramblers vs OC Stunners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YEIHO1virQ&t=7181s
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Stingers took an early 5-point lead with an even spread of the offense by #4 Leo Durkin. On top of getting a kill himself, Leo put his team to work with #24 Alex Shmelev, #15 Inovel Romero, #10 Jake Langlois, and #9 Jorge Mencia scoring by 13-8. The Ramblers were led early in the game with kills by #20 Brandon Rattray, #2 Sean Dennis, #15 Kevin Lopez, and an early blocking presence by #11 Antwain Aguillard. After Ramblers tied the score by setting up the middle lane with Dennis, Rattray was able to ramp up his offensive performance with consecutive kills to give the Ramblers a 2-point lead at 17-15. Stingers only scored three more points the rest of the set on a kill by Mencia and two unforced errors by the Ramblers, all while committing four hitting errors themselves. The Ramblers closed out the set on kills by Aguillard, Lopez, Rattray and Mather; 25-18.
Set number two, the Ramblers won the first point from a Stingers’ service error and ran with the lead from there. The Ramblers’ slowly increased their lead on kills by all their hitters with Rattray, Mather, Lopez, Aguillard, and a dump by setter #8 Michael Keegan putting them 10-5. Stingers played from behind the entire set and only managed to cut the deficit to one point. But each time, the Ramblers bounced back to increase their lead back to two or three points. While the Stingers continued to score on the pins with kills by Langlois, Romero, and Mencia, the Ramblers couldn’t seem to go wrong as Rattray and Mather found every hole in the block. After the Stingers scored on a Ramblers’ hitting error at 20-19, Rattray had a service run that included two back row kills and a service ace for a 23-19 lead. The set ended with a statement from the middle with a kill by Dennis for a 25-20 Ramblers’ win.
For set three, the Stingers got off to a good start taking an early lead with two kills by Mencia and a Ramblers’ hitting error. But after the Ramblers tied the score at 5-5 from a powerful cross-court kill by Lopez, they scored three consecutive points as the Stingers couldn’t prevent their own errors or stop Rattray and Mather from going on a field day at the net. The Stingers retook the lead at 11-11 after a kill by Langlois, but the Ramblers took the lead back to 14-12 as the Stingers defense was helpless to stop consecutive kills by Mather and Lopez. At this point, Stingers Coach Mike Daniel was desperate to find a solution subbing in #11 Setter Hamilton Day and Outside #8 Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga for Durkin and Romero. However, the changes were too late as Mather played some of his best volleyball ever since, struggling to find his rhythm in the regular season. With a service ace and two kills, Mather pushed the most significant lead thus far at 23-15. The Stingers scored one more point on a kill by Fa’agata, doing his absolute best to keep any hope of winning alive. Despite Storm’s heroic effort, the Ramblers won the match with kills from the Ramblers’ newest player, Lopez, and veteran middle Aguillard 25-16.
Follow the link to watch the full match on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VlfwAzpCog
Match Statistics
Ramblers:
#20 Brandon Rattray – 17 Points (14 Kills, 3 Aces)
#14 Ryan Mather – 12 Points (9 Kills, 3 Blocks)
#11 Antwain Aguillard – 5 Points (4 Kills, 1 Block)
#2 Sean Dennis – 5 Points (4 Kills, 1 Block)
#15 Kevin Lopez – 7 Points (7 Kills)
Stingers:
#15 Inovel Romero – 9 Points (9 Kills)
#10 Jake Langlois – 9 Points (8 Kills, 1 Ace)
#9 Jorge Mencia – 9 Points (7 Kills, 1 Ace, 1 Block)
#4 Leo Durkin – 3 Points (2 Kills, 1 Ace)
#8 Alex Shmelev – 3 Points (1 Kill, 1 Ace, 1 Block)
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Concluding the first event of the NVA 2021 Season, the Las Vegas Ramblers return home with an undefeated record of 3-0, only losing one set over the weekend. As any of the Ramblers will tell you, three straight days of full-length volleyball matches is a grueling physical task for any athlete to undergo. With little time to recover and still perform at their best, players need as much help as they can get to make sure they are ready to compete against the best!
The Vegas Ramblers took on the challenge this last weekend with flying colors. They can give credit to their breakout success this season to their sponsors Brein Fuel and Arriste. With BreinFuel’s CEREBRAL BEVERAGES powering the brain and Arriste’s MEDIK PERCUSSIVE MASSAGER healing the body, the team has everything they need to give their 100% on the court. The team is grateful for all the support the two companies have given us this season, and we hope our fans will love their products as well!
Not only does Arriste make the best massage gun on the market, but they also have a great selection of premium fitness equipment. From t-shirts, tanks, shorts, sweats, leggings, and hoodies to even their unique line of training equipment, their store has everything you need to get serious in the gym. Check out their full line on their website (https://www.arriste.com) and follow them on Instagram @arristeofffical.
Brein Fuel’s CEREBRAL BEVERAGES are packed with four scientifically proven blends of natural caffeine, fuel support, antioxidants, and brain boosters. With volleyball requiring fast reflexes and intense focus, BreinFuel is the best sports drink for players in the NVA! To find out more about BreinFuel’s company mission, drink ingredients, and order some yourself, check out their website (https://breinfuel.com/). Also, make sure to check out the Ramblers on Instagram @ramblersnvausa after games to see who got the team’s @breinfuel Man of the Match!
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