The NVA finished off 2021 with a bang by bringing their all-stars to the AVCA’s 40thAnniversary Convention in Columbus, Ohio! For three days, the league’s players and coaches hit the courts with some of the world’s greatest volleyball minds to help advance the sport of volleyball, educating the next generation of American coaches. The NVA had the privilege to work alongside inspirational icons such as Karch Kiraly and John Speraw as well as hosting the All-American Banquet recognizing elite players from Women’s Collegiate Volleyball.
Those who attended the All-American Banquet and the coinciding NCAA Div. 1 championship match, between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Wisconsin Badgers, witnessed some of the most extraordinary players in the history of NCAA. The game had historical precedence, with one player becoming the first-ever five-time AVCA First-Team All-American. Of course, it would be none other than the Division 1 player of the year, Wisconsin middle blocker Dana Rettke!
The NVA had the privilege of handing out the awards to the AVCA Players of the Year, and we are excited to share their names with you again! Readers can find the complete list of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team selections from each division on the AVCA website. https://www.avca.org/awards/
AVCA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
NAIA AVCA Player of the Year– Nada Meawad, Park (Missouri)
Two-Year College AVCA Player of the Year– Marian Ovalle, New Mexico Military Institute
NCCAA AVCA Player of the Year– Sydney Schwitters, University of Northwestern-St. Paul
NCAA Division III AVCA Player of the Year– Heidi Westra, Calvin University
NCAA Division II AVCA Player of the Year– Alexis Cardoza, Cal State San Bernardino
NCAA Division I AVCA Player of the Year– Dana Rettke, University of Wisconsin – Madison
For many of the NVA players present for the convention, the best moment of the event came from the Athletes Unlimited Draft, which has invited nine graduating collegiate stars to join their league. Athletes Unlimited is the only pro indoor women’s volleyball league in the U.S., which premiered last year on the CBS Sports Network! Two of the draftees, Div. 1 Player of the Year, Dana Rettke, and Nebraska’s Laura Stivrins, went head-to-head, middle on middle, in the 5-Set NCAA Championship thriller. This historic draft is the first of its kind in the U.S. to provide an immediate pipeline for the nation’s most valuable volleyball players to go straight from university to the major leagues!
Inspired by AU Sports, the NVA is preparing to eventually establish their draft, looking to bring graduating student-athletes into the fold after the NCAA Men’s Final. With another successful year at the AVCA, the NVA has done well to show attending coaches just how disciplined, determined, and hungry our athletes are. We hope that the word will continue to spread from coaches to the next generation of college players that the dream of becoming a professional volleyball athlete is just on the other side of graduation! With this much talent already on display on the women’s side, the NVA and their teams are eager to see what homegrown products come from NCAA Men’s Volleyball this summer!
-NVA Staff Writer
]]>In just under a week, the National Volleyball Association will be partnering once again with the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the 2021 AVCA Convention in Columbus, Ohio! Now, celebrating its 40th anniversary, the AVCA was formed back in 1981 by Terry Liskevych and Andy Banachowski as an advocacy group for coaches. Since their conception, the AVCA has significantly expanded, adding tons of new services and clinics, all with the same core dedication to serving volleyball coaches and the volleyball community.
From December 15th-18th, the convention halls will be jam-packed with seminars regarding coaching skills, skill development, career advancement, club management, and even sports psychology. Each educational session will be led by the country’s top NCAA Div 1, Olympic, and Club coaches, including some of the current greats with; Karch Kiraly (USA Women’s National Team), John Speraw (USA Men’s National Team), and Alan Knipe (Long Beach State), all leading their own sessions. On top of that, the event offers break-out sessions for coaches to network and reconnect with other coaches from around the nation.
The NVA is sending 16 athletes and coaches from around the league to take part in ten educational seminars as part of the on-court practice demonstrations. Utah Stingers Owner & NVA VP Russell Holmes will also present awards to the top NCAA athletes at this year’s All-American/Players of the Year Banquet. This will be the second year that the league has participated in this phenomenal event and has eagerly awaited its return since the last AVCA convention back in 2018.
There’s still time if you haven’t yet registered for the convention. You can also purchase passes on-site starting at 4 pm on Tuesday the 14th at 4 pm. However, if you cannot make it in person, you can still watch every seminar online with their Virtual Convention, including live Learning Labs created exclusively for virtual attendees, a virtual exhibit show, and Career Center. Below you’ll find links to find out more information about registering, as well as our seminar schedule for the week. If you see us there, give us a shout, we would love to talk and learn together as we all push to help foster the next generation of volleyball in the USA and grow the game!
Schedule and AVCA Links:
Thursday 12/16
– 11am – 12pm: Technical and Tactical Components that Lead to a Better Transition Game. (Dave Preston)
– 3pm – 4pm: Rethinking Feedback in a Practice Setting. (John Speraw)
– 4:15pm – 5:15pm: Controlled Variations of Live Play: How to Challenge your Starting Side to Prepare for Game Day. (Wright State Staff)
Friday 12/17
– 1:15pm – 2:15pm: Planning and Facilitating a Week of Practice Drills. (James Madison Staff)
– 2:30pm – 3:30pm: Bolstering your Attackers’ Toolkit. (Karch Kiraly)
– 3:45pm – 4:45pm: Training your Team to be Efficient Out of System. (Shannon Winzer)
Saturday 12/18
– 9am – 10am: Serve Receive with USAV Women’s National Team. (Tama Miyashiro)
– 9am – 10am: Adaptive Creativity – The importance of customizing drills to enhance & excite your players. (Eric Snyder)
– 10:15am – 11:15am: Coaching Using Story Telling – External Feedback in Action. (Jamie Morrison)
– 10:15am – 11:15am: Practice Pyramids: Growth Through the Climb. (Chad Willis)
https://avcaconvention.org/virtual-convention/
-NVA Staff Writer
]]>Ramblers setter #8 Michael Keegan wasted no time setting his top gun #20 Brandon Rattray, who had some thunderous line shot kills. After a kill by #14 Ryan Mather at 4-3, Rattray started a service run. With three service aces by Rattray, two blocks and a kill by #2 Sean Dennis, and another block from Mather gave the ramblers an 11-3 lead. While the Matadors scored on kills by #18 Gabriel Cruz and #17 Jacob Vander Beek, Ramblers increased their lead to 20-11 with kills by Mather, a service ace by Keegan, and a block by Rattray. Matadors countered with a mini-run on a kill by #4 Alvaro Ascues and blocks by Vander Beek and #2 Brett Massetti to reduce the lead to 20-15. But Matadors only managed one real point for the rest of the set on a kill by #1 setter Jesus Serrano during a transition play. Ramblers closed out the set on kills by Mather, #15 Kevin Lopez, and a Mather service ace and kill for a 25-20 win.
In set #2, a block by #11 Antwain Aguillard, a Lopez service ace, and a Mather kill put the Ramblers at a 3-0 lead. Ramblers slowly increased their lead on a block and a few kills by Rattray, a Keegan service ace for a 12-5 lead. The Matadors’ first actual score was by Cruz at 10-5. At the media timeout, the Ramblers had a 16-10 lead. Although the Matadors finally got some kills by Vander Beek and #15 Martin Petris, the Ramblers finished off the Matadors with a kill and block Rattray, a kill by Lopez, and an ace by Keegan for a 25-20 win. Of the Matadors’ 20 points, 15 were scored by the Ramblers’ hitting and service errors.
In set #3, the Matadors bounced back. They had an early lead on Ramblers’ hitting errors, responding with kills by Vander Beek, Serrano, and #9 Jorge Cabrera to put them ahead at 11-8. The Ramblers slowly chipped away at the lead with kills by Rattray and Mather and Matadors’ hitting errors, bringing the score to 13-12. The Matadors countered with kills by Petris, Cabrera, and service ace by J. Serrano and hung on to a 22–21 lead. Ramblers tied 22-22 from a Lopez block and then took the lead on a Mather ace to 23-22. After a Ramblers’ service error tied the score at 23-23, the Matadors scored the following two points on a kill by Ascues and Martin and won 25-23.
Set #4 was just as competitive as Set #3. Ramblers and Matadors battled back and forth, with the Ramblers hanging on to a one-point lead. Matadors scored with two kills by Ascues, three kills by Vander Beek, three kills by Cabrera, and two kills by Cruz. Ramblers scored on three kills by Mather, dump by Keegan, four kills by Lopez, two kills, and one service ace by Dennis, kill by Rattray, leading to a 16-15 score at the media timeout. Both teams battled hard after the timeout, but the Ramblers never relinquished the lead thanks to three kills by Rattray. After Matadors called a timeout at 21-19, Vander Beek scored on a kill to 21-20. Ramblers hung on to their lead on a kill by Lopez and Mather service ace. After the Matadors scored on an Ascues kill at 24-23, Ramblers scored the set and match point on a kill by Mather to 25-23.
Head on over to YouTube on the NVA USA page to watch the full replay of the match!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWV2uxAPw8k
Match Statistics
Vegas Ramblers:
#14 Ryan Mather – 22 Points (18 Kills. 3 Aces, 1 Block)
#20 Brandon Rattray – 22 Points (16 Kills, 3 Aces, 3 Block)
#15 Kevin Lopez – 10 Points (9 Kills, 1 Ace)
#2 Sean Dennis – 8 Points (5 Kills, 2 Blocks, 1 Ace)
Ontario Matadors:
#17 Jacob Vander Beek – 15 Points (13 Kills, 2 Blocks)
#4 Alvaro Ascues – 12 Points (12 Kills)
#9 Jorge Cabrera – 8 Points (8 Kills)
#18 Gabriel Cruz – 7 Points (5 Kills, 2 Blocks)
# 15 Martin Petris – 5 Points (4 Kills, 1 Block)
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The Ramblers finished with the best record in the NVA at 7-2. Despite their two losses, one of which was against the Dallas Tornadoes’ who were last place, this team is full of talent. The team is currently lead by Brandon Rattray, who has been the best transition player in the NVA, leading the league in kills since the beginning of the season. Now, at 143 kills averaging 6.5 a set, Brandon has almost a 40 point lead over the kill leader, Tyrant’s Gianluca Grasso. Ryan Manoogian and Ryan Mather have played a significant role in scoring points when Ramblers are out of the system by extending rallies in the back.
While the Ramblers rely on Rattray to score points, their setters have plenty of other hitters to feed. Having Kevin Lopez and Kyle Radecki on the pins and a deep middle roster with Antwain Aguillard, Sean Dennis, Mark Lane, and Josh Duarte, the Ramblers are favored to win the championship. This team also has a unique lineup that juggles three different setters in Michael Keegan, Tanner Maxwell, and Steven Duhoux, which has worked surprisingly well.
An example of the Ramblers’ potent offense was a match against Team Freedom, in which the Ramblers scored a total of 67 points compared to Team Freedom’s 42 points.
After the Ramblers defeated the Stingers 3-2 in May, they established themselves as a front runner to win the 2021 NVA Championship. Yes, they lost the next two against the Stunners and Tornadoes. However, the Ramblers could still bounce back to defeat Team Freedom and the Matadors to finish the regular season.
The Ramblers have also been injury-free all year, which is a plus because they don’t have a full bench like the Stunners or Stingers.
The Matadors had a disappointing season but managed to fill the last spot in the playoffs. All season the Matadors struggled to find a consistent lineup and never got into a rhythm on offense. They’re also one of the smaller team rosters in the league. Other NVA teams took advantage of them by matching their big guns with the undersized Matadors’ blockers.
Much of the Matadors scoring came from Mauro Issac and Carlos Serrano on the outside, plus Jacob Vander Beek and Jorge Cabrera, who shared time at Opposite.
The Matadors played good defense all year, but they struggled to score points in transition. Because they are not a good blocking team, they had to rely on their defense to create opportunities to score points. Three of the Matadors’ losses ended in 5-sets to Southern Exposure, Tyrants, and The Untouchables, getting as close as possible to having a winning record. But in all three matches Matadors’ hitting and service errors contributed to the losses.
Although the Matadors only won two matches all season, they did have a big win against Team Freedom 3-0, which showed that they could catch any team off guard if they’re aren’t ready.
Prediction: While the Matadors are lucky to be in the playoffs, their luck has run out by the very fact that they’re up against the Ramblers. The only saving grace for the Matadors is that this matchup is a repeat of the last match of the NVA season. Despite losing in three sets, the scores were close at 25-21, 25-21, and 25-22. Therefore, this is an opportunity for the Matadors to avenge that loss. To win this match, the Matadors will need to play almost perfect volleyball. They’ll also need to hope the Ramblers take them lightly and also surrender some free points from hitting errors. But the latter is not likely to happen, and the Ramblers should sweep the Matadors again. Ramblers – 3, Matadors – 0.
To find more articles about the Matadors’ and the Ramblers’ regular season, check out their news section at the bottom of their team websites.
“Volley On With the NVA!”
NVA Staff Writer
]]>Every team needs the glue to hold their teams together, whether that is through energy, effort, or communication, it is the basis of all teams and allows the team to push forward during difficult times. For the Las Vega Ramblers, one piece of glue that is always holding the team together is the starting libero, Ryan Manoogian. Ryan played a majority of his college career at Long Beach State University from the years of 2014-2017, where he would be put in as a defensive sub due to his complete disregard of his body and would give all the effort he had to make sure that ball didn’t hit the ground. Ryan then went on to boast an extensive career overseas playing for clubs in Hungary, Denmark, and Finland. Now Ryan is trying to improve his game by playing with the Ramblers, but the personal goal never interferes with the team goal as he is always pushing to make his team better.
Ryan as a libero has a main focus of passing the ball and digging the ball, which are both skills he excels at. Thanks to his ability to cover a very large amount of court quickly, he can be seen passing a majority of the court, allowing his pin hitters to focus on hitting as Ryan will cut them off and deliver a perfect pass. Ryan is currently passing 89% overall with a total of only 5 errors on the entire season. Defensively, Ryan allows his block to be at constant ease, as he consistently makes his present known with his tenacious digging ability. With all games accounted for, Ryan has a total of 63 digs on the season. Check out Ryan Manoogian and the rest of the Las Vegas Ramblers July 9th-11th as they make their attempt at the NVA Championship trophy.
]]>Finishing off all their regular-season events, the Vegas Ramblers have maintained their first-place position in the American Conference. Despite some tough losses to the So-Cal Stunners and even the 10th place Dallas Tornadoes, the Ramblers have racked up enough FIVB points to break their tie with the Texas Tyrants.
Throughout Event three, the Ramblers played with a mostly California Squad without some of their other Vegas All-Stars, such as Tanner Maxwell and Antwain Aguillard, who were a massive part of the team’s success, so far. Still, the team gained some valuable wins with Vegas middle Mark Lane and San Diego Setter Michael Keegan. As a collective unit, only Brandon Rattray and Ryan Manoogian have established their starting roles as the outside-libero duo lead the team in both kills and digs. It will be interesting to see what line-up Coaches Vinny Rodriguez and Nick England will put forward during the championship weekend.
Moving forward, the team looks set to play the Ontario Matadors, who the Ramblers quickly handled, winning 3-0 last weekend in San Bernadino. The Matadors, currently being ranked 8th in the entire conference, will need to do a lot to develop a more potent offense to go alongside their connection with setter Jesus Serrano and outside hitter Mauro Isaac.
Fans can expect to catch the championship event July 10th-11th by watching on Youtube or by coming to watch live at the Pearce Sports center in San Bernadino. Follow the links below to watch the Ramblers’ last match against the Matadors and purchase tickets for the final event of the 2021 season. Make sure to follow the Vegas Ramblers (@ramblersnvausa) and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to get match and score updates, as well as the best highlights from this season so far. I hope you can be there for all the action live!
]]>Winless Tornadoes No Longer Winless With Upset Win Over the Ramblers
Ramblers took an early one-point lead in the first set and then increased their lead to five points 14-9 thanks to a barrage of five straight kills by #20 Brandon Rattray. But the Tornadoes never gave up. After the media timeout the Tornadoes launched a comeback to tie the score at 20-20 from a combination of Ramblers’ errors and a kill by #18 Carlos Luna and #69 Steven Roschitz, three kills by #20 Felix Chapman and block by #13 Chike Opurum. Nevertheless, the Ramblers held on to their lead on 4 kills by Rattray and one by #24 MB Mark Lane. After a Tornado timeout at 23-21, they tied the score at 23-23 from a Chapman cross court kill and Ramblers’ hitting error, then took the lead at 24-23 from another Ramblers’ hitting error. Both teams traded points until 26-26. Then then the Ramblers’ won after a cross court kill by Rattray and kill by #15 Kevin Lopez 28-26.
In set number two the Ramblers took the early one-point lead. Both teams sided out well and the Tornadoes managed to tie the score several times. Ramblers scored points on kills from #14 Ryan Mather, #8 Setter Michael Keegan (dump kill), #2 MB Sean Dennis, Lopez and Rattray. Tornadoes scored on kills by #11 MB Aaron King, Luna, Chapman, Roschitz and block by Roschitz. At 15-15 Tornadoes took the lead before the media timeout on a deep angle kill by Roschitz to 16-15. Both teams exchanged leads. After Rattray scored to cut the lead to 22-21, Tornadoes called a timeout. After the timeout, Tornadoes scored on a cross court kill by Chapman and kill by Luna to lead 24-21. After a Mather block to 24-22, Tornadoes won the set 25-22 on a cross court kill by Chapman.
Tornadoes took the early lead in set number four thanks to Ramblers’ net violation and service and hitting errors. At 5-5 Tornadoes returned the favor with a run of service and hitting errors and relinquished the lead to the Ramblers at 8-7. Both teams exchanged leads until Tornadoes increased their lead 17-12 from a combination of Ramblers’ service and hitting errors and kills by Chapman, Roschitz and MB King. But the Ramblers rallied back with a scoring run from a sharp angle kill and block by Lopez, Rattray joust and sharp angle kill and tied the set 17-17. Tornadoes countered with kills by Roschitz and Chapman and block by Opurum to increase their lead to 21-17. Both teams committed service and hitting errors and Tornadoes closed out the set with a service ace by Opurum.
In set number four the Tornadoes took the early 3-point lead on a Chapman kill off the block and two Ramblers’ hitting errors. Tornadoes kept a 4-point lead until the media timeout at 16-12 on points scored by Chapman, Roschitz middle blockers King and Opurum and service ace by #5 Sean Smith. Ramblers countered with kills by Rattray, Lopez, Keegan and #21 Kyle Radecki. After the media timeout, Ramblers tried to cut the lead with a series of kills by Rattray but fell short and only cut the lead by 2 points to 20-18. Tornadoes were able to counter the Ramblers’ rally with kills by Chapman. After a Chapman service ace at 22-18, Ramblers called a timeout. A kill by Rattray and two consecutive Tornadoes’ hitting errors cut the lead to 22-21. Tornadoes followed with a Chapman kill to 23-21 and Ramblers called a timeout. After the timeout Ramblers error gave Tornadoes match point 24-21. Tornadoes’ service error gave Ramblers an opportunity to launch a comeback but lost the match on a bump setting error 25-22.
Tornadoes’ Felix Chapman and Ramblers’ Brandon Rattray lead all players with 24 kills each. Ramblers’ Kevin Lopez had 11 kills and Ryan Maune 10. And Tornadoes’ Roschitz had 9 kills.
Ramblers Out Shoot Team Freedom in 5 Sets
Both teams started off sluggish and struggled to find a rhythm in their offense. Eight of the early points were scored on hitting and service errors. Team Freedom took the early lead on kills by #12 Matt Seifert, #20 Joe Norman, and double block by #11 MB Mikheil Hoyte and Norman. Ramblers scored points on kills by #14 Ryan Mather, #15 Kevin Lopez, #24 MB Mark Lane and #20 Brandon Rattray. At 19-17 two Ramblers’ service errors and one hitting error increased Team Freedom’s lead to 4 points at 22-18. Ramblers cut the lead back to 2 points on kills by #2 MB Sean Dennis and Lopez to 22-20. At 24-21 Mather scored on a service ace to 24-22. After Team Freedom called a timeout, Norman scored on a line kill for a 25-22 Team Freedom win.
In set number two Ramblers quickly found their stride and took a 6-1 lead that started with a double block by Rattray and Lane. Followed with kills by Rattray, Lane and Mather. After Team Freedom called a timeout, Ramblers added to their lead from a Rattray bic and service ace to 9-1. Team Freedom finally scored their first clean point at 11-3 after a Norman cross court kill. For the rest of the match Team Freedom only scored 5 clean points on kills by #8 Besmir Arslani, #2 Jake Rosner, Seifert and Hoyte. Their other points came from Ramblers hitting and service errors. Ramblers cruised the rest of the set and scored on kills by Mather, Dennis, #8 Setter Michael Keegan dump, Rattray and Lopez. The set ended on a service error by Team Freedom that gave the Ramblers a 25-17 win.
Ramblers started off strong in set number three and took an early 2-0 lead on two consecutive kills by Mather. One cross court and the other a swipe off the block. Ramblers kept their two point lead until Team Freedom tied the score at 8-8 on kills from Norman, Seifert and Rosner. As the teams exchanged points, Ramblers held on to a 1-point lead until Team Freedom took the lead at 14-13 on a Norman swipe kill off the block. Team Freedom increased their lead before the media timeout on a Rosner block to 16-13. Ramblers attempted a rally on kills by Dennis, Rattray, and Lopez but never caught up withTeam Freedom. Team Freedom finished the set with 4 kills by Norman and a block by Seifert. The set ended on a Ramblers hitting error for a 25-19 Team Freedom win.
The Ramblers and Team Freedom’s hitters struggled to find the court in the beginning of set number four. Each time committed four hitting and service errors. Team Freedoms other points came on kills by Seifert, Hoyte, Arslani and block by Seifert. Ramblers scored on kills by Rattray, Lopez and Mather service ace. After an 8-8 tie consecutive scores by Mather and Rattray and then Lane and Lopez gave the Ramblers a 4-point lead at 14-10. After the media timeout at 16-12 the only Team Freedom players who scored points were Rosner and Hoyte. The rest of Team Freedom’s points were scored from Ramblers’ service and hitting errors. Throughout the set Rattray was the go-to-guy for the Ramblers. Before the media timeout he had 5 kills. After the media timeout he collected 5 more kills. The other points for the Ramblers came from Mather and Dennis, who had the final kill to end the set at 25-21.
A Ramblers’ service error gave Team Freedom the 1-0 lead. After a kill by Ramblers MB Dennis the teams exchanged points to a 4-4 tie. A Rattray kill, service ace and Team Freedom hitting error gave the Ramblers a 3-point lead. Team Freedom finally sided out on a Norman kill to 7-5. At 9-7 Ramblers scored three straight points from two Rattray kills and double block by Rattray and Dennis to increase the lead to 12-7. Team Freedom fought back and scored three straight points from Hoyte and back-to-back service aces by Norman to cut the lead to 12-10. But Norman hit his next serve out and then a Team Freedom hitting error gave the Ramblers set and match point at 14-10. Ramblers won the match on a Dennis service ace 15-10.
For the Ramblers Brandon Rattray led all players with 24 kills, followed by Ryan Mather with 15 kills and Kevin Lopez with 14 kills. Joe Norman had 21 kills for Team Freedom. Followed by Besmir Arslani with 7 kills, Miheil Hoyte with 5 kills and Matt Seifert with 4 kills. Ramblers had 6 service aces and 8 blocks. And Team Freedom 3 service aces and 6 blocks. Ramblers scored a total of 67 points to Team Freedom’s 42 points.
Ramblers Sweep Matadors in Last Match of the 2021 NVA Regular Season
Ramblers scored the first two points in the first set from a Matador service error and kill by #20 Brandon Rattray 2-0. Matadors scored their first clean point on a kill by # 9 Jorge Cabrera 3-2. Both teams traded points but Southern Exposure scored most of their points from Ramblers’ service and hitting errors. Meanwhile the Ramblers scored on kills by #2 Sean Dennis, #15 Kevin Lopez, #14 Ryan Mather and service ace by #8 setter Michael Keegan for a 9-8 lead. After a Lopez kill that gave the Ramblers a 13-11 lead, the Ramblers relinquished the lead to the Matadors 14-13 with a net call and two hitting errors. But the Ramblers took the lead back 19-18 after a Matadors’ hitting error. #12 Mauro Issac tied the score on a cross court kill. Ramblers scored the next three points on kills by Lopez and Rattray and Matadors hitting error to 23-20. Ramblers committed a service error to 23-21. And then won the set on back-to-back kills by Rattray 25-21.
Set number two was a mirror image of set number one with the Ramblers again taking an early lead on kills by Rattray, Mather and Lopez for a 6-5 lead. Matadors scored on two Ramblers’ service errors and kills by Cabrera and Issac. After a Rattray kill at 9-9, Matadors took the lead on a kill by #13 Carlos Serrano 11-10 and then increased their lead to 15-12 after a kill by Cabrera and block by Issac and #2 MB Brett Massetti. After the media timeout at 16-14, a Dennis block cut the lead to 16-15. Matadors answered with a kill by Cabrera. Then the Ramblers tied the score 17-17 on kills by Mather and Rattray. Ramblers tied the set again at 19-19 on another Rattray kill and then took a three point lead on a block by Lopez, Matadors’ hitting error and Rattray kill 22-19. Matadors scored their last point on a kill by Issac to 24-21. And the Ramblers won the set on a kill by Dennis 25-21.
In set number three the Matadors scored the first point from #6 Diego Bustos. Ramblers countered with their first point from a Rattray kill for a 1-1 score. Matadors hung on to a 1 point lead on a block by #17 Jacob Vander Beek, kills by Vanderbeek and Issac. At 6-6 Ramblers took the lead on a dump kill by setter Keegan 7-6. Ramblers increased their lead to 15-12 on consecutive kills by Lopez, Dennis and Rattray. Then added to their lead on another mini run with kills by Mather, Dennis and Rattray to 18-13. Matadors cut the lead to 23-21 with a run of points that started with a Vander Beek kill, two C. Serrano service aces and an Issac kill. Matadors surrendered the next point to the Ramblers on a service error. On the next point Matadors scored on a block by #18 Gabriel Cruz to 24-22. Ramblers won the set and match on the next point from a Mather kill 25-22.
Brandon Rattray led all players with 18 kills, followed by Ryan Mather 10 kills and Kevin Lopez 9 kills. Ontario Matadors were led by Mauro Issac with 8 kills, Jorge Cabrera 6 kills, Carlos Serrano 5 kills and Jesus Serrano, Brett Massetti, Jacob Vander Beek and Gabriel Cruz with 2 kills each. Ramblers also scored on 2 service aces and 2 blocks. And Matadors on 4 service aces and 5 blocks.
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Game 2, Las Vegas Ramblers V.S Utah Stingers
Set 1
Set 1 started off with both Ramblers and Stingers trading blows, first with a huge kill by Brandon Rattray, followed by a massive bounce by Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga. The Ramblers took a nice lead of 8-5 going into the technical timeout. The Ramblers then started to roll with momentum with kills from Kevin Lopez, aces from Ryan Mather and Brandon Rattray, and a block from Ryan Mather, which gave the Ramblers a nice 17-8 lead forcing the Stingers to use a timeout. The Stingers then started to chip away with kills by Jorge Mencia, Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga, and a block from Leo Durkin, coupled with some Rambler errors allowing the Stingers to force a Rambler timeout at 20-17 with the Ramblers leading. Kills by Tanner Maxwell and Brandon Rattray allowed the Ramblers to separate, score 22-17. Kills by Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga and Jorge Mencia closed the lead a little more, but it was not enough as the Ramblers won 25-23.
Set 2
Set 2 started off with both teams making consistent errors until a massive block by U15 gave the Stingers a two point lead. A missed serve by Corey Metclaff and a kill by Kevin Lopez gave the Ramblers a 6-4 lead. The Ramblers were errorless as they slowly developed a four point lead by Ryan Mather, notching two kills, score 10-6. The Stingers continued to fight, with an ace from Alex Shmelev and a kill from Storm Fa’gata-Tufuga, they were able to bring the score within one until Tanner Maxwell went on a five point service run, the score was now 15-10. The Ramblers maintained their point spread throughout the rest of the match, the closest the Stingers ever got was within two points at 18-20, but committed multiple errors. Final score 25-19.
Set 3
The Stingers came out of set 3 on a mission to collect a win. The game was tied early on but a missed serve from Ryan Mather, a block from Alex Shmelev, and an ace from Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga gave the Stingers a nice three point lead going into the technical timeout, score 8-5. The Stingers then continued to roll on after the timeout with multiple kills from Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga, and a lot of missed serves from the Ramblers, the Stingers were able to snag a huge 21-13 lead. The Ramblers then went on to miss four consecutive serves and basically handed over the win to the Stingers.
Set 4
The Stingers kept their momentum going into set 4, with two blocks by Paul Clark and multiple missed serves by the Ramblers, the Stingers grabbed an early 6-1 lead. The Stingers maintain a solid lead going into mid-match that gets as big as 14-7, thanks to some blocks by Alex Shmelev and multiple kills from Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga. The Ramblers then begin a long fight back and bring the score to 19-17, this is due to kills from Brandon Rattray and three missed serves from the Stingers. The Stingers then started cleaning up their play after a timeout, and a kill and an ace from U15 sealed the deal. 24-19
Set 5
Set 5 started off being completely even, with both teams consistently exchanging sideouts until a huge block from Antwain Aguillard gave the Ramblers the momentum going into the side switch with a lead of 8-7. Once again both teams hammered away offensively with Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga notching two kills and Sean Dennis getting a kill and a block, but Brandon Rattray was the hero of the night, with two aces at the end of the match to win the game. Final Score 15-13.
Game 3: Las Vegas Ramblers v.s Orange County Stunners
Set 1
Set 1 started off heavily in the Stunners favor, as Randy Morales went back and knocked down two aces to allow the Stunners to have some early momentum. Kills by Chris Chappell’e and two from Nick Amado gave the Stunners a nice lead of 8-3 going into the technical timeout. The Stunners used the momentum coming out of the timeout as Nick Amado notched another kill, and an unfortunate error from Ryan Mathergave the Stunners a lot of leeway going into the next technical timeout at 15-9. Antwain Aguillard had a response after getting two kills but Chris Chappell’e responded with a kill and a block of his own, the score was 19-12 Stunners. The Ramblers attempted a response, but couldn’t really build momentum with kills from Brandon Rattray and Antwain Aguillard but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Stunners. Final score 25-17
Set 2
The Ramblers came into the second set a little more fired up than the first set, with multiple kills from Antwain Aguillard and Sean Dennis, and several errors from the Stunners such as a missed serve by Shayne Beamer and a missed set by Randy Morales, the Ramblers went into the technical timeout up 8-5. The Ramblers maintained a solid lead throughout the mid-match, with help from Brandon Rattray, notching two kills, and Nick Amado with two errors, they maintained a solid lead of 15-9. The Stunners then had a response, with three kills from Chris Chappell’e and a block from Randy Morales, they tied up the game at 17-17. Brandon Rattray responded with a huge kill but kills from Chris Chappell’e, Randy Morales, and Nick Amado gave the Stunners a lead of 22-20. An error by Brandon Rattray and a final kill by Chris Chappell’e gave the Stunners a win. Final score 25-22.
Set 3
Set three was a little tighter than the two previous sets, with Stunners and Ramblers both exchanging aces, one from Shayne Beamer and one from Brandon Rattray. After the ace exchange they proceeded to continuously sideout until a kill by a missed serve by Sean Dennis gave the Stunners a lead of 8-6. The Stunners then made more mistakes, as Steven Duhoux notched another ace, tying the game at 10-10. Both teams exchanged points once again until at15-15 the Ramblers went on a run accompanied by a block and a kill from Brandon Rattray. The Stunners could not keep up as Antwain Aguillard and Brandon Rattray both got two kills and two blocks, which proceeded to give them momentum for the rest of the game. Final score 25-17 Ramblers.
Set 4
Set four was similar to set three where both teams traded sideouts until a kill by Corey Chavers gave the Stunners a 8-7 lead going into the technical timeout. Coming out of the timeout Antwain Aguillard answered back with a huge kill, catching them up but a kill and an ace from Corey Chavers gave the Stunners a two point lead of 11-9. The Ramblers responded with their own energy, with a kill and an ace from Ryan Matherand a kill from Steven Duhoux, the Ramblers were able to steal the lead back at 14-12. Ryan Matherand Steven Duhoux of the Ramblers then committed two errors and a kill from Corey Chavers and an ace from Nick West tied the game up at 16-16. Both teams battled and sided out until Jair Santiago got hot with three kills and two aces from Nick Amado sealed the game 25-22 with the Stunners squeaking one out.
Game 3: Orange County Stunners V.S Utah Stingers
Set 1
The OC Stunners look to go 3-0 on the weekend after going winless at Event 1 in San Bernardino. The Utah Stingers hope to bounce back from their two losses to the Ramblers and Team Freedom which both went to five sets. Nikola Dimitrijevic established his middles early, with Shayne Beamer scoring the first three points for the Stunners. Continuing the Middle sets, Nick West added some kills and a wild ace serve while Jair Santiago got into a good rhythm to keep the Stunners in front at 10-7. The Stingers responded well with high IQ plays from Jorge Mencia and good offensive distribution and defense from setter Leo Durkin. Although a tight battle, the Stunners finished the set strong with textbook triple blocks from Corey Chavers and high efficiency from Santiago.
Set 2
Bringing Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga back into the match, the Stingers found early success. An excellent scramble dig from Romero, one-hand set from Alex Shmelev to a kill by Storm that left the Stunners rattled. But as the Stingers began to develop a lead, Santiago started to unleash meteors down the line into libero Kai Dugquem who had no fear as each swing ricocheted off his body. A powerful back-row attack by Fa’agata-Tufuga plus a massive block by Romero on Chavers pushed the Stingers to a strong lead in the final leg of the set. Two consecutive floats serve aces by Hamilton Day secured the position for the Stingers as they won the set 25-21.
Set 3
Putting in a new lineup with setter Randy Ramirez, middle Nick Amado, and opposite Dillon Emery, the Stunners hoped to change the pace and correct for their loss in the last set. The Stingers middles Shmelev and Cory Metcalf showed their diverse skillset scoring a multitude of blocks and aces. Chavers and Romero began a battle of the pins in the latter part of the set as each tried to solidify their team’s lead, but both missed their service when it counted most. With an impressive commit block by Fa’agata-Tufuga on Nick West in the middle, the Stingers continued their domination and won the set 25-22.
Set 4
Once again, making a significant lineup change, the Stunners return Joey Jarvis, Beamer, Santiago, and Dimitrijevic to the court. The players try once again to establish their team chemistry. Romero continued to be the outlet for the Stingers. At the same time, Chavers began to soar above the block, making out-of-system plays look like perfect sets. After calling a timeout with a Stingers lead of 18-14, the Stunners backcourt came to life with Joey Jarvis and Josh Ayzenberg keeping the team alive, allowing them to return and take the lead 24-22. The Stingers feeling the pressure, called a timeout and was able to tie the game again at 24-24 before their unforced errors let the Stunners win the set 27-25
Set 5
The Stingers brought their a-game to start off the final set, with Romero starting off with an ace followed by Fa’agata-Tufuga hitting some fantastic shots over and through the Stunners sizeable blocks. As a characteristic of the Stunners so far in the event, Joey Jarvis is subbed for the youngest player Antonio Anguizola after Jarvis could not get any kills so far in the set. The substitution proved to be difficult, as the cold and unprepared Anguizola quickly made the serving target and aced off the court, with the Stingers leading 11-5. With Jarvis back on the court, Santiago on the service line, and West making clean transition kills, the Stunners made an astonishing return to get two points behind at 12-14. Just when it looked like the Stunners were about to pull off the impossible, Mencia swung a deep shot to the corner past the Stunners’ defense to end the game 15-13.
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After his first season abroad playing in Lugo, Spain with Arenal Emevé, Brandon Rattray entered the 2021 NVA season with a bang becoming the league’s top scorer after the first event in San Bernadino. Showing off his international skill set and whip of an arm, Brandon racked up an impressive 62 kills over three matches, hitting 62% and averaging 6.2 kills a set. The remarkable feat was made possible by the immediate connection found with setter Michael Keegan who unleashed the beast by setting Rattray 100 times. Currently, with a whopping 24-point lead on the next kill leader in the league, it will take a miracle to take the throne from Brandon keeps producing these kinds of numbers. Rattray also unleashed a destructive spin serve, which tore down the Texas Tyrants defense as Brandon scored five aces in one game.
To catch up on all the Event 1 matches and see Brandon Rattray in action on the court, head on over to Youtube at NVA USA. Fans can also head on over the NVA News page to read a written recap of all three Rambler’s matches. Do not forget to follow Brandon (@_the_rattray_way_), the Las Vegas Ramblers (@ramblersnvausa), and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram and Facebook to get weekly updates of the team and your favorite players.
LAS VEGAS RAMBLERS FULL THREE-DAY RECAP OF APRIL NVA EVENT
https://ramblers.nvausa.com/2021/05/05/las-vegas-ramblers-full-three-day-recap-of-april-nva-event/
Arenal Emevé Home Page
]]>Around this time of year, U.S. athletes begin to compete with the NVA for the summer after completing their seasons abroad and returning home. As the Ramblers have already made their first season appearance going 3-0, it’s nice to reflect and see what impact these players have had while overseas.
Middle Blocker Antwain Aguillard played for the French team the AS Cannes back in 2017/18. He helped win the French B1 league and advanced to the premier A1 division the following season. Two years later, AS Cannes won the French A league with the U.S. National Team middle blocker Taylor Averill leading the charge. Check out the following link to read more about the club’s historical growth and development and Averill’s season!
https://www.ascannesvolley.com/renversant-les-dragons-champions-de-france/
Setter Michael Keegan had a unique 20/21 season making a mid-season transfer from his team Arcada Galați in Romania to Saaremaa V.K. in Estonia. Although a challenging experience to go through, it gave Michael the chance to play in two countries in one year while also leaving a positive impact on the two teams. Both teams had strong finishes in their league, with Arcada taking 1st in the Romanian A1 Division and 3rd in the Cup. At the same time, Michael secured Saaremaa a 2nd place finish in the Estonian League, 3rd in the Estonian Cup, 2nd in the Baltic League, and 9th in the CEV Challenge Cup.
https://volleybox.net/saaremaa-vk-t5442/players
https://volleybox.net/arcada-galai-t3038/players
It seems that everything the rambling men touch turns to gold, with this season looking no different as the team has become a top contender for the NVA Championship this season. The team is as stacked as ever and looks ready to help bring U.S. Men’s Professional Volleyball onto the national stage!
To get weekly social media updates, you can check the Rambler’s (@ramblersnvausa) and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram and Facebook as well as their website (ramblers.nvausa.com). As always, fans can check out the NVA on YouTube to catch reruns of Rambler’s first event of 2021 and live-stream coverage of the upcoming games in Atlantic City, NJ, May 28th-30th. Until then, RAMBLE ON!
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