Set #1 – Ramblers 25, Southern Exposure 23

Ramblers score first point on a OH kill. Three Southern Exposure hitting errors and a Rambler OH kill increase the Rambler lead to 5-0. Southern Exposure scores back-to-back points on two OH kills to 5-2. Ramblers increased lead from Ramblers’ hitting errors and OH Kills to 8-3. Southern Exposure called timeout. After timeout Southern Exposure sided-out and scored son an MB block point to cut the lead to 8-6. Ramblers stretch their lead to 12-7 after a Southern Exposure hitting error and OH Kill. At 14-9 two Ramblers OH kills increase the lead to 16-9. Southern Exposure scores four points in a row from OH kills and a Rambler hitting error to cut the lead to 16-13. Ramblers called a timeout. Southern Exposure service error made it 17-13. At 19-15 Ramblers’ hitting error cuts lead to 19-16. Southern Exposure scores an ace to 20-18. Ramblers stretch their lead again back to three on a Southern Exposure hitting error 22-18. Ramblers’ hitting error cuts the lead to 23-21. Southern Exposure’s service error gave a 24-21 lead. Southern Exposure called timeout and then sided out to 24-22. Southern Exposure’s MB block point saves a set point. At 24-23 Ramblers called a timeout; and close out the set with an OH kill.

Ramblers – 3 Aces, 10 Kills, 12 Opponent Errors; 88% Reception and 42% Hitting.

Southern Exposure – 1 Aces, 10 Kills, 1 Block Point, 11 Opponent Errors; 93% Reception and 53% Hitting.

Set #2 – Ramblers 25, Southern Exposure 15

Southern Exposure scores first point on a Ramblers’ hitting error. After Ramblers’ sided-out Southern Exposure scored on a MB block point and took a 2-1 lead.  Ramblers countered with a MB block point; and a Southern Exposure hitting error increased the Ramblers’ lead to 5-2. Southern Exposure rallied with two OH kills to 5-4. Ramblers increase their lead again to 8-4 after a  OH kill and Southern Exposure hitting error. At 10-6 a Rambler increase their lead again with an MB block point and OH kill to 12-6. Southern Exposure OH block point cut the Ramblers’ lead to 13-8. Ramblers add to their lead with a OH kill to 16-9. Southern Exposure called a timeout. Ramblers’ scored two more points on a OH roll kill and ace to 18-9. Souther Exposure overpass and Ramblers OH kill increased the Rambler lead again to 20-10. Souther Exposure bounced back with three OH kill in a row to 20-13. A Ramblers’ MB Block point and Southern Exposure hitting error increased the lead to 23-13. A Ramblers’ OH roll kill took them to set point 24-14. Rambler service error made it 24-15. And then the Ramblers sided-out with an OH kill to win the set.

Ramblers – 3 Aces, 13 Kills, 3 Block Points, 6 Opponent Errors; 92% Reception and 65% Hitting.

Southern Exposure – 6 Kills, 2 Block Point, 7 Opponent Errors; 76% Reception and 32% Hitting.

Set #3 – Ramblers 25, Southern Exposure 17

Southern Exposure took an early two point lead with a series of OH kills and Rambler hitting errors to 5-3. At 8-6 Ramblers’ back-to-back MB block points tied the score at 8-8. Ramblers took a two point lead with two OH kills to 11-9. Southern Exposure called a timeout and sided-out. At 12-10 Southern Exposure scored on a OH kill and ace and tied to 12-12. Ramblers sided out, then followed with a service ace and OH kill to increase their lead to 15-12. Ramblers killed their run with a service error to 15-13. A Ramblers’ MB block point increased their lead to four at 18-14. At 19-15 Ramblers added to their lead with a OH roll kill to 20-15. After Southern Exposure sided-out, Ramblers scored four points in a row from OH kills and Southern Exposure errors to 24-17. Ramblers closed out the set and match with an OH kill.

Ramblers – 2 Aces, 11 Kills, 3 Block Points, 9 Opponent Errors; 78% Reception and 55% Hitting.

Southern Exposure – 1 Ace, 10 Kills, 1 Block Point, 5 Opponent Errors; 91% Reception and 43% Hitting.

When creating the Las Vegas Ramblers, team owner and GM Vinny Rodriguez knew that he was going to have a unique situation – running a roster with players in both Las Vegas and Southern California. In order for the Ramblers to be successful, he would have to build a roster full of experienced and versatile players who would be able to come together and seamlessly gel as a unit. 

“I wanted to build a roster that was full of players who are not only well rounded on the court, but have a strong mental-game off the court. We need to be dynamic in order to be successful as we have a unique situation with a split roster, so finding players that can bridge that gap seamlessly will be a critical part of our team’s success,” Rodriguez stated.

The team found a key piece of their roster in Southern California native, Gino Gamboa. As a four-year veteran from UC Santa Cruz and touting 2 years of international experience playing in the UK and Denmark, Gamboa looks to be an integral part of the Ramblers squad moving forward. With ample experience as both an outside hitter and as a right side, Gino is a student of the game whose positive attitude and well-rounded playstyle makes him a threat for the young Ramblers roster. He recalls “My Junior year my coach comes up to me and is like ‘hey we want to try you on the right side but have you be a passing oppo’.” It would not be a starting spot, but Gamboa knew the doors that it could open, “We didn’t have a backup right side; or a solid one like say if he got hurt” so when his coach asked if he was interested, it was of course a resounding “Yes!”. 

“Those kind of skills are a necessity for this team” Rodriguez noted, “that’s the exact mentality I need from my players”

When watching Gino, the most impressive part about his game is not just the explosive back row presence, but his mental aptitude and energy on the court. He is a highly motivated and energetic player that is driven by his passion to continue learning the game and pursue being one of the best. 

A large ankle Injury at the end of his NCAA career may have left a bit of a sour taste in his mouth, but the NVA and the Las Vegas Ramblers are making sure to provide a perfect stage for Gino to return to the spotlight and make his mark.

Nick England can certainly be considered a veteran player for the NVA. First playing for the Stunners through the 2019 season and now playing for the Ramblers, he holds opinions that are valued and have been developed through a plethora of experiences, especially regarding the league. Nick, who has been around since the beginnings of the NVA, took the time to sit down and elaborate on his thoughts containing quarantine, the Ramblers, and the upcoming season.

Q: How has quarantine been for you?

England: Quarantine has been overall fairly stressful, unfortunately. Work has been tough for me and those around me, and dealing with uncertainty on the day to day basis is never an ideal situation. Volleyball has also been my stress relief and way of staying in shape for as long as I can remember, so losing gym time on top of the added stress has also been a new obstacle to overcome. I have spent more of my free time learning about live streaming and how best to use social media to grow a brand and I am excited to continue learning more and bringing that to the NVA and the Ramblers!

Q: What are your thoughts on the upcoming season?

England: I’m so excited to continue growing volleyball. We have so much talent and so many great personalities in the space that I think we are really heading down the right path to bring professional volleyball to the US. COVID certainly made things harder, but I am very thankful for all of the hard work the NVA and teams are putting in to be sure that what we are doing is not so fragile that this off season was the end of it. Teams and players are working harder than ever to be ready to bring high level play back to volleyball fans everywhere!

Q: What are my thoughts on the Ramblers this year? Any strengths or players to mention?

England: The Ramblers are going to be an extremely exciting team to watch. After leaving the Stunners last season to help grow another team, I was nervous about what my future would hold. We are very unique in that our roster is split between Las Vegas and Southern California, so our matches will be a “meeting of the minds”. Our owner Vinny Rodriguez has worked very hard to scout players that are not only talented, but have the ability to easily mesh with other players. While there is no shortage of big names on the team to be excited about, like our middles Marty Ross, Antwain Aguillard, setter Tanner Maxwell and outside hitter Kendall Ratter, some of our younger guys are definitely going to be fun to watch develop as they see high level play- I am keeping an eye on Quinn Peterson.

Q: What are your thoughts on the potential of the NVA.

England: I played in the PVL prior to the NVA and there is such a noticeable difference in the trajectory and growth of the league. NVA will not settle for mediocrity and settle for being the same year after year. The process of growing a league is a slow one: getting players, fans, teams and a final product to share with the public is not an easy thing to do. I hope volleyball fans continue to engage with the league, share in its victories and know that no major US sports leagues were born overnight. Their support is essential to what we do, and the thought of bringing pro volleyball to the US is definitely a dream worthy of pursuit! It is also extremely important to me that future generations of players are able to have a goal of playing professionally here in the US after college.

Q: What teams really stick out to you this year?

England: This is a tough one to answer! With so many new teams added, there are a lot of new faces in the league. Many teams also lost players to overseas contracts, that would have usually been state-side if COVID had not occured. What excites me so much is that each team has such well developed identities that fans will be able to find a team that fits them; whether its due to geographical location, their players, or their playstyle! Team Freedom excels with their online content and branding, Utah Stingers have a wealth of BYU players and Russ Holmes at the helm and the Stunners never fail to produce some of the best talent in the league. I may be biased but I am most excited for the Ramblers, Las Vegas does not have any direct collegiate programs to feed the team, so we have really pulled players together from all sorts of backgrounds – the USA Team, NCAA D1, 2 and 3 Schools, NAIA and Im here making sure college club teams are represented as well! Our team never says die, and putting that all together on the court is sure to really deliver for NVA fans! 

What was once the ‘wild west’ in terms of men’s volleyball even fifteen years ago, Las Vegas has become a volleyball force to be reckoned with at the youth level, nation-wide. The city has been sending multiple players each year to the college level. A large part of this success and overall growth of boy’s volleyball in the city can be attributed to Vegas United Volleyball Club. This youth club, serving boys and girls, has helped take youth volleyball in the city to the next level, moving young players onto college at a rate previously unseen in Las Vegas. This was a catalyst in the decision for the expansion Vegas Ramblers to partner with the established club, and name Club owner/director Robert Rios as Head Coach of the Ramblers in their inaugural season. Rios began running the youth club roughly ten years ago, and he has helped grow it into one of the top youth clubs in the state with their own facility to tout. This is also where the Ramblers train under Rios’s guidance.

While one other half of the Ramblers train out of Southern California, the core group of Ramblers live and train in the Vegas valley. The team is comprised of veteran’s who have been able to witness the growth of boy’s volleyball in the city, as well as younger players who were a direct beneficiary of the structure and opportunity that Vegas United has been able to provide. One veteran Rambler is Mark Lane, who has witnessed the growth first-hand. “I was apart of the first-ever Vegas United volleyball team in the summer of 2007, and to see how much it has grown since then is astounding,” he went on to say, “There are so many more opportunities for exposure in order for these kids to play at the next level, coming out of Vegas. I’m still looking for mine over a decade later with the Ramblers,” Lane said smiling. One commonality these mix of players share is the desire to bring high-level men’s volleyball to that gave them volleyball roots and wings. Be sure to check the NVA website to keep up with your favorite players and follow the Ramblers social media as the team Rambles on.

The National Volleyball Association has announced that it will host its fourth tryout for the upcoming 2020 season with the Las Vegas Ramblers, taking place in Las Vegas on December 8^th. The Ramblers are an expansion team for the league in 2020, and they are looking to create excitement in a city where men’s volleyball is growing. The team is being headed up by Las Vegas native Vinny Rodriguez, a Concordia-Irvine alum and former player/coach for the OC Stunners.

Rodriguez is hoping to utilize his experience, to bring high level volleyball to his hometown of Las Vegas. “Growing up in Vegas, I know how hungry that area is for high-level volleyball, post-high school. Some great players have come out of Vegas, and I’m hoping to tap into that talent this coming season” Rodriguez stated. The Ramblers are looking to make an immediate impact in the NVA in 2020.

Stay tuned for updates regarding the Vegas Ramblers, including their core roster being named in mid-December.