In his 3rd season abroad in Europe, Vegas Ramblers Opposite Ryan Mather has been continuing his success from the 2021 NVA season by leading his new team Nordenskov UIF in the Danish Premier League. Previous to joining the Ramblers, Mather played in Finland in 2017/18 and Luxembourg in 2019/20. The reigning top-NVA Opposite now finds himself in Denmark, near the South-West coast in the small town of Nordenskov near the seaport town of Esbjerg. In previous years, the team has been home to other NVA Players, including previous Stunner’s Outside Hitter’s Chris Chapelle and Louis Richards and new Rambler’s addition, Setter Spencer Andrews.
Over the Christmas break, Ryan had this to say looking back on his year with Nordenskov…
“It has been a bit of a change coming from Los Angeles to Nordenskov. There are over 600 people that live in the town, which is a cool experience for me. Living in the middle of nowhere rather than a big metropolitan city in Southern California. That’s why I love playing overseas, one, the volleyball is awesome, but two, experiencing towns and areas I wouldn’t normally visit. It’s been a great time so far, and I’m excited to get into the 2nd half of the season” stated Mather.
So far this season, Ryan has led the league as the top scorer, currently leading the rankings in points per set ratio at 5.6 (235/42). Mather also led the league for the entire first half of the season as the top player in total points, just falling behind by 5 points as this article was being written, to last year’s top opposite, Varming Sigurd Neltoft. Varming managed to snag the lead, having played one more game than Mather since coming back from the break. Mather is still a top-ten player in other statistical categories as well, ranked; 5th for aces per set (17/42), 7th in attack efficiency (51%, 205/399), and 8th in total aces at 17, and can quickly retake the lead during his next match.
Nordenskov UIF will certainly need Ryan to maintain his form as they push to move up from 8th place and secure a better seed for the finals. There is plenty of volleyball left in the second half of the season and plenty of chances to catch Mather in action. You can show your support by watching matches live on Volleyball Denmark’s website by following the link below. Their next game is against the 7th place team DHV Odense on January 29th, 2022, at 2pm CET and 5am PST. Also, be sure to go give Ryan Mather (@rmather10) a follow on Instagram to get a behind-the-scenes look at his time in Nordenskov!
Volley Denmark Live Stream and Statistics Website
https://dvbf-web.dataproject.com/CompetitionHome.aspx?ID=118
-NVA Staff Writer
]]>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
]]>Two of the Ramblers top players were able to land contracts in Europe for the upcoming 2020-21 season, where they will be playing until they return to, once again, put on a Rambler’s jersey in 2021. Setter, Michael Keegan (IPFW) from San Diego will be playing for Arcada Galati in Romania’s top division, while libero, Ryan Manoogian will be taking his talents to Raision Loimu in Finland’s top league. The pair will be departing overseas in the next couple of months and look to spend the next 6-8 months competing at a high level and refining their craft. Manoogian will be returning to Finland where he played volleyball last year, while Keegan will be pursuing his first venture overseas. It is a common practice for NVA players to play both overseas and here domestically. It allows for players to play year-round volleyball competitively, as the seasons have little overlap.
Manoogian and Keegan were both training with the Southern California faction of the Ramblers up until the COVID pandemic put everything on hold. These two were working hard, building chemistry, and looking to be a major part of the team for the 2020 season. While this was unable to become a reality, they look to continue their careers overseas. Keegan is excited at the prospect of his new opportunity. “(Playing in Europe) has been my goal since I started playing volleyball, and I kept that in mind at every workout and practice” he said in a statement. While Keegan is realizing his volleyball dreams, Manoogian is taking his to the next level. “I am looking forward to going back to Finland’ he stated, “Last season I played well, and I am looking forward to playing in the Finnish volleyball league again because I believe it’s a great league for development for when I attempt to take the ladder to the next step, playing in France and Germany.” While these young athletes may be at different points in their international careers, they both bring a lot to the table for the Ramblers. The team looks to hold on to these guys moving forward into 2021, and they will certainly be keeping an eye on their development overseas.
Follow along for updates on these guys and more on Ramblers social media.
]]>The Las Vegas Ramblers have announced their core roster for their inaugural 2020 season in the National Volleyball Association, which will begin competition in April. After holding tryouts in the valley in December 2019, and recruiting around the nation, the Ramblers have signed 14 players of their maximum 20-man roster allotted by the NVA for 2020. A lot of thought has gone into these decisions by Ramblers management, and they seem excited at what they have thus far. Team owner Vinny Rodriguez said in a statement, “We wanted to start with the best that Vegas has to offer in terms of volleyball talent. With that core established, we wanted to build another part of the team to train in Southern California, to reinforce that core with the talent that this region offers.” he said. Rodriguez, who has roots in Las Vegas, but played in Southern California, knows the importance of drawing from different areas to compile a legitimate contender. The team is as follows:
Setters: Tanner Maxwell (Grand Canyon), Michael Keegan (IPFW)
Outside Hitters: Sam Holt (CSUN), Gino Gamboa (UC Santa Cruz), Max Osmundson (Hope Int’l), Antonio Boucher (LBCC), Nick England (UCI Club)
Opposites: Quinn Peterson (Juniata), Vinny Rodriguez (Concordia University-Irvine)
Middles: Antwain Aguillard (Long Beach State), Josh Duarte (Concordia University-Irvine), Mark Lane (Golden West College)
Liberos: Ryan Manoogian (Long Beach State), Trevor Robinson (Holy Names)
The team features players with varying levels of experience. There are some guys with high-level college volleyball experience, overseas experience, and even minor stints with the national team. There are also some members of that team lacking that high-level experience. It will be interesting to see how this core group comes together and fares against some tough NVA competition, especially considering they don’t all train in the same city.
“We love that we have a diverse mix of guys. We have youth, experience, high-level, guys hungry for high-level action, and everything in-between” said Rodriguez, “I think this is what the Ramblers were always supposed to be about, and the fact that we team/training is split between Southern California and Las Vegas only adds to that idea. We will all be fired up to compete this season!”
The Ramblers management has expressed heavy interest in signing more players to that core roster before the league deadline. A majority of that interest aimed at college seniors as they finish up their collegiate careers this Spring. It will be interesting to see who is added to this core roster in the next couple of months. Be sure to follow along on Ramblers social media as well as the NVA app.
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