Of the four playoff matches on Friday, July 9th, this will be the best and most competitive one to watch. Both teams have experienced a tremendous amount of adversity and growth this season.
Tyrants are among the newest teams in the NVA and unequivocally made tremendous improvements in their performance on the court during the 2021 season. The Tyrants started the season with a 1-2 record but quickly improved thanks to Coach Mauro Grasso. Coach Grasso quickly helped the Tyrants find their identity and convinced his players to buy into a system that allowed them to end the season with a 7-2 record.
The Tyrants are not one of the biggest teams, but they are physical and play tenacious defense. Although they mainly relied on Gianluca Grasso to lead their offense at the beginning of the year, Coach Grasso discovered a way for the team to build confidence in the other Tyrants’ players. The Tyrants found ways to play better defense and found other players to step up and score points. As the season progressed, Anthony Robinson, Tim Johnson, Austen Lovett, Ryan Maune, and Daniel Jacobs took the load off of Grasso. The team has done well to share the wealth with their hybrid subbing system. Both setters, Gabriel Quinones and Isaiah Acfalle, have given the Tyrant’s opposite hitters and middle blockers a dynamic role in helping the Tyrants finish the season with a 5-match winning streak and 7-2 record.
The Stunners is the other NVA team that started the season 0-3 and made the playoffs. Their winless start had more to do with a lack of players and injuries than lack of performance. Joey Jarvis arrived late and a little bit out of playing condition from COVID lockdowns in Canada, so he was not in top form. Stunners also didn’t have a libero available as Matt Hilling stepped into the position in their first match. In the second match, setter Spencer Andrew injured his groin on the last play of their loss to the Tyrants. Without a backup setter, the Stunners assigned Hilling again to play setter in their third match. On top of his regular position as an outside hitter, it was the third different position that Hilling played in the three losses.
Before the New Jersey event, the Stunners added four quality players to their roster: Setters Nikola Dmitruevic and Roberto Ramirez, outside hitter Corey Chavers and libero, Josh Ayzenberg. All four made an immediate impact as the Stunners won the next two out of three matches in Atlantic City. They then managed to return home to close out the season with three consecutive wins and a 5-4 record to finish in third place of the National Conference.
The Stunners have one of the tallest, most prominent, and deepest rosters in the NVA. On top of that, one of the best liberos in the league with Ayzenberg and his backup, Jake Hurwitz. Stunners are deep in every position. At the outside hitter position, the team has Joey Jarvis, Corey Chavers, Matt Hilling, and Antonio Anguizola. The Stunners are four deep at the middle block with Nick Amado, Nick West, Shayne Beamer, and Kevin Gear. Although the Stunners only have one solid Opposite in Jair Sanchez-Santiago, Hilling has proven to be an excellent backup for Santiago.
Prediction. Although the Tyrants did defeat the Stunners early this year, 3-1, this Stunners’ team is much improved, more solid, and playing with more confidence. One advantage the Tyrants have over the Stunners is Coach Grasso, who has a wealth of international coaching experience and deserves to be another candidate for Coach of the Year. But to chalk up a win, the Tyrants will need more offense from their middle blockers Austen Lovett and Ryan Maune. The Tyrants will also need to side out well and limit the number of points the Stunner’s potent offense will make on transition plays.
The Stunners’ have one of the best offenses in the NVA. They are lead by Joey Jarvis, one of the best and most consistent outside hitters who find all kinds of ways to score points. Corey Chavers has proven to be one of the hardest hitters in the league. Middle blockers Nick Amado and Nick West are aggressive and physical hitters. And defensively, the Stunners have one of the best liberos and a formidable blocking team with Amado and West. The Stunners are also an aggressive serving team as West and Chavers are lighting up the league with powerful jump serves.
However, the Stunners do also have one caveat to overcome that has haunted them all season. They’ve committed long runs of errors in every set played with as many as four in a row. Because of this, the Stunners have played from behind in many matches and have easily given up leads.
There is also potential that the Stunners’ will be missing Opposite Jair Sanchez-Santiago in the playoffs as he returns home to train at the Puerto Rico National Team. The Stunners and NVA wish him the best of luck and hope the Puerto Rico National Team will add him to their roster. But if so, the team will likely look to Matt Hilling again to fill in the holes.
Although this is a coin flip, the Stunners should win in three or four sets. But the Tyrants’ tenacity and never-give-up mentality might string it out to a fifth set. Stunners 3, Tyrants 2.
The next playoff match prediction will be the Team Freedom #2 Seed in National Conference versus the Stingers #3 Seed in American Conference at 4:00 pm. To find more articles about the Texas Tyrant’s and the OC Stunner’s regular season, check out their news section at the bottom of their team websites.
“Volley On With the NVA!”
NVA Staff Writer
]]>The OC Stunners have just announced that they have signed Long Island native, Josh Ayzenberg for the remainder of the season. Josh is an excellent libero that holds a lot of traits that fits the Stunners fast and big style of play. Josh already has an excellent track record for performing, he played for four years at Sacred Heart University where he led his team in passing percentage and digs and was selected as a two time All-American. Since then he has continued playing at an elite level, first with Maccabi, a team based out of Israel, and then for Savo Volley in Finland. He then went on to play in the USA NORCECA championships alongside Stunners Corey Chavers and Nick Amado. Once finished with that, he signed back with Maccabi Tel Aviv winning both the league cup and the league championship, so it is fair to say that he is no stranger to winning. When asked about Josh, Nick Amado, team captain stated that “Josh is going to be a perfect fit for our team, he brings an energy and knowledge to the game that is only achieved through playing high level volleyball, which is what we need right now.” His former teammate, and now current teammate, Corey Chavers said “I love playing with Josh because I have the confidence that any seam or space I leave on the court will be covered. He is just that good. Plus his energy is always fun to try and match.”
So what exactly does the signing of Josh mean for the Stunners? Well the Stunners already lead the league in perfect passes with a 91.33%, but still fell short when it came down to the April tournament. The signing of Josh can be seen as an extra insurance defensively, as the Stunners lack a consistent block. Anything that the Stunners don’t block, will now be effectively dealt with by Josh in the back row. Watch Josh and the Stunners battle out this weekend, the 28th-30th against the Las Vegas Ramblers, Utah Stingers, and the Dallas Tornadoes in Atlantic City, New Jersey!
]]>The Orange County Stunners pride themselves on showing the full depth and diversity that volleyball has to offer on the Golden Coast. But to pull in such great talent from the area, some players find themselves making almost two-hour commutes to make it to training sessions. One such player on the roster is 6’6″ Middle Blocker, Shayne Beamer (UCSD), who has always pushed the limits of insanity to make sure he is in the gym with the team. Since playing with the Stunners, Shayne has lived in the Inland Empire, San Diego, and San Francisco, driving from SD to Costa Mesa on weeknights and taking weekend trips from SF just for volleyball.
Originally from Burbank, CA, the Valley Kid grew up on the edge of Los Angeles where he could take hikes from the old Los Angeles Zoo, over Warner Brothers Studios, and the backside of the Hollywood sign. The only member of his family of farmers to originate from California, his parents moved from Ohio to pursue his father’s acting career.
(Check out IMDb on Layne Beamer; https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0063736/).
Before getting into volleyball, Shayne played soccer for six years. He dabbled in fencing and archery, as well, before he knew it was time to find a new sport as he continued to grow in size.
“I knew I sucked at basketball, and I couldn’t stop fouling on every possession. Thankfully I was sitting next to my friend who played volleyball when signing up for high school classes. Then with that, the next twelve years of my life were set in stone” said Beamer.
Playing at John Burroughs High, Shayne credits his success and work ethic to his coach Joel Brinton who has won the league championship every year since 2010. From JBHS, Shayne was the first player to go straight to a Division 1 program for volleyball, becoming a starting player the next four years at UC San Diego. There he double majored in Socio-Cultural Anthropology and Global Health, committing himself to understand the complexities of mental illness and improving access to care worldwide. Knowing he would need experience abroad to complete such a task, Shayne let volleyball guide his way, following the sport he loved and gaining career experience along the way.
Since UCSD, Shayne has played in the New Zealand Club Nationals with the Wellington Capital Wolves while studying and working in the city’s emergency department. He’s also received his master’s in Psychology while playing at Northumbria University of Newcastle, playing in both the British University and Professional league. Then, when COVID-19 caused him to lose a job with Kaiser Permanente, he took the opportunity to play overseas in Denmark’s first division. Although Shayne is still unsure if he will return to Denmark for next season, you can expect him back with the Stunners this Spring to compete for the NVA Championship!
Beamer explained, “I feel that the NVA is going to go far. It seems like all the best players, coaches, and staff are all drawn to the league. The Stunners has been so meaningful for me as a stepping stone to all of my life’s journeys. I can’t wait to be able to keep playing professional volleyball for years to come on home soil.”
To stay up to date with Shayne as he heads into the postseason with Middelfart Volleyballklub, check out the link for Denmark’s Volley TV:https://www.volleytv.dk/
Also, be sure to go and give both the Stunners (@stunnersnvausa) and Shayne (@slimmshayney) a follow on Instagram. And if you haven’t already, check out this week’s NVA episode of “Quest for the Cup” as it covers the Stunners’ daily lives and training sessions (@NVAUSA).
]]>Arguably one of the most tenacious middle blockers in the NVA, Nick Amado is known for his ability to give 110% of his energy to every play he makes. His presence on the court during the 2020 NVA Showcase helped make the OC Stunners an unstoppable force throughout the entire tournament, earning him all-tournament team honors. Although the Stunners didn’t clinch the championship, falling in the finals to the Utah Stingers who were led by Russell Holmes and Jake Langlois, Nick is no stranger to unforgettable MVP finals performances.
During his time as a starter for Cal State Long Beach, Amado took home two back to back national championships against two powerhouses, UCLA (2018) and the University of Hawaii (2019). Although not one of the three frequently mentioned players (DeFalco, Ensing, and Tuaniga), Amado was an absolute catalyst in both of LB State’s title runs. It was always evident how he was driving the team’s focus and determination. Against UCLA, Nick scored the final attack to finish the grueling five-setter and demonstrated a feverish performance at the net, seemingly getting a touch on every block. You can catch both of these memorable matches on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgxS8JLBVN0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9DztB6pi0s
Born and raised in Aliso Viejo, CA, Nick attended Aliso Niguel High School. Growing up in Southern California, he enjoyed other hobbies such as playing disc golf and snowboarding. From high school, Nick attended Orange Coast College, following in the footsteps of so many other great players in Southern California. In reality, Nick’s progression is the perfect testament to the benefits of Junior Colleges. Being able to spend more time developing as a player before playing entering Division 1 put him a step above all the younger players. As an All-American and part of the All Big-West Team, his accolades make it more evident that going straight to a four-year institution isn’t always the best path for players to take.
“Some of the most influential people in my life are Travis Turner (OCC) and Alan Knipe (LBSU), who were both coaches I had and were instrumental in making me not only the volleyball player I am today but also the man I am today” Amado stated.
Nick has continued to grow and excel as a player, getting the chance to train with the USA National Team over the summer of 2019. The squad went on to take the Silver medal in the NORCECA Champions Cup that summer. Later on, for his 2019/2020 season, Nick traveled to Spain, playing with Unicaja Costa de Almeria, and won silver in both the League Cup and Supercup Tournament. He hoped to continue his success after signing a contract to play in Finland until COVID dashed his plans, keeping him back on home soil with the NVA. Outside of his time working hard in the Stunners gym, Nick worked hard to grow 4-man beach volleyball in Southern California. During his free time playing down at the beaches of Corona Del Mar, you can usually find him with other big names like Iranian National Setter Saeid Marouf.
“I love the fact that America is finally getting the indoor league it deserves. Volleyball has grown exponentially over the past ten years and is one of the fastest-growing men’s sports, both for youth and collegiately. It also gives the volleyball players here in America an avenue of professional playing, without the stresses of going overseas to play, which is nice!” said Amado.
The 2021 season will soon be starting, and the Stunners are sure to do big things with Nick Amado in the front row! Make sure to follow the team (@stunnersnvausa) and Nick (@namado25) and give them some love on their posts! Also, check out the team website to see more about Nick and what’s going on with all the team’s players (stunners.nvausa.com).
]]>The two-time NCAA National Champion, Nick Amado (@namado25), will extend his professional career and sign the offer to journey across the Atlantic ocean to another season abroad. He will be heading to Finland where the nights are long and the saunas are hot to play for Raison Loimu in the city of Turku. Finland is a world famous volleyball country and a great league for players to build their reputation with aspirations of advancing to more developed, higher paying leagues in countries like Italy and France.
Nick will spend his days soaking as much California sunshine as possible before he leaves due to Finland’s long nights and short days. He has been training extremely hard and lifting heavy, leaning on the virtual support and socially distanced guidance from the NVA trainer and staff. He will be accompanied by fellow NVA athlete and Las Vegas Ramblers libero, Ryan Manoogian, who will play on the same team as Nick. These athletes will return in April, bigger and better, to another season of NVA action. We wish Nick the best of luck in Finland and hope they win playoffs and return home in good health. GO NICK!
]]>Iam going to Raison Loimu in Finland. My leave date is supposed to be at the end of august but due to the ongoing situation it can change. I am super excited though because the team is great, the city is beautiful and I get to play with a good friend of mine who also plays in the NVA, Ryan Manoogian (Las Vegas Ramblers). So I’m super excited! – Nick Amado