The NVA is proud to announce more exciting news regarding the 2022 season, including a new league structure with divisions and an all-star match! The National and American Conferences have been split into four divisions with three teams each, totaling twelve teams. The regular-season matches will now feature both interdivisional, interconference, and cross-conference play spreading across five-season events (two more than the year before). The new layout opens the door for a more competitive rankings system that utilizes your overall record and accumulated ‘NVA Points’ to determine qualification and seeding for the playoffs.

The four divisions are set as follows:

During the regular season, each team will play:

–       Two teams in their division twice

–       Three matches against the opposing division in their conference, and then

–       Three more matches against one of the divisions from the opposite conference

Altogether, each team will play ten matches, competing for the best overall record of their divisions. The team with the top record in their respective division will automatically qualify for the playoffs. The following two teams within that conference with the best overall record will also qualify for the playoffs regardless of division. Four teams from each conference will be represented in the playoffs, similar to 2021.

On top of the extended regular season, the NVA is also planning its first-ever All-Star Game! During Event 5, the NVA will bring together the top performers of the regular season to compete for an exhibition featuring some of the top talent in the world in one match!

Make sure to get all the NVA’s scheduled events down in your calendars, so you don’t miss any action this season! With new team rivalries established from last year’s competition, fans can expect big show-outs for match-ups such as Freedom vs. Stingers, Stunners vs. Tyrants, Blaze vs. Matadors, Sasquatch vs. Kraken, and Untouchables vs. Exposure. Come back to the news page and follow the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to find more info on the teams this coming season in the following weeks. Fans

should also check out the next two episodes of the Quest for the Cup series and get a first look at our two new teams, the Colorado Kraken and the Seattle Sasquatch.

–       NVA Staff Writer

The National Volleyball Association is now bigger than ever before, moving into the upcoming 2022 season, bringing you: more games, larger events, new teams, new league structure, and even greater volleyball action! During the off-season, the American and National Conferences have each split into two divisions. You will now see a Coastal and Central division within each conference. In addition, each conference has inducted a new franchise, bringing the league to a total of 12 teams, which has opened the door to a full regular-season schedule. From April to July, fans will be able to watch 60 matches with teams grinding their way through the rankings to solidify a spot in the 2022 NVA Championships! Here is the release for this year’s NVA Regular Season Event Schedule without further ado.

2022 NVA Regular Season Schedule

Event 1: April 8th – 10th

Event 2: May 6th – 8th

Event 3: May 28th – 30th

Event 4: June 17th – 19th

Event 5: July 8th – 10th

NVA Championship: August 5th-7th

Each event will feature twelve matches over three days with 4 games a day. Each team competes in two matches per event weekend, totaling ten matches throughout the season. The teams will be fighting each game to bolster their overall record and rack up NVA Points in order to win their respective division. Winning your division will automatically advance you to the playoffs.

Some of the highlight matches include…

– Saturday 04/09 @ 12:00 PM PST: Dallas Tornadoes vs. Colorado Kraken, the Tornadoes grudge match against their previous head coach and his new team, the Colorado Kraken.

– Friday 05/06 @ 9:00 AM PST: Las Vegas Ramblers vs. Utah Stingers, both of last year’s top regular-season teams who have both made the final podium two years running, will face off in this newly-formed rivalry.

– Friday 05/06 @ 12:00 PM PST: OC Stunners vs. Texas Tyrants, a rematch of their five-set, quarterfinals thriller, which is regarded as the best match of the 2021 playoffs.

– Sunday 05/30 @ 9 AM PST: Chicago Untouchables vs. Southern Exposure, a rematch of an extremely gritty quarterfinal matchup from last season that ended in a five-set Exposure win.

– Sunday 06/19 @ 6 PM PST: LA Blaze vs. Inland Empire Matadors, as they battle for dominance in this cross-town rivalry.

– Sunday 06/30 @ 9 AM PST: New Jersey Freedom vs. Seattle Sasquatch, the first matchup between the Northwest and Northeast Coast teams.

Be sure to check back in next week to delve into the ranking system that includes divisional and cross-conference play. Also, stay tuned for more information on the league’s two new teams, the Colorado Kraken and the Seattle Sasquatch! If you haven’t already, go follow the NVA on Instagram and Facebook to get weekly media updates on league developments and player stories. Fans can also jump back in and watch all of last year’s matches on YouTube and get a taste of what is to come!

Follow the link below to get a breakdown of the 2022 season and conference divisions!

https://www.nvausa.com/news/detail?id=158

-NVA Staff Writer

Now three months removed from the last NVA season, OC Stunner’s Outside Hitter Corey Chavers is finally in Switzerland, beginning his 3rd season abroad with Chênois Genève VB. After a highly successful 2021 campaign with the Stunners, helping them win the NVA Championship and earning the ‘Tournament MVP,’ Chavers took his time deciding on his next move overseas.  After months of offers and possibilities, he eventually inked his new contract, and it did not take long for his new journey to begin. Like so many other professional volleyball players who sign late contracts, he received only a single day’s notice to pack his bags and be ready to ship out so that his team could get him on the court in the hopes of an immediate impact. As Corey put it, “It’s been long overdue, but I’m glad I’ve ended up in a good spot after waiting so long to find the right team to play with!”

His arrival could not have come at a better time as his team prepares for their first match of the 2021/22 CEV Cup against the 1st place Swiss team, Lindaren Volley Amriswil. The two teams will play against each other in a best-of-three series over the next month, with their first match occurring on November 10th at 11 am PST. The winner of this series will play Neftochimik Burgas; currently, the top team in Bulgaria has competed in the CEV and Champions League for the last five years.

So far this season, Chênois Volley has experienced a rough start, failing to meet expectations after winning the Swiss League Championship last season. “Unfortunately, the team had some injuries before I got here, but now everyone is close to being at 100% once again,” Corey later shared. With plenty of the season left to go, Corey has already made his presence known, playing a crucial role in his club’s recent wins over Lausanne UC and Concordia Volley Luzern. These victories have resulted in the team’s improvement, moving from 5th to 3rd since he arrived.

Already, Corey has shown to be precisely what Chênois Volley needs this season, and their chemistry and strength as a team should only improve moving forward. “We’re already pretty solid playing together! There have been some normal misconceptions that come with new teammates, but it is nothing that can’t be ironed out in the next few weeks,” said Chavers.

Be sure to check out the Chênois Volley on Instagram (@chenoisvolley), Facebook (chenoisvolley), and their website (https://chenoisvolley.ch/) to stay up to date on their season and read more about the team’s history and sponsors. Fans can also find more information about the CEV Cup and see what other top teams will be competing. Follow the link below to see the tournament schedule! The OC Stunners wish the best of luck to our NVA 2021 MVP and cannot wait to see the experience gained after competing against the world’s best in the CEV.

https://www.cev.eu/club/cev-cup/men/

“Volley On With the NVA!”

-NVA Staff Writer

The Earth is such a massive place as the human population now reaches 7.2 billion spread out over 192 countries and thousands of cities and cultures in between. However, the volleyball world is amazingly capable of showing how small our international community can make it feel.

One prime example of this has been how three of the OC Stunners players have all found themselves competing against each other in Israel this season. Opposite Matt Hilling, Libero Josh Ayzenberg, and Outside Joey Jarvis have all secured contracts riding the wave of success from becoming the 2021 NVA Champions returning for their 6th, 4th, and 2nd seasons abroad.

Matt Hilling (@matthilling_)will be competing with MS Eilabun in Eilabun, Israel as the first American player to play for the club. He will also be joined by LA Blaze’s middle blocker Pedro Nieves who just came off his victory with Team Puerto Rico in the NORCECA Championships.                  https://www.facebook.com/mseilabun

Joey Jarvis (@joey_jarvis) returns for his first season outside of North American since before the pandemic. His aspiration to win the German Bundesliga with TV Rottenberg was cut short after taking 3rd in the German Cup. He will be playing with Hapoel in Jerusalem, Israel, as the team hopes to recreate the same success or better from their two bronze medals in 2011/12 and 2013/14. https://www.facebook.com/HapoelJerusalemVollyballClub/

Josh Ayzenberg (@josh_ayzz) returns for his third season with Maccabi Tel Aviv as his team makes yet another push to compete in the CEV Challenge Cup for the first time since 2016/17. Last year, the club secured two championships in the Israeli Premier League and the Israeli Cup with a star-studded American roster, including Josh, JT Hatch, and Kyle Ensing. With much of the same roster returning, they look to repeat last year’s success and get Maccabi back into the CEV Champions League. https://www.facebook.com/MTAVC

The season has already begun, so make sure to check out each of the team’s Facebook pages to find out when there their next matches are. The OC Stunners and the NVA are excited for the opportunities these players will have this season knowing that they will all make a huge impact on their teams!

“Volley On With the NVA!”

-NVA Staff Writer

With Event 3 being officially wrapped up, it is important to highlight those players who made a significant impact for their team. One player that made a huge impact for the Orange County Stunners was Corey Chavers. Corey Chavers came into the 3rd event after a huge showing in the 2nd event that was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he helped his team move from last place into seventh place respectively. Corey already has a deep history of success when it comes to volleyball, which can be seen in his lustrous college and professional career. On the first day, the OC Stunners faced a hungry Chicago Untouchables team who were fighting to keep themselves in 8th place in hopes of making it into the final tournament. Corey Chavers finished the match with 7 overall points, hitting .460 on the match, two aces and a block, he was seen as the consistent option for the Stunners 3-1 win over the Chicago Untouchables.

Coreys highflying ability and powerful swings weren’t used up on day one of the event, has he had a lot more deep in his bag where he once again out performed himself and put on an exhibit of what it means to be a powerful outside hitter. The OC Stunners were faced up against a strong L.A Blaze who boasts an experienced lineup led by Chinese setter Edison Zhou. Corey finished the match as points leader with overall points of 13, one block, one ace, and hitting .560 on the match. The Blaze were a valiant team as they forced a five set match, but were unfortunately extinguished by the Stunners 3-2.

Finally, on the third day, the OC Stunners were faced with a hot Dallas Tornadoes who were coming off of an upset win against number two ranked Las Vegas Ramblers the day before, led by the powerful opposite Felix Chapman. That did not waver in Corey at all as he once again finished the 3 set win with 13 overall points, one ace, one block and hit an astounding .880 on the match. Look out for the OC Stunners and Corey Chavers on July 9th-11th in NVA tournament being held in San Bernardino. 

Stunners Victory Over Untouchables Keeps Their Playoff Hopes Alive

Before New Jersey the Stunners strengthen their roster with two new setters, #43 Nikola Dmitruevic and #27 Roberto Ramirez and a libero, Josh Ayzenberg to their roster. 

Untouchables established the middle with a kill from #18 Thomas Burrell but quickly gave up the lead to the Stunners with a service and hitting error. Middle blocker #22 Nick Amado scored the first Stunners point on a block. Both teams battled back and forth until 4-4. A line kill by #7 Joey Jarvis, Untouchables’ hitting error and two consecutive service aces by Amado increased the Stunners’ lead to 8-4. After a kill by Untouchables’ middle blocker #20 Matt Buffum, the Stunners stared several mini runs on kills by Jarvis, #6 Cory Chavers and #9 Nick West and blocks by West and Chavers for a 16-9 lead. Scoring for Untouchables came from kills by Buffum, #9 Jake Milnaziak and #6 Eddie Keesecker. After the Stunners scored on a kill by #15 Jaire Sanchez-Santiago, the Untouchables only scored two points the rest of the set on Stunners’ service errors. The Stunners closed out the set with kill by Santiago, block by West and service ace by Jarvis. The set ended on a Untouchables’ hitting error 25-12. 

Untouchables had a better start in set number two and took an early 6-3 lead on kills by Burrell, Milnaziak, Keesecker and Buffum. Stunners slowly cut the lead and eventually tied the set at 11-11 on kills by West, Chavers and Jarvis and blocks by West and Amado and service ace by Ramirez. A line kill by Jarvis gave the Stunners a 12-11 lead. But the Untouchables’ scrappy play helped them retake the lead at 15-14 from a tool by Milnaziak; and increased their lead to 23-20 after a cross court kill by Keesecker. The Untouchables won the set on a Stunners’ service error 25-22. 

Stunners opened the third set with a 4-0 lead from a tip kill by Amado, two Untouchables’ hitting errors and a Santiago kill off of an Untouchable overpass. A Stunners’ service error killed the run and Milnaziak followed up with a service ace for a 4-2 score. Back-to-back service aces by Chavers increase the lead to 7-2. Untouchables rallied back with a three short scoring runs on kills by Keesecker, Burrell, and #15 Nick Ramos to cut the lead to 12-11. But Stunners kept their composure and increased their lead back to as many as five points at 20-15 after a West service ace. Untouchables attempted a rally with a service ace from #4 setter Ian Capp and kills by Burrell and Buffum but fell short. The set ended on a line kill by Jarvis 25-21. 

Although the Untouchables scored first and took an early lead in the fourth set the Stunners dominated the set after a block by West gave them a 3-2 lead. Stunners increased their lead to 8-4 after kills by Santiago, West and Jarvis. Much of the Untouchables’ scores for the remainder the set came from the Stunners’ 7 service errors. The only real Untouchables’ points came from a service ace by Ramos and kills by Keesecker, Ramos, and Burrell. Stunners scored on kills by Chavers, Amado, Santiago and Jarvis. The set and match ended on an Untouchables’ service error. 

Stunners’ Joey Jarvis and Untouchables’ Eddie Keeseckder led all players with 15 kills each. Followed by Stunners’ Cory Chavers and Jaire Santiago with 11 and Untouchables’ Thomas Burrell scored 9 kills and Jake Milnaziak with 7 kills. 

Stunners Extinguish Blaze in 5 Sets and Secure a Spot in the NVA Playoffs

The Blaze committed three hitting errors to start set number one and kills by Corey Chavers #6 and Jair Santiago #15 and serve ace by setter Nikola Dimitrijevic gave the Stunners a commanding 6-0 lead. The Blaze finally scored a clean point on a kill by #14 Jonathan Rodriguez. The Stunners managed to keep their 6-point lead for most of the match thanks to the way setter Dimitrijevic lead a balance offense. Everyone of the Stunners got in on the action either with a kill, service ace or block. Scores for the Stunners came from kills by #22 MB Nick Amado, Chavers, Santiago and #9 MB Nick West and #7 Joey Jarvis; and setter Dimitrijevic also scored on a dump. West contributed a block and Chavers Santiago each had a service ace. The Blaze did well to stay within reach of starting a rally and score points from kills by #1 Steven Morales, #5 MB Pedro Nieves, #12 Travis O’Gorman, #8 Pablo Guzman; dump by #16 setter Edison Zhou and Rodriguez service ace. After 21-14 the Blaze cut the lead to 21-17 thanks to O’Gorman kill, Rodriguez service ace and Stunners’ hitting error. But the Stunners sided out well the rest of the set on two kills by Chavers, Jarvis and West. The set ended on a hitting error by the Blazes that gave the Stunners a 25-21 win. 

Stunners and Blaze battled back and forth in the second set with both teams siding out. The Stunners scored first on a an Amado block and Santiago kill to 2-0 and kept the lead throughout the match but never by more than 3 points. However, the Blaze did manage to tie the score six times but never found a way to take the lead. Blaze relied mostly on Morales with 5 kills and one block and Nieves with 3 kills. Nine Blaze points came from Stunners’ service and hitting errors. Stunners scored most of their points on kills by Santiago who had 7 kills. Amado and West each had 2 kills and one block; and #18 Matt Hilling who came off the bench for Chavers had two kills and a service ace. With the score 24-22 Blaze’s O’Gorman scored on a bic to cut the lead to 24-23. But the Stunners’ Santiago scored the next point on a kill for a 25-23 win. 

Stunners scored the first point from a Blaze error. Blaze took their first lead after two consecutive Stunners’ hitting errors to 4-3. Stunners retook the lead with a mini run from a block by #3 MB Shayne Beamer, kill by Jarvis and Santiago ace to 8-6. After the Blaze cut the lead to 1 point, they took the lead back on consecutive scores by a Nieves and O’Gorman kills and Nieves block to 14-12. Blaze increased their lead to 16-13 after a Stunners’ hitting error. Stunners chipped away at the lead and tied the match 21-21 after a Hilling block. But the Blaze hung on to end the set on consecutive kills by Rodriguez and O’Gorman for a 25-23 win.  

Stunners took the early lead in set number four from four mini runs and built a 5 point lead. The first included consecutive kills by Chavers, Jarvis. The second by West and Chavers. Third on kill by Chavers, service ace by West and another Chavers’ kill. The fourth from kills by Chavers, Amado and Santiago for a 13-8 score. Blaze scored on their points from three Stunners’ service errors and kills by Guzman and Morales and block by Nieves. Blaze picked up their defense and slowly chipped away at the Stunners’ lead and tied the score at 24-24 after a Morales kill and then took the lead on an O’Gorman service ace to 25-24. Stunners sided-out and tied the score  until 26-26. But the Blaze won the set after a Nieves block and O’Gorman kill 28-26. 

Blaze took a 3-0 lead from a Stunner’s hitting error, Zhou service ace and Morales block. Stunners tied the score after two Blaze hitting errors and block by Amado to 3-3. Blaze and Stunners exchanged leads. At 9-9 Stunners took a lead they’d never give up after a Chavers cross court kill and increased their lead to 3 points after a Blaze error and Santiago kill off the block to 12-9. Blaze rallied to cut the lead to 14-13 after a Stunner hitting error and kill by Rodriguez to 14-13. Stunners won the match from a Blaze service error 15-13. 

Stunners Sweep and Ruin Tornadoes’ Late Run for the Playoffs

Stunners scored the first point on a kill by #15 Jair Sanches-Santiago and took a 3-0 lead after a Tornadoes’ hitting error and kill by #6 Corey Chavers. The Tornadoes scored their first point on a block by #5 Sean Smith for a 3-1 score. The Untouchables tied the score at 4-4 after a kill by #20 Felix Chapman and dump by setter #19 Michael Quinones. Stunners countered with their own mini run on kills by #3 Shayne Beamer and #7 Joey Jarvis and kept a 2-point lead. Although the Stunners sided-out well they gave free points to the Tornadoes on service and hitting errors that kept the score close. But the Stunners slowly increased their lead on back-to-back scoring runs from #12 Kevin Gear and Santiago to 8-5; Beamer and Chavers to 13-9; and Santiago and Chavers to 15-10. During this run Tornadoes scored most of their points from Stunners’ hitting and service errors. And only scored 5 clean points from a Quinones service ace and two kills by Chapman, a kill by #69 Steven Roschitz and a kill by #11 MB Aaron King. At 23-18 the Stunners closed out the set with a kill by Chavers, block by Jarvis and won the set on a kill by Jarvis 25-19. 

Tornadoes scored the first point on a kill by Chapman. Stunners scored their first point on a kill by Beamer and tied the score 2-2. Tornadoes took the lead on a kill by #18 Carlos Luna. Stunners tied the score and took a 1-point lead after a Santiago kill, service ace by #27 Roberto Ramirez and Chavers’ kill to 9-8. After a Gear tied the score at 13-13 on a kill, Tornadoes regained the lead on a dump kill by setter Quinones. The Stunners retook the lead after a Tornadoes hitting error and Santiago kill to 17-15. But the Tornadoes regained the lead again from two consecutive kills by Chapman and block by Quinones to 19-18. Tornadoes kept the lead until the Stunners took it back again at 22-21 after a Chavers’ kill and Tornadoes’ hitting error. Two errors in a row by both teams led to a 22-22 tie. Chavers scored a kill on the next possession for a 23-22 Stunners’ lead. The Stunners won the set on two consecutive Tornadoes’ hitting errors 25-22. 

In set number three the Stunners started it with a hitting error that gave the Tornadoes a 1-0 lead. Stunners scored their first clean point on a kill by Chavers to 1-1. The Tornadoes didn’t score a clean point until a kill from Chapman to tie the set 3-3. The Stunners kept a 1-point lead until a Chapman kill and Stunners’ hitting error relinquished the lead to the Tornadoes 7-6. After Chapman kill tied the score at 10-10. The Stunners retook the lead from back-to-back kills by Santiago to 12-10. At 14-12 the Stunners increased their lead on kills by Chavers and Gear to 16-12 and then again to 20-14 on a kill by Santiago followed by a Beamer block. The Tornadoes’ Smith sided-out on a kill to 20-15. The Tornadoes scored their last clean point on a kill by Chapman. The set closed out with back-to-back kills by Beamer, Stunners’ service error and won the set and match on a kill by Santiago 25-18 for the sweep. 

Stunners’ Corey Chavers and Tornadoes’ Felix Chapman led all players with 15 kills. Jair Sanchez-Santiago had 14 kills, Shayne Beamer 6 kills and Kevin Gear and Joey Jarvis each had 5 kills. The next Tornadoes with the most kills behind Chapman were Steven Roschitz with 3 kills and Aaron King and Michael Quinones with 2 kills each. The Stunners also scored on 3 service aces and 4 blocks. And Tornadoes on 1 service ace and 3 blocks. 

Game 4, Orange County Stunners V.S Ontario Matadors

Set 1

The OC Stunners, coming off a 0-3 start in the first tournament face off against the 2-1 Ontario Matadors. The Stunners started off with an ace from ST43, which was then followed up by an error from Joey Jarvis starting the game off 1-1. The Matadors and Stunners go point for point until a kill by Joey Jarvis takes the teams into the technical timeout, 8-7 Stunners. Joey Jarvis then gets an ace and back to back blocks by Corey Chavers sends the Matadors into another timeout with a score of 12-7. A kill by Alvarao Ascues and Jesus Serrano, followed by a block by Gabriel Cruz allowed the Matadors to close the gap to a score of 12-13, until Corey Chavers answered back with a sideout. The Stunners then create a significant gap led by a block and a kill by Nick Amado, 18-13. The Stunners then maintained their lead until a couple of defensive stops, ending with a kill from Mauro Isaac brought the score up to 23-20. Nick West and then Nick Amado both had kills to end the game 25-21.

Set2

Set 2 started off similar to set 1, where both teams were trading points until the technical timeout where the Stunners led 8-7. Jair Santiago then committed a block error, which was followed up by a service ace from Gabriel Cruz which tied the game up at 9-9. Three errors from the Matadors and a block from Nick West gave the Stunners a 14-9 advantage. The Matadors responded with two kills from Mauro Isaac and one from Martin Petris, but the momentum was halted after a massive block by Corey Chavers to go into the technical timeout, 16-12 Stunners. After the timeout, the Stunners picked up momentum with two aces by Joey Jarvis, and two blocks by Nick West to secure a 20-13 lead. The Stunners then cruise to an easy win with two kills by Nick Amado and three kills by Jair Santiago.

Set3

Set 3 also started off similar as the first two sets, where both teams traded points into and past the technical timeout. It wasn’t until 9-9 with the Matadors leading that the Stunners started making some plays, with a block by Nick West to grab a 10-9 lead. The Stunners then created some separation again with kills from middle blockers Nick Amado and Nick West, partnered with kills from Jair Santiago to create a five point lead at 18-13. Mauro Isaac and Martin Petris fought hard though, both notching kills to try and rally the team, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Stunners offense, final score 25-19.

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.

Southern Exposure Stuns and Sweeps Stunners

Stunners had to make a last minute lineup change because their starting Libero, Jake Hurwitz, had to work. The Stunners assigned OH Matt Hilling to play Libero and inserted rookie OH Antonio Aguizola to play OH. Despite their best efforts the new lineup didn’t fare well for the Stunners in the first two sets. In the third set Hilling and Aguizola changed positions. But like the first two sets the Stunners never got into a good offensive rhythm, which resulted in many hitting errors and gave Southern Exposure free points. 

Stunners made several valiant efforts in each set to launch a rally but each time late in the sets they fell short due to hitting errors. OPP Jair Sanchez Santiago had a leading 16 kills, Joey Jarvis 8 kills and middle blockers Nick Amado and Kevin Gear each had 2 kills. Hilling had two kills but they came in the third set. Overall the Stunners hit a dismal 36%.

Southern Exposure was led by a well balanced offense. Setter Derek Sullivan utilized all his attackers. OH Kevin Rocklein led the team with 8 kills and OH Jakeb Ciesla, and MB Payne Langston each had 5 kills. And Sullivan also had 5 kills. Southern Exposures’ blocks, which occurred at crucial points late in the sets also helped in their win. Southern Exposure had a total of nine blocks,  Ciesla with 4, Rocklein 3, Girshfeld and Langston 1. Although Southern Exposure’s hitting percentage was less than the Stunners at 36%, they scored points and sided out at pivotal moments in the match that hampered the Stunners ability to make a comeback. And the Stunners didn’t help their cause with a multitude of hitting and service errors. All three sets won by Southern Exposure ended on Stunners’ hitting errors. The final scores were 25-23, 25-20 and 25-22.

Tyrants’ Steady, Tenacious Defensive Contributed to Win Against Stunners

Stunners Libero Jake Hurtwitz joined the team, which made Matt Hilling available to play OH. The other lineup change was Nick West at MB. The Tyrants also made a lineup change from Friday’s match and started Anthony Robinson at OH and Ryan Maune at MB. 

Stunners’ setter Spence Andrews didn’t waste any time setting Hilling for the first kill, followed with kills by Nick West, Joey Jarvis. Tyrants countered with kills by Austin Lovett, Tim Johnson and Robinson to keep the score close. At 13-13 Hilling had a run of three kills and the Tyrants answered back with a series of blocks by Johnson, Maune and Robinson to keep the score tied. But a run of three kills by Jarvis gave the Stunners a three point lead at 21-18. Good Tyrants’ defense and kills by Johnson and Lovett tied the score at 21-21 and then Tyrants took the lead on a kill by Lovett 22-21. A kill by Hilling tied the set and started a service run that began with a Tyrant overpass and kill by Jarvis that gave the Stunners a 24-22 lead. Johnson followed with a kill to 24-23. And Jarvis won a joust to win the set for the Stunners 25-23.

In set two Javier Santiago started hot with 2 consecutive kills followed by a Nick Amado ace. Tyrants countered with a Grasso kill, block by setter Derrick Sullivan and two consecutive kills and a block by Tim Johnson. Andrews set Hilling for two consecutive kills. And after a West ace the Stunners had a three point lead at 11-8. Tyrants came back with kills by Robinson and Johnson and a block by Sullivan and tied the score at 14-14.  The rest of the set turned into a slugfest with a Stunner run of kills by Hilling and Santiago. Tyrants answered with kills by Grasso, Robinson and Johnson to take the lead 24-22. Santiago followed with two service aces to tie 24-24. But the Tyrants sided-out on a Johnson kill and then won the set on a transition play and tip kill by Johnson. 

Despite the tough second set lost the Stunners came out firing. Andrews decided to feed his outside hitters first.  Hilling, Santiago and Jarvis. Tyrants’ setter started his offense with Johnson and Grasso and Robinson added a block to take the lead 8-7. In the next nine Stunner possessions, Hilling had six of the kills and one each from Santiago, Jarvis and Amado. On the other side of the court Johnson, Robinson and Grasso had 2 kills each; and OH Daniel Jacobs and Maune each had a kill. With Stunners ahead 15-14 Nick West had two consecutive blocks and an ace to give the Stunners a 24-20 lead. Like the last set the Stunners struggled to side out and Tyrants took full advantage and tied the score with a Robinson kill and block; and a Johnson kill and Maune block. Amado and Hilling answered with one kill each and tied the score at 27-27. The Tyrants won on the next two points on a Grasso kill and block 29-27. 

Both teams sided out well in the beginning of the fourth set. Stunners scored with 4 kills by Hilling, and one kill by Jarvis and a block by West. Tyrants answered with two kills by Grasso and one each by Robinson and Lovett led to a 6-6 tie. At 10-10 the Tyrants took a three point lead with a block by Maune and kills by Grasso and Johnson. The Stunners countered with two Hilling kills, one West kill and block by Santiago to tie the score 16-16. But the Tyrants’ defense gave their offense opportunities to build a three point lead at 21-18. The Stunners only scored one more point and the Tyrants closed out the match with a kill by Daniel Jacobs, ace by Maune, block by Grasso and  the match ended on a Stunners’ net call 25-19.

In the loss Hilling led in kills with 22, Santiago 12 and Jarvis 9. The Stunners hit 39%. For the Tyrants Johnson and Grasso tied with 18 kills each and Robinson added 6 kills and the Tyrants hit 45%. 

Team Freedom’s Consistent Play Trumps Stunners’ Creative Lineup Change

Stunners’ setter Spencer Andrews injured his groin on the last point of the match against the Tyrants on Saturday so Matt Hilling, one of the rare versatile volleyball players played setter. It was the third different position Hilling played in this weekend’s NVA Event. In the other two matches he played Libero and OH. The Stunners also started four middle blockers, two of whom played different positions. Nick Amado at OH and Nick West OPP. Antonio Anguizola played the other OH and Shayne Beamer and Kevin Gear at middle blockers. The strategy behind this creative lineup was to rely mostly on big hitters and blocks rather than digging and covering defense. 

The Stunners’ creative big men line up claimed an early lead with a kill by West and one block each by Gear and Beamer and a dump by Hilling to 8-7. Team Freedoms’ points came from kills by Joe Norman, Christopher Nugent and Christoper Vaughn. At 12-12 Amado sprained his ankle and Stunners substituted him with Joey Jarvis. The Stunners hitters struggled to find the court and Team Freedom took the lead on a Norman and Matt Seifert block to 16-13. A string of Team Freedom errors and kills by Stunners’ Jarvis, West, Beamer and Anguizola tied the set at 20-20. But the Stunners’ hitters again struggled to hit balls inside the lines and Team Freedom closed out the set with kills by Vaughn and Norman and won 25-23. 

In set two five Stunners’ hitting errors gave Team Freedom an early 8-4 lead. During this run, Stunner’s only two scores were a kill and block by Jarvis. For Team Freedom Seifert and Norman each had one kill. At 11-5 Stunners substituted Chris Chapell’e for Anguizola. Errors continued to plague the Stunners and Team Freedom added to their lead with kills by Norman, Nugent and Seifert; and Vaughn with an ace and Seifert a block to 16-8. At 18-11 Stunners substituted Dillion Emery for West. Despite a kill by Jarvis and a Hilling block, Team Freedom added two more points to their lead at 22-12 on kills by middle blocker Mikheil Hoyte and Norman. But the Stunners didn’t give up. Emery scored four of the next five kills, Jarvis added and kill and Chappelle’s kill and service ace cut the lead to 24-20. But Team Freedom sided-out on a Seifert kill and won the set 25-20. 

While Stunners started off hot in the third set with kills by Emery and two service aces by Chapelle and West, Team Freedom struggled to pass the ball. But Stunners’s errors and two kills by Vaughn before the first media timeout gave Team Freedom a two point lead before the first media timeout at 8-6. Stunners bounced back with consecutive kills by Jarvis, kill by Chapelle and block by West to tie the set at 10-10. Team Freedom took a two point lead after a Nugent and Norman kill to 12-10. Both teams sided out with kills by West and Jarvis for Stunners; and Norman, Seifert, Vaughn kills and two blocks by Vaughn and Hoyte for Team Freedom. At 18-17 a dig by Libero Jake Hurwitz forced a hitting error by Team Freedom and tied the set at 18-18. Then a set dump by Norman found a hole in the Stunners’ defense that deflated their efforts for a comeback. Team Freedom followed with a block from Hoyte and kill by Norman and took a 21-18 lead. After Stunners called a timeout, Jarvis scored on a kill to 21-19. Stunners struggled to side-out and Team Freedom scored the next three points with kills by Hoyte, Norman and Nugent to 24-19. After Stunners called their second timeout, Emery hit the ball out that gave Team Freedom a 25-19 win for the match.

Jarvis led the Stunners with 8 kills, West 6, Anguizola 5 and Emery 4. Stunners had 9 blocks and hit 32%. For Team Freedom Joe Norman had 17 kills, Vaughn 9, Nugent 8 and Hoyte and Seifert 4 each. Team Freedom had 7 blocks and hit 49%. 

Team Freedom finished the weekend with a 3-0 record and Stunners 0-3. 

The NVA has announced that there will be a change in venue for the upcoming tournament from the 23rd to the 25th at Pearce Sports Facilities in San Bernadino, CA. Pearce Sports Facilities is home to Rancho Valley Volleyball Club, and also an elite epicenter for volleyball training and clinics for groups of all ages. Pearce Sports Facility and Rancho Valley Volleyball Club present themselves as the elite and premier volleyball club and facility of the Inland Empire.

So what does this move mean for the Stunners and the rest of the NVA? To begin, NVA has four teams on the West Coast (this includes the Las Vegas Ramblers who are only a 2:30 drive away from San Bernadino) which allows for cheaper travel and accommodations for the West Coast teams. It also allows the fans of the West Coast teams to watch and support the teams that they love in a timely manner, instead of adjusting to the Texas time zone. The tournament being in San Bernadino also gives a slight edge to the West Coast teams as they will be allowed to commute from the tournament home, allowing for a slight home court advantage, as every athlete prefers sleeping in the bed in their home as opposed to one in a hotel room. The Stunners are looking to make a strong debut this year, as signing multiple new athletes and with a vengeance for their finals loss in Utah back during the NVA 2020 Showcase.

Continue to support your Stunners by following us on Instagram (@stunnersnvausa) and please check out Rancho Valley Volleyball Club at https://www.ranchovalleyvolleyballclub.com/home

Stingers Outplay Stunners In 4 Sets to Win 2020 NVA Championship  Title

Set #1 – Stingers 25, Stunners 19

Stunners led out with a MB kill to 1-0. Stringers sided-out with a MB kill and then took the lead on the next possession on a MB kill to 2-1. Stunners responded with a OH kill to tie 2-2. Stingers carried their one-point lead until 6-6. Stunners took the lead back with a MB kill and ace to 8-6. Referee called a media timeout. Stingers sided-out on a OH kill to 8-7. At 9-9 another lead change for the Stingers after an OH and OPP kill to 10-9, then add to their lead on an OPP kill and ace to 12-10. A Stingers service run from two OPP kills at 13-12 increased their lead to 15-12. Two possessions later another Stingers  service run of an OPP and OH kill added to their lead to 17-13. Stunners called a timeout, then sided-out to 18-14 on a OH kill. At 21-17 Stingers added another point to their lead after an OH and MB kill to 22-17. Stunners called a timeout after a Stingers’ OH kill earned them set point at 24-19. Stingers won the set on a MB block to 25-19.

Stingers – 1 Ace, 19 Kills, 1 Block Point, 4 Opponent Errors; 94% Reception and 54% Hitting.

Stunners – 1 Ace, 9 Kills, 1 Block Point, 8 Opponent Errors; 90% Reception and 37% Hitting.

Set #2 – Stunners 25, Stingers 21

Stunners started the set with a four point service run on an OH block point, MB block point, OH kill and Stingers’ hitting error to 4-0. Stingers sided-out to 4-1. Stunners added to their lead from two OH kills to 6-1. After Stingers sided-out to 6-2, Stunners increased their lead another notch to 8-2 on a OPP kill and OPP block point. Referee called a media timeout. Stingers slowly cut their deficit to five points after two service runs from a Stunners’ service error and Stingers’ OPP kill to 10-5; and then to four points on two consecutive Stingers’ OPP kills to 11-7. Stunners’ increased their lead back again to six points after an OH kill and MB kill to 16-10. Stingers answered back with three service runs to reduce the Stunners’ lead to 19-16 from Stunners’ service and MB error; and two Stingers’ MB kill. Stunners responded with a service run from two Stingers’ hitting errors and increased their lead back to five points at 21-16. Stingers called a timeout, then sided-out to 21-17 on a OH kill. Two consecutive OH kills by the Stingers cut the Stunners’ lead to 23-20. Stunners sided-out to 24-20 on a OH kill. Stingers sided-out from a Stunners’ service error to 24-21. Then, Stunners won the set on an OH kill to 25-21.

Stunners – 12 Kills, 4 Block Point, 9 Opponent Errors; 88% Reception and 38% Hitting.

Stingers – 12 Kills, 2 Block Point, 7 Opponent Errors; 95% Reception and 34% Hitting.

Set #3 – Stingers 25, Stunners 19

Stingers scored three consecutive points on an OH kill, OPP block point and MB kill to 3-0. Stunners’ rallied and took the lead back from an OPP kill; and two Stingers’ hitting errors to 4-3. Stingers retook the lead from one Stunners’ service and hitting errors; and Stingers’ MB kill to 8-6. Referee called a media timeout. Stunners’ sided-out with a OH kill to 8-7 and took the lead back after a MB kill and OH kill to 9-8 and then added another point from another OH Kill to 10-8. Stingers called a timeout; and then sided-out on a OPP kill to 10-9. A 14-13 Stingers increased their lead to two points after an ace and OPP kill to 15-13. Stingers’ added another point to their lead after a Stunners’ hitting error, net violation; and Stingers’ ace to 21-17. After a Stunners’ OPPkill at 22-19 the Stingers scored three consecutive points on a MB kill, OH kill and OPP kill; and won the set 25-19.

Stingers – 2 Ace, 16 Kills, 2 Block Point, 5 Opponent Errors; 95% Reception and 53% Hitting.

Stunners – 8 Kills, 2 Block Point, 9 Opponent Errors; 82% Reception and 33% Hitting.

Set #4 – Stingers 25 , Stunners 18

Stunners took lead on two straight points on a OH kill and OPP block to 2-0. Stingers rallied back with an MB kill, OPP kill and Stunner hitting error and took the lead to 3-2. After a Stunners OH kill tied the score at 4-4, they retook the lead from a Stingers’ hitting error to 5-4. Stingers sided-out on a OPP kill to 5-5, Stunners answered back with an OH kill to 6-5. Three consecutive service errors, two from the Stunners and one the Stingers tied the score at 7-7. Stunners’ sided-out to lead 8-7. Referee called a media timeout. Stingers tied the score to 8-8 with a OH kill and took the lead back from a Stunners’ hitting error to 9-8. Stunners sided-out on an OH kill to 9-9. After both teams sided-out to 13-13, the Stingers increased their lead to 16-13 from a Stunners’ double; Stingers’ MB kill and MB block point. Stunners called a timeout. Stunners sided-out from a Stingers’ service error to 16-14. Stingers increased their lead after two OH kills to 19-15. Stunners sided-out thanks to another Stingers’ service error to 19-16 and then cut the lead to two points on an OH kill to 19-17. Stingers’ sided-out on a MB kill to 20-17, then scored another point on an MB kill to 21-17 and added one more on an ace to 22-17. Stunners called their second timeout. Stingers scored the next two points on a MB kill and Stunners’ hitting error to 24-17. Stunners’ sided-out from a Stingers’ service error. On the next possession Stingers won the set and match on a OH kill to 25-18.

Stingers – 1 Ace, 17 Kills, 1 Block Point, 6 Opponent Errors; 93% Reception and 43% Hitting.

Stunners – 11 Kills, 1 Block Point, 6 Opponent Errors; 81% Reception and 63% Hitting.