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, a new league structure, and even greater volleyball action! The American and National Conferences have each split into two divisions during the off-season. 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 four 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 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 a highly 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.

Next week, be sure to check back in 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! Follow the NVA on Instagram and Facebook to get weekly media updates on league developments and player stories if you haven’t already. 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

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/

https://avcaconvention.org/virtual-convention/

-NVA Staff Writer

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. 

https://tyrants.nvausa.com/

https://stunners.nvausa.com/ 

“Volley On With the NVA!”

NVA Staff Writer

More often than not volleyball teams will have two or three consistently good pin players, usually what you are looking at would be one solid outside hitter and one offensively consistent opposite hitter, but what are you supposed to do when you have four incredibly good, and offensive pin players? That is the great situation the number one ranked team in the NVA, the Texas Tyrants, have found themselves in. The Texas Tyrants are able to flex their offense in more ways than one, with two consistently good outside hitters in Gianluca Grasso and Anthony Robinson, and two incredibly athletic opposites with Tim Johnson and Daniel Jacobs. 

Starting with the outside hitters Gianluca Grasso and Anthony Robinson, you have two different types of players to deal with on the court. Gian is a consistent passer and blocker, but runs one of the fastest “go” balls the NVA has ever seen. “Go” balls are usually an up and down set landing in area four of the court, typically falling through the pin about half way up. What Gian runs is a “shoot” which has no apex and flies straight through the pin, making it hard for both the other team’s middle blocker and opposite to get to the right side to form a solid block. Gian also is very efficient in hitting the “bic” which is the back row quick, in which once again, he takes teams by surprise with his speed. Anthony Robinson on the other hand requires a slower set, but with the time in the set, he has more range to either hit down the line or cross court, both which are productive swings. 

Finally we have our two opposites, Tim Johnson and Daniel Jacobs. In games past Tim Johnson has been getting the start, but due to experienced coaching from Coach Grasso, late in games you will see a double sub, where the backrow opposite will get subbed for a new setter and a front row setter will get subbed for a new opposite, which is where you see Daniel Jacobs. Once again both these players are radically different but highly effective players. Tim Johnson requires an incredible high set, with only being 6 ‘4, his 40+ inch vertical jump allows him to reach balls most players only dream of reaching. Contacting the ball at this height allows him to hit shots on the court that are usually taken away due to a well formed block being set up, but Tim just goes over them. Daniel Jacobs on the other hand has an absolute whip of an arm, while he may not jump like Tim Johnson does, he still jumps incredibly well and has tremendous range. Daniel Jacobs is also a very disciplined blocker, and thanks to his experience on the outside, can step in and pass to help shrink the seams in serve receive. 

Check out Gian, Daniel, Tim, and Anthony as they dominate the offense next week July 9th-11th as they try to make their run in the NVA Championships.

Anthony Ka’aiwaihia-Ebanez has been shaking up the league this season as the Texas Tyrants now see themselves behind Vegas Ramblers in second place of the American Conference. Before his entrance into the NVA, Anthony, better known as Beyonce, has been a hot commodity in many volleyball leagues, including the North American Gay Volleyball Association (NAGVA) and USAV Adult Club Tournaments. With her wild whip of an arm and aggressive plays at the net and on defense, Anthony has become one of the most sensational products to come from Waianae, Hawaii.  

Completing the regular season, Anthony has been ranked as the league’s best OH2 in the NVA Dream Team by DataVolley, based on his overall statistical performance. Placed alongside other players such as the Vegas Ramblers Brandon Rattray, who is ranked as the league’s best OH1, Anthony is the only Tyrant to have made the team selection. Beyonce is also the first and only openly LGBTQ+ player to have made the dream team so far in the NVA! 

The accolade is not unfamiliar for Anthony as the Graceland Alumni has been a 3x All-American during his career in the NAIA. Much of her success comes from killer instincts and a fierce competitive spirit that she feels every young player should use to their advantage no matter what competition they face. 

“You have to be unapologetic about who you are and shove it into other team’s faces. I love it when I’m ‘Queening Out’ on the court as it not only breaks opponents down when we win the point. Especially when you get your team to back you up, that’s when you’ll start to make a huge impact on the game. -Anthony “Beyonce” Ka’aiwaihia-Ebanez 

Make sure to catch Anthony in action as the Tyrants make their push into the playoffs! They will be taking on the OC Stunners for the first elimination match of the NVA Championship starting July 9th. So go ahead and give Anthony (@omgitstonyy), Texas Tyrants (@texastyrants), and the NVA (@nvausa) a follow on Instagram to stay up with the team and catch highlight clips from Event 3.   

Happy PRIDE Month, Everyone!

Tyrants Outkill the Matadors 64 to 50 to Win In 5 Sets

In the first set the Tyrants took the early lead 8-2 on kills by MB # 2 Pasha Zakhir, two blocks by #1 Anthony Robinson, bic by #9 Gianluca Grasso, line kill by #17 Tim Johnson and MB #15 Ryan Maune. Matadors scored their two points from #12 Issac Mauro. Tyrants kept their lead up until the media timeout at 16-12. But the Matadors launched a comeback that began with points from a dump by #1 Jesus Serrano and service ace by Issac. After Tyrants countered with a Grasso kill off the block, the Matadors started another run with a double block by #6 Diego Bustos and #2 Brett Massetti, kill by #17 Jacob Vander Been and service ace by J. Serrano; and then a Bustos one-handed block tied the set at 18-18. Tyrants took the lead again and kept it until 20-20. Matadors took their first lead of the set on a kill by Mauro after a Tyrants’ overpass 21-20. Then at 23-23 the Tyrants committed a service and hitting error that gave the Matadors the 25-23 win. 

The second set resulted in the same score but with the Tyrants coming out on top. Like the first set the Tyrants took the early lead 4-1 thanks to a Matadors’ net violations and kill and service ace by Grasso. The Matadors rallied back and took the lead 9-8 after a couple of short runs with a combination of Tyrants’ errors, service ace by Bustos, two kills, block and service ace by Issac. Tyrants rallied back and took the lead at 10-9 after a  Matador service error and Grasso kill. Before the media timeout the Tyrants increased their lead to 19-14 with a scoring run from a sharp angle kill by Johnson, two kills by #16 Daniel Jacobs and kill by MB Maune. The Matadors attempted a rally with kills by Vander Beek, Issac and J. Serrano. But the Tyrants held on to their lead and closed the set with a sharp angle kill by Johnson and service ace by Pasha. 

The Matadors dominated set number three with an early lead and never relinquished it. In the early going Matadors scored on two kills and block by Issac, kill by #18 Gabriel Cruz and block by #15 Matrin Petris. The Tyrants scored points from kills by Grasso and Maune but fell into a defensive rut and had trouble scoring points. This gave the Matadors more opportunities to score points and a 16-11 lead at the media timeout. The Matadors increased their lead to 23-13 from Tyrants’ errors and kills by #18 Gabriel Cruz, #9 Jorge Cabrera and blocks by Cruz and Petris. And then won the set after a Petris kill and Tyrants’ service error 25-16. 

Set number four ended in the same score 25-16 but different result with the Tyrants taking the early lead and never relinquishing it. A combination of Matadors’ errors, better Tyrants’ defense and kills gave them an 11-4 lead. Grasso and Johnson lit up the court with series of kills and blocks. Matadors traded points with the Tyrants for the rest of the set until 23-15. Then a Jacobs’ kill off the block and Grasso cross court kill won the set for the Tyrants. 

In set number five the Tyrants took the early lead 7-2 on kill and block by #22 Austen Lovett and two kills and block by Johnson. Tyrants kept their five-point lead until 12-7. At 13-8 the Matadors rallied back with better defense. Their scoring run began with a Tyrants’ service followed by a Petris block, Vander Been line kill and Tyrants’ hitting error that tied the score at 13-13. The Tyrants won the set from a Matador’s service error and double block by Lovett and Robinson 15-13. 

Gianluca Grasso led all players with 22 kills followed byTim Johnson with 16 kills. For the Matadors Mauro Issac had a team high 14 kills followed by Jacob Vander Beek with 9 kills. 

Tyrants’ High Energy and Aggressive Play Factors in Sweep of Untouchables  

Untouchables scored the first point of the match on a roll kill by #4 setter Ian Capp and their second point on a service ace by Capp. Tyrants scored their first clean point at 5-3 from #15 MB Ryan Maune. Untouchables increased their lead to 12-7 after two Tyrants’ hitting errors. But the Untouchables’s hitters struggled to find the court and committed 3 hitting errors in a row that cut their lead to one point 13-12. Untouchables increased their lead again to 3 points after a kill by #16 MB Paul Bilanzic to 16-13. Tyrants rallied to tie the score at 20-20 after a block by #22 MB Austen Lovett and then took the lead on a kill from #1 Anthony Robinson after an Untouchables overpass. Untouchables rallied back to tie the score at 23-23 after a kill by #18 MB Thomas Burrell. Both teams sided-out to 25-25. Tyrants took a 26-25 lead on a kill by Lovett after another Untouchables’ overpass. Then won the set from on a Untouchables’ hitting error 28-26.

In set number two the Tyrants scored the first four points that began with an Untouchables’ service error. And then scored the next three points from a bic kill by #9 Gianluca Grasso and two kills by Robinson to 4-0. The Untouchables scored their first clean point at 5-2 on a kill by Bilanzic. Two consecutive hitting errors by the Tyrants cut the lead to one point at 9-8. The Untouchables tied the match at 10-10 from a kill by Capp and Tyrants’ hitting error. Tyrants kept the lead on a kill and service ace by Lovett to 13-11. Both teams cleaned-up their play and sided-out well. Untouchables scored on kills by Burrell, Ragland, #11 Kyle Schwede and #9 Jake Milnaziak. Torndoes scored on kills by Maune, Grasso, #16 Daniel Jacobs and block by Lovett. Tyrants won the set on a block from Jacobs 25-20.

Tyrants took the lead on the first point from an Untouchable service error. The teams exchanged leads on kills from Schwede, Milnaziak, Burrell and Ragland for the Untouchables and two kills from Maune for the Tyrants. At 5-5 the Tyrants took the lead from an Untouchables’ hitting error and then added to it on a kill by Grasso and service ace by Maune for a 8-5 lead. Tyrants kept their 3-point lead on kills by Maune, Robinson, Grasso and Jacobs. And Untouchables scored on kills by Schwede, #15 Rick Ramos, Burrell and Bilanziac. The Untouchables cut the lead to 22-21 after consecutive kills by Burrell and Ramos. But the Tyrants scored the next two points from a Grasso kill and Untouchables’ hitting error; and then won the set and match on a kill by Jacobs 25-22. 

Gianluca Grasso led all players with 14 kills. His Tyrant teammates Daniel Jacobs had 9 kills and Anthony Robinson had 8 kills. Untouchables were led by Kyle Schwede with 10 kills, Paul Bilanzic and Thomas Burrell with 8 kills each and Will Ragland 6 kills. Tyrants also scored points on 3 service aces and 7 blocks. And Untouchables on 3 service aces and 2 blocks. 

Tyrants Tenacious Play Conquers Team Freedom in 5 Sets

Tyrants’ #9 Gianluca Grasso scored the first clean point of  the match on a tool. Both teams came out swinging and only committed three hitting errors and two service errors in the beginning of the set. Tyrants scored points on kills by #17 Tim Johnson, #15 Ryan Maune and Grasso. Team Freedom scored on kills by #11 Mikheil Hoyte, #18 Jonathon Lutz, #17 Keith Kegerreis and a double block by  Hoyte and #4 setter Matt Elias. After a Team Freedom hitting error at 8-8, Tyrants increased their lead by 3 points on a Grasso kill, another Team Freedom hitting error and kill by #15 Ryan Maune at 14-11. Team Freedom made an effort to rally back with kills from a dump by setter Elias, kill by #2 Jake Rosner, Elias service ace, Hoyte kill and #19 Jeffrey Nelson. Tyrants scored on points by Maune, Grasso, 3 consecutive kills by #22 MB Austen Lovett and closed out the set on kills by #1 Anthony Robinson and #16 Daniel Jacobs 25-20. 

In set number two turned Team Freedom’s #20 Joe Norman and MB Hoyte scored for most of their points. It started with a Hoyte block that gave Team Freedom a 3-1 lead. Norman scored a kill to 4-2. At 5-3 Maune scored the next two Tyrants’ points. But a Rosner kill and block by setter Elias increased Team Freedom’s lead to 9-5. After Grasso scored on a line kill at 12-8, Team Freedom increased their lead on three consecutive kills. The first by Hoyte, Nelson and Hoyte again to 15-8. After the media timeout Norman scored on back-to-back kiss for an 18-10 lead. Team Freedom kept this lead until Tyrants scored a mini run from a Team Freedom hitting error and block and kill by Lovett to 18-15. However, Team Freedom was able to establish the middle again on consecutive kills by Hoyte to keep a 4-point lead 21-17. At 21-18 Norman scored back-to-back kills and Hoyte followed with a service ace to increase their lead to 24-18. Tyrants scored on two consecutive kills by Robinson and then Team Freedom won the set on a kill by #17 Keith Kegerries 25-20. 

Isaiah Acfalle #11 replaced #10 Gabriel Quinones at setter in set number three. Team Freedom scored the first point on a Hoyte block. Tyrants scored the next 3 points on kills by Grasso, Robinson and Jacobs to 3-0. Team Freedom struggled to find the court that gave the Tyrants free points. After a Team Freedom hitting error, the Tyrants scored 4 consecutive points on two kills by Jacobs and Robinson, a block by Maune and service ace by Jacobs to 11-4. Team Freedom hit a dry spell and only scored points on Tyrants’ hitting errors. But at 15-8 Team Freedom scored a clean point on a block by Hoyte to 15-9. Two possessions late Grasso scored back-to-back points on a kill and service ace to 18-10. After a net by the Tyrants, Team Freedom scored two consecutive points by Hoyte from a kill and block. At 21-15 Tyrants increased their lead to 24-15 on Grasso kill and back-to-back blocks by Lovett. Rosner scored the last clean point for Team Freedom and then Tyrants won the set on a Grasso kill 25-20. 

In set number four Joe Norman scored Team Freedom’s first four clean points that helped his team take a 2 point lead at 5-3. Tyrants countered with kills by Grasso, Robinson and Jacobs to a 6-6 tie. On the next possession Tyrants took the lead on a Maune kill. A Grasso kill and kill by Acfalle after a Team Freedom overpass gave Tyrants a 10-6 lead. At 11-8 Grasso and Lovett scored back-to-back kills for a 13-8 lead. Team Freedom tied the score after consecutive scores by setters Elias from a dump and service ace, two consecutive Tyrants hitting errors and Seifert block. A Rosner kill after a Tyrants’ overpass gave Team Freedom the lead 14-13. Seifert followed up with kill to 15-13. Tyrants rallied back to tie the score again on a kill and service ace by Grasso and block by Robinson to 16-16. Team Freedom kept their lead from a Norman kill to 17-16. But Tyrants retook the lead at 20-19 after a Jacobs kill and service ace. At 22-22 Team Freedom took the lead back on a Elias block 23-22. After Grasso scored on a kill to 24-23, Team Freedom won the match on a block by Rosner 25-23. 

Team Freedom took the early lead in set number five on a kill by Rosner, Tyrants’ hitting error and two kills by Norman to 4-3, while Tyrants scored on a kill by Jacobs and two kills by Robinson. After Maune scored skill that tied the score 4-4, Tyrants started a mini run with another Maune kill, Robinson kill, service ace by Jacobs, double block by Robinson and Maune and Robinson kill for a 9-4 lead. While the Tyrants sided-out, Team Freedom committed hitting errors that kept them from launching a rally. At 13-9 Tyrants scored on a kill by Jacobs to 14-9. Teams Freedom sided-out on a Norman kill and then Jacobs scored set and match point on a line kill off the block 15-10. 

Gianluca Grasso led all players with 24 kills. His teammates Anthony Robinson and Daniel Jacobs scored 14 and 13 kills. Joe Norman led Team Freedom with 16 kills, followed by Mikheil Hoyte 10 kills and Jefferey Nelson 9 kills. Tyrants also score on 6 aces and 9 blocks. And Team Freedom on 4 aces and 9 blocks.  

Game 3, Orlando Southern Exposure V.S Texas Tyrants

Set 1

After the first three points for both teams, the Texas Tyrants made an early pull away with a pair of kills from Anthony Robinson and Gianluca Grasso. At the same time, Southern Exposure’s Chad Mercado continued to create a series of hitting and serving errors. The gap was solidified at 13-7 after Austen Lovett had back-to-back blocks. Southern Exposure couldn’t seem to find a way to get the ball to hit the floor, with Julian Rivera putting up six digs until it was too late to catch back up 19-12. Still, Southern Exposure made a trying effort scoring on a pair of three straight Tyrants errors while being down 17-22, with the set ending at 25-22 for the Tyrants.

Set 2

The roles reversed quickly as Derek Sullivan gave two early blocks and Mercado with a kill and ace. At the same time, the Tyrants made a string of errors giving Southern Exposure a 10-5 lead. However, rallying behind a stuff block by Ryan Maune, Grasso, and Gabriel Quinones began scoring again to bring the Tyrants back to 10-10 and force Southern Exposure to take a time out. Three straight kills from Lovett and Robinson gave the Tyrants their first solid lead of the match at 15-13. Again, a string of errors from Mercado pushed the Tyrants lead to 22-17. The Tyrants finished set 2 with authority with a service ace from Maune to put the score at 25-19.

Set 3

To begin the third set, Gianluca obliterated a ball down the line, showing Southern Exposure no concern for their safety. Both teams went to battle, each presenting their arsenal with a flurry of kills, tip, blocks, and aces, bringing the match to 9-9. Both sides had a series of five service errors that showed the low point of what men’s volleyball can be. Two massive blocks from Maune late in the match gave the Tyrants a debilitating lead at 23-21. After a time out, Southern Exposure was able to tie the game at 23-23 with a kill from Tyler Hubbard-Neil. But that was short-lived as the Tyrants cleaned up with a tip kill from Grasso and a stuff block from Lovett to end the game 25-23.

Game 4: Texas Tyrants v.s Los Angeles Blaze

Set 1

Set one begins with an error from Bugs on a double set, but they quickly get that point back after a massive block from Greg Faulkner. The Tyrants side out with a kill from Tim Johnson, and they receive the ball and Gianluca Grasso goes back on a three point service run accompanied by an overpass kill, score is 4-1 Tyrants. The Blaze answer back with a kill from LA8 and Jonathan Rodriguez, but the Tyrants capitalize on their big block from Ryan Maune and a missed serve takes them into a timeout 8-5 Texas in the lead. The LA Blaze come out of the timeout and notch a kill from Rafeal Cruz, but an error from Greg Faulkner and a kill from Gian give the Tyrants a four point lead, 10-6. The BLaze call a timeout but out of the timeout they commit an error and a block from Gianluca Grasso and a kill from Anthony Robinson give the Tyrants a demanding seven point lead. The Blaze answer back with kills from Pablo Guzman and Rafael Cruz, but still are prone to too many errors, score 16-8 Texas. The Tyrants begin to roll on the Blaze as Daniel Johnson gets two kills but Daniel Jacobs gets three kills and a block. Final Score 25-25 Texas Tyrants.

Set 2

Set two picks up right where set one left off, with the Tyrants just on an absolute roll. Ryan Maune gets three blocks and a kill, and Gianluca Grasso and Anthony Robinson both get kills to help out. The Tyrants lead 8-3 going into the technical timeout. Coming out of the timeout the Blaze starts getting Jonathan Rodriguez the ball as he goes two for two, but a block and a kill by Gianluca Grasso and an ace by Ryan Maune allow them to stay in the lead, score 12-7 Tyrants. The Blaze come out of the timeout with a little momentum with a block by Travis O’Gorman and Jonathan Rodriguez each and an error by Gianluca Grasso gets the score up to 12-10 Tyrants lead. Although the Blaze attempted to get some momentum back Daniel Johnson came in with a kill and two blocks to get the score to 16-12, Tyrants lead. The Tyrants continued with the momentum as Daniel Johnson decided to take over the game with three kills and two blocks. Jonathan Rodriguez and Travis O’Gorman attempted a response but the Tyrants continued to sideout consistently, 22-17 Tyrants. The Blaze had trouble getting their offense together after two errors and were sent off the court with an ace from Gianluca Grasso, final score 25-18 Tyrants.

Set 3

The LA Blaze came out of the side switch a little more fired up than the previous two sets, forcing the Tyrants to make a lot of hitting errors, but a block by Austin Lovett and multiple kills from Tim Johnson allowed the Tyrants to go into the technical timeout up 8-7. Once again the Tyrants came out of the timeout with some energy, as they started to feed Tim Johnson and Gianluca Grasso the ball as they both started racking up kills. Jonathan Rodriguez tried to slow them down with some kills as well but was not as effective as the Tyrants were able to push to an 18-14 lead. LA started to come back after multiple errors by the Tyrants and Steven Morales and Travis O’Gorman started to string together some kills, tying up the game at 20-20. Both teams then started to trade blows back and forth until an error by the Tyrants and a bic kill by Travis O’Gorman gave the LA Blaze the win, 26-28.

Set 4

Set four started off more even then the previous sets with both teams trading sideouts, Tyrants relying on Daniel Johnson to gather most of their kills and Travis O’Gorman grabbing points for the Blaze. A hitting error from Pedro Nieves brings the teams into the timeout with Tyrants in the lead 8-5. The Tyrants come out of the timeout on fire, setting Austin Lovett and Ginaluca Grasso consistently, giving them a huge 17-10 lead. Jonathan Rodriguez once again starts to get hot as the Blaze string together some runs to bring the score as close to 20-16, but multiple errors and a huge block from Austin Lovett gave the Texas Tyrants the win. Final Score 25-19.

Game 1: Texas Tyrants V.S Dallas Tornadoes

Set 1

The long-anticipated matchup between the Texas Tyrants and Dallas Tornadoes showed a grudge match from start to finish, with the Tyrants determined to become the kings of the south. With an early lead of 8-4, Tim Johnson scored two kills soaring high above the block. Middle Ryan Maune continued to be an impenetrable wall at the net while also running fast tempo routes. All-star Cuban Felix Chapman fought to perform the same as he did the day before with 30 points. Still, the long weekend looked to have taken a toll on Chapman’s abilities, eventually being subbed out after the Tyrants pulled ahead to 14-6. The Tyrants steamrolled through the final set as Daniel Jacobs checked into the match scoring four of the Tyrants’ last five points to end the set 25-17. 

Set 2

Getting off to a quick start, Tyrants middle Zakir Pasha gained an early lead (3-1) with two kills and a block. After taking some time to re-energize on the bench, Steven Roschitz came back ready to fill in the gaps for his team, scoring five kills to get within one point behind the Tyrants at 11-12. Maune continued to be a threat while he was in rotation in the front row, scoring another five points to get the team up to 23-20. Another ace from Anthony Robinson secured a game point. At the same time, Robinson’s reception and defense prevented the Tornadoes from responding as the Tyrants took the set 25-21. 

Set 3

The Tyrants capitalized on superior blocking, with the Tornadoes unable to keep a positive connection on offense. Ryan Maune gained another four blocks, which seemed to take away any energy the Tornadoes had left. Already behind 6-11, the Tornadoes became terminal with attacking errors while Gianluca Grasso and Tim Johnson destroyed the Dallas blocks on both sides of the pin, pushing the Tyrants’ lead to 21-11. Proving to be one of the best middle blockers of the weekend, Ryan Maune stamped his name as MVP of the match. Ending the set (25-14) with 2 consecutive blocks, Maune reached seven total blocks in the game and 14 total points.

The Texas Tyrants are known as being hardworking individuals who give their all on and off the court. Not only do they constantly aspire to develop as professional athletes, but many have continued to pursue further education to drive their careers in the “real world.” Volleyball and higher education seem always to go hand in hand, and the NVA loves to showcase those who are starting new careers and those who have just graduated!

#8, Libero Jon Leon:

“I am enrolled in the Information Technology and Systems program at the University of Texas at Dallas. After being in the Real Estate industry my entire career, I decided to switch fields completely. I also have a part-time job on top of playing volleyball in the NVA, which is a huge commitment. Time management is essential to be able to perform successfully in all three” 

#2, Middle Blocker Zakir Pasha:

“I graduated with a Masters in Data Science and Analytics from Mizzou (University of Missouri). I started the degree back in August of 2019 while working full-time for Morningstar in Chicago. It’s been an online program even before COVID, so it was “easy” to balance full-time work and to play in the NVA.”

With that, we urge everyone who can always keep learning and following their educational dreams! Remember that there is always a way to find schools with a volleyball program you can play for, even if you’ve used up your NCAA eligibility. Student-athletes can either play for a University’s club team or travel to the UK with schools like Northumbria University or Durham University, which give scholarships to play for their schools.

List of schools with club programs…

https://ncvf.org/team-directory-men 

British Universities with men’s volleyball programs…

https://coachingvb.com/uk-university-volleyball-americans/ 

On a clear mission to carry his team to the finals, Outside Hitter Gianluca Grasso was the Tyrant’s points leader with 42 points in the first 2021 Season Event. Scoring 36 kills with a .507% hitting efficiency, Gian was undoubtedly the anchor of the Texas offense. Gian impressed fans with impeccable speed, dramatic angles hitting the cross court, and one of the heaviest line shots in NVA history against the OC Stunners. Currently, Grasso is third in the league for total points, tied with Ramblers’ Opposite Ryan Mather and LA Blaze’s Opposite Charles Belvin. Ranked 4th in the league for total kills at 36, Gianluca also finished the weekend with three blocks, three aces, and an 84% perfect pass ratio on 49 receiving attempts.

To catch up on all the Event 1 matches and see Gianluca Grasso in action on the court, head on over to Youtube at NVA USA. Fans can also head on over the NVA News page to read a written recap of all three Tyrant’s matches. Don’t forget to follow Gianluca (@giangrasso), the Texas Tyrants (@txtyrants), and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram and Facebook to get weekly updates of the team and your favorite players.

https://tyrants.nvausa.com/2021/05/04/full-recap-of-the-texas-tyrants-first-debut-in-san-bernadino-california/