The NVA finished off 2021 with a bang by bringing their all-stars to the AVCA’s 40thAnniversary Convention in Columbus, Ohio! For three days, the league’s players and coaches hit the courts with some of the world’s greatest volleyball minds to help advance the sport of volleyball, educating the next generation of American coaches. The NVA had the privilege to work alongside inspirational icons such as Karch Kiraly and John Speraw as well as hosting the All-American Banquet recognizing elite players from Women’s Collegiate Volleyball.
Those who attended the All-American Banquet and the coinciding NCAA Div. 1 championship match between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Wisconsin Badgers witnessed some of the most extraordinary players in the history of NCAA. The game had historical precedence, with one player becoming the first-ever five-time AVCA First-Team All-American. Of course, it would be none other than the Division 1 player of the year, Wisconsin middle blocker Dana Rettke!
The NVA had the privilege of handing out the awards to the AVCA Players of the Year, and we are excited to share their names with you again! Readers can find the complete list of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team selections from each division on the AVCA website. https://www.avca.org/awards/
AVCA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
NAIA AVCA Player of the Year– Nada Meawad, Park (Missouri)
Two-Year College AVCA Player of the Year– Marian Ovalle, New Mexico Military Institute
NCCAA AVCA Player of the Year– Sydney Schwitters, University of Northwestern-St. Paul
NCAA Division III AVCA Player of the Year– Heidi Westra, Calvin University
NCAA Division II AVCA Player of the Year– Alexis Cardoza, Cal State San Bernardino
NCAA Division I AVCA Player of the Year– Dana Rettke, University of Wisconsin – Madison
For many of the NVA players present for the convention, the best moment of the event came from the Athletes Unlimited Draft, which has invited nine graduating collegiate stars to join their league. Athletes Unlimited is the only pro indoor women’s volleyball league in the U.S., which premiered last year on the CBS Sports Network! Two of the draftees, Div. 1 Player of the Year, Dana Rettke, and Nebraska’s Laura Stivrins, went head-to-head, middle on middle, in the 5-Set NCAA Championship thriller. This historic draft is the first of its kind in the U.S. to provide an immediate pipeline for the nation’s most valuable volleyball players to go straight from university to the major leagues!
Inspired by AU Sports, the NVA is preparing to eventually establish their draft, looking to bring graduating student-athletes into the fold after the NCAA Men’s Final. With another successful year at the AVCA, the NVA has done well to show attending coaches just how disciplined, determined, and hungry our athletes are. We hope that the word will continue to spread from coaches to the next generation of college players that the dream of becoming a professional volleyball athlete is just on the other side of graduation! With this much talent already on display on the women’s side, the NVA and their teams are eager to see what homegrown products come from NCAA Men’s Volleyball this summer!
-NVA Staff Writer
]]>This NVA off-season Texas Tyrants Outside, Gianluca Grasso, is competing for his second season in the Puerto Rican Premier league with the Caribes de San Sebastián! Transferring from his last team with the Mulos de Juncos, Gian has moved from the central east side to a slightly larger municipality on the west side of the island in San Sebastián.
During the club’s dominance at the height of the Puerto Rican Superior League in the 2000s, the Caribes hosted two of the most legendary middle blockers from the USA National team David Lee and David Smith at the start of their professional careers. Gian is also the second USC alumni to play for the team with 2002 alumni, Opposite Brook Billings, competing for the Caribes during the early part of his impressive 14-year international career.
Grasso has made a massive statement to the rest of the league, scoring 35 points in two matches victories against the Changos de Naranjitos and the Patriotes de Lares. Having the best stats of the superior league thus far, Gian was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the week! After the season Gian had with the NVA, as the second-highest scorer in the league, it is no surprise that he is doing so well already.
The Caribes de San Sebastián have high hopes for Grasso and the team this year as they look to return to the podium for the first time since the club took 1st place back during the 1999/00 season. With LA Blaze Opposite Rafael Cruz and Outside Pablo Guzman also on the roster, the Caribes are likely favorites to finally knock the Mets de Guaynabo off their five-year reign over the league.
Be sure to follow both Gianluca Grasso (@gianlucagrassovolley) and the Caribes de San Sebastián (@losnuevos.caribessansebastian) on Instagram to find information on all of their upcoming games and to find awesome videos and photos of Gian tearing it up on the court. The Texas Tyrants love to see all the success Gian is having and can’t wait to see him in the gym next season!
“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.
]]>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…
]]>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.
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