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

The NVA finished off 2021 with a bang by bringing their all-stars to the AVCA’s 40^thAnniversary 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!

https://auprosports.com/read/meet-the-9-draftees-from-the-inaugural-athletes-unlimited-volleyball-draft/

Inspired by AU Sports, the NVA is preparing to eventually establish their draft, looking to bring graduating student-athletes into the fold after the NCAA Men’s Final. With another successful year at the AVCA, the NVA has done well to show attending coaches just how disciplined, determined, and hungry our athletes are. We hope that the word will continue to spread from coaches to the next generation of college players that the dream of becoming a professional volleyball athlete is just on the other side of graduation! With this much talent already on display on the women’s side, the NVA and their teams are eager to see what homegrown products come from NCAA Men’s Volleyball this summer!

-NVA Staff Writer

In just under a week, the National Volleyball Association will be partnering once again with the American Volleyball Coaches Association for the 2021 AVCA Convention in Columbus, Ohio! Now, celebrating its 40th anniversary, the AVCA was formed back in 1981 by Terry Liskevych and Andy Banachowski as an advocacy group for coaches. Since their conception, the AVCA has significantly expanded, adding tons of new services and clinics, all with the same core dedication to serving volleyball coaches and the volleyball community.

From December 15th-18th, the convention halls will be jam-packed with seminars regarding coaching skills, skill development, career advancement, club management, and even sports psychology. Each educational session will be led by the country’s top NCAA Div 1, Olympic, and Club coaches, including some of the current greats with; Karch Kiraly (USA Women’s National Team), John Speraw (USA Men’s National Team), and Alan Knipe (Long Beach State), all leading their own sessions. On top of that, the event offers break-out sessions for coaches to network and reconnect with other coaches from around the nation.

The NVA is sending 16 athletes and coaches from around the league to take part in ten educational seminars as part of the on-court practice demonstrations. Utah Stingers Owner & NVA VP Russell Holmes will also present awards to the top NCAA athletes at this year’s All-American/Players of the Year Banquet. This will be the second year that the league has participated in this phenomenal event and has eagerly awaited its return since the last AVCA convention back in 2018.

There’s still time if you haven’t yet registered for the convention. You can also purchase passes on-site starting at 4 pm on Tuesday the 14th at 4 pm. However, if you cannot make it in person, you can still watch every seminar online with their Virtual Convention, including live Learning Labs created exclusively for virtual attendees, a virtual exhibit show, and Career Center. Below you’ll find links to find out more information about registering, as well as our seminar schedule for the week. If you see us there, give us a shout, we would love to talk and learn together as we all push to help foster the next generation of volleyball in the USA and grow the game!

Schedule and AVCA Links:

Thursday 12/16

–       11am – 12pm: Technical and Tactical Components that Lead to a Better Transition Game. (Dave Preston)

–       3pm – 4pm: Rethinking Feedback in a Practice Setting. (John Speraw)

–       4:15pm – 5:15pm: Controlled Variations of Live Play: How to Challenge your Starting Side to Prepare for Game Day. (Wright State Staff)

Friday 12/17

–       1:15pm – 2:15pm: Planning and Facilitating a Week of Practice Drills. (James Madison Staff)

–       2:30pm – 3:30pm: Bolstering your Attackers’ Toolkit. (Karch Kiraly)

–       3:45pm – 4:45pm: Training your Team to be Efficient Out of System. (Shannon Winzer)

Saturday 12/18

–       9am – 10am: Serve Receive with USAV Women’s National Team. (Tama Miyashiro)

–       9am – 10am: Adaptive Creativity – The importance of customizing drills to enhance & excite your players. (Eric Snyder)

–       10:15am – 11:15am: Coaching Using Story Telling – External Feedback in Action. (Jamie Morrison)

–       10:15am – 11:15am: Practice Pyramids: Growth Through the Climb. (Chad Willis)

https://avcaconvention.org/

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

-NVA Staff Writer

All-Star Cuban pin hitters Inovel Romero and Jorge “Menci” Mencia return to Puerto Rico to compete again with the Mets de Guaynabo in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is not the first time the two have competed for the team as Menci competed for them back in 2014/15 and Romero, who played for them last year, winning the 2019/20 Puerto Rican League Championships.

The Mets de Guaynabo have been the most dominant team in the league in the past decade. They have found themselves on the podium every year since 2010. From that, they have even taken home the gold for the last four years straight, making them the team to beat this season. Another championship this year would put Guaynabo at third for total gold medals, tying with the Cafeteros de Yauco with seven gold medals.

The killer duo were monsters in the NVA this year, and they will surely do the same this season as the Mets look to solidify their dynasty. Paired with the NVA’s top setter from this year, Stunner’s Randy Ramirez, it has been near impossible for any other team to beat them so far. Already with a winning record of 6-1, the Mets are still the heavy favorites to win this year.

To stay connected with the team, be sure to go and follow the Guaynabo Mets (@metsvoleibol), Inovel Romero (@inovelromero_15), and Jorge Mencia (@menci_) on Instagram. On the team page, fans can find information about the players, upcoming games, and team sponsors. The Stingers wish the best of luck to these guys as they continue to represent Utah in such a great way.

“Volley On With the NVA!”

-NVA Staff Writer

As the National Volleyball Association prepares to announce two new teams (12 total) for the 2022 season, two critical questions come to mind. As the NVA attempts to establish a men’s professional volleyball league, where will the NVA find high-level volleyball players to fill the rosters?

Comparing the size of men’s college volleyball programs in the U.S. to basketball, football, and baseball, one might assume that there isn’t a large enough pool of talented players. The NFL, NBA, and MLB have a more extensive collection of college players to draft from their own country. College football has 130 Division I and 169 Division II college programs. College basketball with 350 Division I and 300 Division II. And College baseball 299 and 274. While in volleyball, there are only 23 NCAA Division I and 25 Division II colleges.

A unique difference between these sports programs is the maximum scholarship that Division I volleyball programs can provide. In basketball, the NCAA maximum scholarship limit is 13 for Division I and 10 for Division II. Football Division I gets 83 and Division II 36. Baseball Division I has 11 and 7. While volleyball only receives a maximum scholarship limit of 4.5 for both divisions. Because of this, many top talent players turn away from going to more expensive Division 1 programs without a scholarship and instead choose to compete for more affordable options.

So rather than only finding top players from Division II and II volleyball programs, there are tons more in other programs with Division III (107), NAIA (43), and Junior College (41). Therefore, the NVA has access to 239 volleyball programs with 2,868 players to recruit from each year.

There are currently about 136 professional volleyball players in the NVA’s ten-team roster. And they all represent volleyball programs from Division I, II, and III, junior colleges, NAIA, and club teams.

Division I colleges represented in the NVA are Long Beach State, UCLA, Hawaii, U.C. San Diego, Cal State Northridge, BYU, Ohio State, Penn State, U.C. Santa Cruz, Grand Canyon, IPFW, Sacred Heart, and California Baptist University.

Division II programs Concordia, McKendree University, Quincy University, George Mason, Lee McRae College, and King University.

Division III programs Elmira University, Juniata, Southern Virginia University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Eastern Mennonite, Lakeland University, Ramapo College, Kean University, Rutgers, Alvernia University, University of LaVerne, and Elms College.

Junior Colleges Golden West, Long Beach City, Orange Coast, Humber, Austin Community, and the University of Puerto Rico Carolina. In NAIA Hope International University, Westcliff University, Park University, Grand View University, Saint Javier University, Clarke University, Siena Heights, Benedictine, Graceland, Missouri Baptist

Then for club programs East Stroudsburg University, Robert Morris, Virginia University of Technology, University of Central Florida, Valencia College. West Virginia, Minnesota, Flori-da Atlantic, Spring Arbor, Oklahoma, Western Kentucky, University of North Texas, Texas State University, University of Texas Arlington, Angelo State University Texas, and Utah Valley.

The second question is, “Are these players talented enough to play at a professional level?” The answer is “Yes.”

In many ways, U.S. college programs are revered at the same caliber as other professional programs worldwide. Many of our college volleyball players have successful careers as top prospects in the utmost professional leagues in Europe, all the way from Division I to Junior colleges. The proof is in the number of players who graduate after college to play professional volleyball in other countries. And some of these players are on the NVA roster.

–        Jorge Mencia played – China, Cuba, Indonesia, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

–        Inovel Romero – Lebanon, Bahrain, Puerto Rico, and France.

–        Antwain Aguillard – Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, and Romania.

–        Brandon Rattray – Spain and Germany.

–        Ryan Mather – Finland, Luxembourg, Denmark.

–        Ryan Manoogian – Austria, Norway, Romania, and Finland.

–        Matt Hilling – Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, and Israel.

–        Nick West – Austria, France, Germany, and Sweden.

–        Nick Amado – Spain.

–        Joey Jarvis – Germany and Israel.

–        Shayne Beamer – Denmark and England.

–        Corey Chavers – Italy, Sweden, and Indonesia.

–        Josh Aysenberg – Israel.

–        Pedro Nieves – Greece and Israel.

–        Greg Faulkner – Peru, and Romania.

–        Langston Payne – Greece.

–        Kyle Dagostion – Slovenian.

–        Joe Norman – Croatia, Belgium, and South Korea.

–        Felix Chapman – France.

–        Jake Langlois – Italy and Poland.

–        Leo Durkin – Germany.

There is no doubt the professional volleyball talent pool in the NVA represents the best of the best in the USA. Every year, more players returning from abroad are eager to continue their professional careers close to home, increasing high-level competition within the NVA. Therefore, it’s time to support the growth of the professional men’s volleyball league, which will help create a professional pipeline for talented in the same manner as the MLB, NBA, and NFL.

As the league continues to grow, it will only be a matter of time before all of the U.S. Men’s Team will be playing on home soil. Then, even more international players will be eager to have the experience of living and playing in the United States, which has never been an option for them until now!

“Volley On With the NVA!”

–        By NVA Staff Writer

In the 2021 NVA Championship, the Utah Stingers found themselves up against the stiff competition losing 3-0 against the Vegas Ramblers in the semi-final round. The loss came after the Stingers made quick work defeating the powerhouse Team Freedom 3-0, becoming the only team to have a clean sweep during the quarter-finals. Hoping to repeat their last year’s success as the 2020 Champions, the Utah Stingers finished in Third place while last year’s runner-up, the OC Stunners, took 1st.

Still, a 3rd place finish after a long season, where the team missed their star player Jake Langlois during essential matches, was a great success. The players showed up strong for their Bronze medal match with an effortless 3-0 victory over Southern Exposure, making it clear to the rest of the league that they were meant for the podium. With now a championship and a bronze medal, the team still remains one of the premier teams of the entire NVA. The Stingers also had several players rank within the top ten in statistical categories during the season, proving their excellence even more.

After missing all of Event two in Atlantic City and even missing the first day of the championships, 2020 MVP outside hitter Jake Langlois finished as the 4th best scorer in points per set at 4.42 (114/23). While also finishing as the 7th best scorer in total points at 115.

Cuban outside hitter Inovel Romero proved to be one of the best defensive players. He finished as the 5th best defender with 79 digs and the 8th best passer, passing a perfect or positive pass at 90% (159/176).

Opposite Jorge Mencia was an absolute machine at getting the ball to the floor, being the most consistent starter for the team. He finished his season ranked as the 4th best scorer in total points with 144 and ranked as the 10th best blocker in total blocks with 17.

Middle Blocker, Alex Shmelev, came in clutch during the 3rd place match with an outstanding blocking performance. His added numbers pushed him over the edge to become the 2nd best blocker in blocks per set at 0.68 (23/34) and the 3rd best blocker in total blocks with 23.

Then to wrap it all up, Libero, Kai Duqeum, ran right behind Romero to take 6th amongst the best defenders as he tallied up 76 digs.

Being a rag-tag group of “weekend warriors,” this group of players proved to be some of the best talents that can be found in the United States. For the 2022 Season, it will be exciting to see the Stingers push the envelope even more as they look to become the leader of all-time NVA titles. Make sure to follow the Utah Stingers (@stingersnvausa) and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to stay up to date with your favorite team and the league this offseason. Also, be sure to check out the Stinger’s last match against Southern Exposure on YouTube by following the link below!

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE VS STINGERS | 2021 NVA CUP: BRONZE MATCH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10_5OTRviM4

“Volley On With the NVA”

• NVA Staff Writer

Team Freedom came out fired up to have their injured outside hitters back for the playoffs, with #3 Josue Castillo scoring the first two points of the match. Stingers rallied with consecutive kills by #9 Jorge Mencia and a Setter dump by Leo Durkin, taking their first lead at 4-3. At 12-11, Freedom’s Matt Seifert scored on a service ace and tied the game at 12-12. But the Stingers came back fast with a mini-run with a kill from Mencia, hitting errors by Team Freedom, and a block by #17 Cory Metcalf, taking a lead of 16-12 at the media timeout. Team Freedom battled back with kills by #9 Christopher Vaughn and Castillo, a block by #11 Mikheil Hoyte, and a service ace by Vaughn, bringing about a tie at 18-18. After Stingers #24, Alex Shmelev tied the score at 20-20. Team Freedom retook the lead on a kill by Seifert 21-20 and kept the 1-point lead until Stingers tied 25-25 with another great block by Mencia. At 26-26, Stingers scored consecutive points with kills from Mencia and #15 Inovel Romero and won the set 28-26. 

Team Freedom started set #2 with a 3-0 lead from a Stingers’ service error and two blocks from Seifert and Castillo. Stingers rallied and tied the score 5-5 from a combination of Team Freedom hitting errors and kill by Mencia. Then the Stingers started a run on two Team Freedom hitting errors, Langlois service ace, Metcalf block, another Langlois service ace, kill by Mencia, another block by Metcalf, and a Team Freedom hitting error and took a 7-point lead at 12-5. Coach Justin Beaumont substituted Vaughn with #8 Besmir Arsiani and #20 Joe Norman with #6 Doug Dzema. Stingers increased their lead to 18-8 from Team Freedom hitting errors, responding with kills by Metcalf, service ace by Langlois, and kill by Shmelev. Team Freedom sided out well the rest of the set with a block by Siefert, kills by Norman and Hoyte but coming up just short in the end. Stingers closed out the set with a Durkin service ace, kills by Langlois and Fa’agata, winning on a Team Freedom hitting error at 25-13.

In set #3, Team Freedom started the set with their original starting lineup and retook the early lead of 6-3 on kills by Vaughn and Hoyte. But after Elias injured his knee, Coach Beaumont had to substitute him with #14 Kenny Ryan. The Stingers tied the set at 6-6 on kills by Metcalf, Langlois, and Shmelev. At 8-8, Freedom scored back-to-back points on a block by Hoyte and a kill by Castillo to lead 10-8. Stingers then took the lead at 12-11 after a block by Langlois. With the score tied at 14-14, Stingers took a 2-point lead of 16-14at the media timeout on a kill by Mencia and Team Freedom hitting error. Stingers increased the lead to 20-17 on a Fa’agata dump kill into the back corner, kept the 3-point lead, and closed the match on a kill by Mencia and Shmelev 25-22.

To watch the replay of the match, head on over to the NVA USA’s page on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdB30nvjjhg 

Match Statistics 

Utah Stingers:

#9 Jorge Mencia – 16 Points (14 Kills, 1 Ace, 1 Block)

#10 Jake Langlois – 11 Points (9 Kills, 2 Aces)

#24 Alex Shmelev – 9 Points (8 Kills, 1 Block)

#8 Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga – 5 Points (5 Kills)

#17 Cory Metcalf – 6 Points (2 Kills, 4 Blocks)

Team Freedom: 

#9 Christopher Vaughn – 9 Points (8 Kills, 1 Ace)

#11 Mikheil Hoyte – 8 Points (7 Kills, 1 Block)

#3 Josue Castillo – 6 Points (6 Attacks)

#12 Matt Seifert – 10 Points (6 Kills, 3 Blocks, 1 Ace)

• NVA Staff Writer

Team Freedom had high expectations for the 2021 season as the tight-knit group of players has been together for some time. They started the season 5-0. But after their win over last year’s NVA Champions, the Stingers, Team Freedom has been missing key players Christopher Nugent, Christopher Vaughn and Josue Castillo.

Coach Justin Beaumont had no choice but to turn to his deep bench of players with very little playing time this season. However, with veterans like Matt Seifert, Joe Norman, and Jonathon Lutz to rely on, Team Freedom lost their last four matches. 

Of the four losses, however, the last three were hard fought, each going to five sets. The extended matches gave Team Freedoms’ inexperienced outside hitters like Besmir Arslani, Jefferey Nelson, and Jake Rosener more time to build chemistry with the rest of the starting lineup. 

The Stingers, by far, are the most talented and experienced NVA team and have started the season 3-0. Leo Durkin and Hamilton Day have thus far shared their setting duties running a talented offense. So far, the apparent starters for the team will be Jake Langlois, Jorge Mencia, Inovel Romero, Rusty Lavaja, and Alex Shmelev. But the team still has some solid supporting cast members with libero Kai Dugquem, Carson Henninger, Cory Metcalf, Paul Clark, and Storm Tufuga-Fa’gata. But other teams like the Ramblers, Team Freedom and Southern Exposure have been prepared for what the Utah Squad had to offer. 

The Stingers suffered back-to-back losses to the Ramblers and Team Freedom, with the matches going to five sets. Looking like they could bounce back in their season, beating the Stunners and Blaze; Southern Exposure took another blow to the Stingers’ record in a 5 set marathon match. The Stingers ended their season with a win against the Untouchables and a 6-3 record. However, that winning record was only good enough for a third-place finish in the American Conference behind the Ramblers and Tyrants, each with a record of 7-2.

Prediction: While Team Freedom is happy to be in the playoffs, there are some big questions that they’ll need to answer come game time. Will Nugent, Vaughn, and Castillo be well enough to play? If they do, how long will it take for them and their teammates to find the winning rhythm they had earlier in the year? Another is if Nugent, Vaughn, or Castillo don’t perform well, will Coach Beaumont pull the trigger and turn to his bench to replace them during the match? Either way beating the Stingers will not be an easy task. 

One advantage Team Freedom may have is that the Stingers tend to start slow. That could give Team Freedom the time they’ll need to recapture the winning chemistry and confidence they had earlier in the year.  

Team Freedom’s best chance of winning is with a healthy Nugent and Vaughan. Hopefully, that will be the case because it will be a better playoff match with both teams at full strength.

Although the Stingers finished in 3rd place, they received a good seed that placed them against the imbalanced Team Freedom, ending the season with a four-game losing streak. The Stingers have two more substantial incentives to defeat Team Freedom. One is payback for an earlier loss this season and a chance to repeat as NVA Champions. Therefore, it’s hard to bet against the Stingers.

The unanswered questions about Team Freedom’s lineup have given the Stingers the edge. Stingers 3, Team Freedom 0. 

Next up is the last playoff match between the Ramblers #1 Seed in American Conference versus the Matadors #4 Seed in National Conference at 7:00 pm

“Volley On With the NVA!”

• By NVA Staff Writer

Going undefeated through the 2020 season and even the first event of 2021, the Utah Stingers fell behind to third place in the American conference behind the Vegas Ramblers, the Texas Tyrants. Currently, with a record of 6-3 with one match behind the other two teams at 7-2, the Stingers have still managed to tie with 19 FIVB points and even gathering more winning sets at 24-14. Pushing all of their losing matches to five sets, the Utah team made it difficult for other teams to overcome their early success.  

The Stingers have played through some grueling five-setters against Team Freedom, Southern Exposure, Ramblers, Stunners, and the Untouchables of the last five of six matches. The team has seen some roster switch-ups with Jake Langlois absent from the Atlantic City event allowing Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga to show off his skills. For Event 3, Hamilton Day ran an impressive offense and defensive performance as he took over for Leo Durkin. Additionally, a brand-new addition of Puerto Rican Lazaro Fernandez in the middle as Rusty Lavaja has yet to return.  

Despite their long matches, coach Mike Daniel never seemed to worry about his team’s performance. They showed remarkable resilience through adversity which will surely pay off when the team plays higher stake matches in the finals. The team experimented with some uniquely jaw-dropping lineups, having Jake Langlois play as an all-around middle blocker to increase their back row offensive presence. Although it didn’t pay off in the end, the rest of the league’s teams should be on their toes as the Stingers aren’t afraid to try daring strategies to catch their opponents off guard. 

For their next match, the Utah Stingers will play Team Freedom for the first round of the single-elimination playoffs on July 10th. It is sure to be a tight and exhilarating match as the two teams have yet to show total domination over the other. Follow the links below to watch the Stingers’ last game against Team Freedom and purchase tickets for the final event of the 2021 season. Make sure to follow the Utah Stingers (@stingersnvausa) and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to get match and score updates, as well as the best highlights from this season so far. I hope you can be there for all the action live!