Though the Dallas Tornadoes are out of contention for the 2021 NVA Championships, the team has shown great promise after only their first year in the league. Coming back from a deep deficit with a record of 0-6 after the Atlantic City Event, the team strapped up their bootstraps to keep their hopes of making playoffs alive. With two decisive victories over the Ontario Matadors and the Vegas Ramblers, the Tornadoes narrowly missed the mark, coming up two points short in the rankings behind the LA Blaze and the Matadors.
Given the momentum and growth that the Tornadoes had displayed during this short season, the Dallas team would have likely made some big upsets during the championship weekend. On top of riding off the team’s top players Felix Chapman, Steven Roschitz, and Michael Quinones, the Tornadoes were also led by the veteran leadership of Venezuelan Olympian Carlos Luna.
Before competing in the NVA this year, Luna’s career as an international player covered nearly half the world and more than half of his life competing with elite teams since 1996. In his home country, Luna is known for being part of the “Golden Generation of Venezuelan Volleyball” that led the Men’s National Team to greatness during the mid-2000s. As a starter for three Olympic cycles, Carlos won the 2003 Santa Domingo Pan American Games, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and finished second in the 2014 Quito Military World Games. Outside of the national team, Luna has had a solid professional career with clubs in Italy, Greece, Argentina, Japan, Spain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Finland, and Venezuela.
Altogether, Carlos has won over 30 international medals and is no stranger to what it takes to fight for a spot at the top. Having Carlos join for the last two events of the season, they made a frightening comeback taking out the league’s number one team, the Ramblers, three sets to one. Now that they will have Carlos in the gym all pre-season, it will be intriguing to see how much more of an impact he will have on his teammates when the Tornadoes return next year.
Carlos has played a vital role in developing youth sports in the Dall Forth Worth Area as a coach with Victory Volleyball and the Luna Volleyball Academy. Also, as an author and motivational speaker with his foundation, Carlo’s life’s mission has been to help children and teenagers prevent bad habits through sports. Carlos will be a vital member for the Dallas Tornadoes as they look to grow the boy’s/men’s volleyball in Texas and give the NVA exposure with local fans and younger talent.
To read more about Carlos’s work and to find out more about the tournaments and teams that Carlos has been a part of, follow the links below! Fans can look below to find a link to Carlos’s last match against the OC Stunners. Be sure to give him a follow on Instagram (@lunavolleyballacademy) and the Dallas Tornadoes (@dallastornadoes) to get media updates leading into the next season!
The Venezuelan Men’s National team is also currently competing in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics! Make sure to catch some of their live matches on NBC and give Carlos’s home team some support as they look to medal for the first time in their nation’s history in volleyball.
- NVA Staff Writer
Other Articles and Pages About Carlos
https://www.sporttechie.com/carlos-luna-wants-volleyball-players-to-think-beyond-college
https://volleybox.net/carlos-luna-p24181/indoor_tournaments
https://www.victoryvbc.org/carlos-luna
Venezuelan Men’s National Team Olympic Schedule
The Dallas Tornadoes vs the OC Stunners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jroOD0QR6rs
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