Big news! The Dallas Tornadoes look to sign middle-blocker Angel ‘Chomo’ Rivera once again for the entire 2022 season after his appearance at last year’s event two in Atlantic City. In the Liga de Voleibol Superior Masculino, the Puerto Rican National player has scored double-digit points almost every match. Already his team, the Changos de Naranjitos, is off to a strong start as they have hopped back and forth from 1st to 2nd through the first month of competition, currently at 7-3.

“I’m looking forward to representing the Dallas Tornadoes in the upcoming 2022 Season. I’ve worked hard daily to improve my skills as I want to establish myself as a force to be reckoned with in the LVSM and the NVA. My goal is to produce for my teams and help win championships for both clubs this year.” – Angel “Chomo” Rivera.

His success comes after seven years of living out his dreams as a professional athlete as he joined the LVSM as a rookie in 2013. He began with the Indios de Mayagüez from 2013-2016 until he was traded to the Changos de Naranjito from 2017-present. Angel has also played for the Puerto Rico National Team in 2018, competing in the U21 NORCECA Championships in Habana, Cuba. Angel then represented his country in Winnipeg, Canada, for the 2019 NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship for Olympic qualification.

“I think the NVA is a solid league to get exposure on a global scale. The level of play helps all athletes compete against top guys in the country. Also, the league structure is very organized. They treat the players amazing, making it an honor for athletes to represent the league. I hope we can continue to grow the NVA and, more importantly, the sport of Volleyball.” – Angel “Chomo” Rivera.

With the Changos, Angel is also playing by IE Matadors all-star libero, Jose Mulero, who ranked 10th in the NVA last season for total digs at 68. Together they look to return the trophy home to Naranjito, adding another gold medal to their already impressive count of 23 titles. Their championship record has 14 more than the next highest team. But they need to take down four-year reigning champs, the Guaynabo Mets before that dream can become a reality.

Angel will have a chance to do so this Friday, October, 22 as the team faces the 1st place Guaynabo Mets and the Utah Stingers OH Inovel Romero and Oppo Jorge Mencia. Be sure to follow Angel (@angelrivber) and the Changos de Naranjito (@changosvoleibol) to stay up to date with their season! Also, check out the page for the LVSM (@lvsm.pr) to find more information about the other teams, and follow the link below to watch live streams of the upcoming matches.

https://regieventos.com/events/lvsm-changos/

“Volley On With the NVA!”

-NVA Staff Writer

Southern Exposure Owners, OJ Catalan and Tony Glessner are excited about the upcoming NVA Championships in Salt Lake City, November 5-8. They feel confident about their coach and players that they are bringing across the country in a couple of weeks. They remarked about their coach:

“We thought of someone that is a high-level intelligent coach and trainer, someone that represents what we are about, and that is being loyal to our process. We also wanted someone who will do whatever it takes to help evolve the world of men’s volleyball. With that in mind, it was an easy choice to pick Corey Marks as the head coach of Southern Exposure.”

Corey Marks is one of the coaches at FIU for beach and indoor. He is also the owner of the boy’s youth club MVP Academy in FL, where he coaches the 18’s and 17’s age groups. His experience will be a huge factor for success as he leads the charge with a few top players from Southern Exposure.

Catalan and Glessner went on to talk about some of those top players headed to Utah:

“Our confirmed starters for the Utah Showcase have some impressive hitting options with blocking being our most vital assets along with a fast tempo transition offense.

Libero – Eddie Moushikhian will be one of the most athletic players on the court. A high IQ player with lots of range.

Middle Hitter – Kevin Vaz, a multiple purpose player who is a dynamic hitter in every position.

Opposite – Joe Norman, a big and physical player who is a threat on the right pin and back row with an aggressive top-spin serve. 

Outside Hitter – Jakub Ciesla, a great transition hitter on the outside pin who can make any shot when needed.” 

Make sure to tune in on November 5th to watch Southern Exposure in action in real-time on NVA Live TV https://www.nvausa.com/video/live. Also, follow Southern Exposure (@southernexposurenva) and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to get updates leading up to the weekend!

As one of Southern Exposure’s veteran players, Jack Mitchell is one of the top players to come out of Florida and play overseas. Still soaking up the sun as much as possible, Jack answered some questions about his life abroad, his roots in volleyball, and his career and hobbies.

Q: When/where did you start playing volleyball?

Jack: I started playing when I was 11 because my sister was always playing. I was also competitive in freediving and spearfishing. 

Q: What high school did you play at? 

Jack: Seminole Ridge High School. I made countless friends and even met my wife through volleyball there.

Q: What was your college experience like? 

Jack: I wouldn’t change my college experience for anything! It was a smaller school, so the sense of community between the men’s and women’s teams made us all close friends, making it so there was never a dull moment. I double-majored in advertising and Public relations. 

Q: Have you played elsewhere overseas? 

Jack: I played in the 1st league in Prague, Czech Republic. There weren’t a ton of English speakers on the team, so that was a huge adjustment. Even my coach didn’t speak any English, so I always had to use google translate. The culture was excellent, very different than in the US. The experiences I got changed my life forever, in the best ways possible! 

Q: Any tournaments and leagues you play in at home?

Jack: I’ve played for the Florida Wave back in the day, and still play at adult nationals and grass tournaments when I can. 

Q: What do you currently do for work, and what have you been up to during quarantine?

Jack: I’m a PE teacher, volleyball coach, and make spearfishing and freediving YouTube videos. Other than that, I’ve been working out, playing volleyball, and diving in the ocean.

For the 2020 Season, Southern Exposure presents an impressive roster showcasing some former top-NCAA talent and players with overseas experience. Southern Exposure hopes to show that volleyball doesn’t just belong to the west coast and that their team will compete with the best of the NVA.

On the Outside, the team has outstanding depth starting with Cal State Northridge Alumni Jakub Ciesla. In addition to the former Matadors standout, they boast; Derek Craig, Michigan-native Tyler Hubbard-Neil, and two-time second-team All-EIVA,  TJ Jurko. To round out the outside position, is the highly efficient Michael Michelau who is just returning from his season with SVG Lunenberg in Germany, an NCAA record breaker and conference champion Eddie Moushikhian, Limestone University Alumni Kevin Rocklein, and Sean Snyder.

At the setter position, Southern Exposure will be led by; Will Cornell, assistant coach for the TCU Women’s Volleyball Team, and Women’s Assistant Coach for Montverde Academy Jordan Kiniry. Both have high volleyball IQ, and both the knowledge and ability to effectively run their offense.

Liberos Tony Glessner and John Kalugar both have a wealth of veteran experience to add stability to the team’s serve reception and back row defense. 

In the middle, they are led by the big man Aaron King, Warner University Alumni Skylar Lopas, Tim Lourich, and the explosive high flyer Langston Payne who just returned from his first season abroad in Greece. Seemingly topping the depth chart is French native Kevin Vaz, who had an impressive college career at Cal Baptist University and Pepperdine.

Lastly, at the Opposite position, Exposure have Austin Lovett and veteran Jack Mitchell, who has played abroad in the Czech Republic. They also have the 6’10 powerhouse Joseph Norman, who is an NCAA Div. 3 champion, and Relyea Speller, with an impressive 12-foot reach approach that just won the Championship Cup in Mongolia.

The team is led by Head Coach Corey Marks, who is the owner and director of MVP Academy, and has dominated club volleyball in Florida. General Manager, OJ Catalan will provide excellent leadership for the team with 13 years of coaching experience, now being the technical director for Florida Gators women’s program. 

Follow along with Southern Exposure this season!