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
]]>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.
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
]]>
Winless Tornadoes No Longer Winless With Upset Win Over the Ramblers
Ramblers took an early one-point lead in the first set and then increased their lead to five points 14-9 thanks to a barrage of five straight kills by #20 Brandon Rattray. But the Tornadoes never gave up. After the media timeout the Tornadoes launched a comeback to tie the score at 20-20 from a combination of Ramblers’ errors and a kill by #18 Carlos Luna and #69 Steven Roschitz, three kills by #20 Felix Chapman and block by #13 Chike Opurum. Nevertheless, the Ramblers held on to their lead on 4 kills by Rattray and one by #24 MB Mark Lane. After a Tornado timeout at 23-21, they tied the score at 23-23 from a Chapman cross court kill and Ramblers’ hitting error, then took the lead at 24-23 from another Ramblers’ hitting error. Both teams traded points until 26-26. Then then the Ramblers’ won after a cross court kill by Rattray and kill by #15 Kevin Lopez 28-26.
In set number two the Ramblers took the early one-point lead. Both teams sided out well and the Tornadoes managed to tie the score several times. Ramblers scored points on kills from #14 Ryan Mather, #8 Setter Michael Keegan (dump kill), #2 MB Sean Dennis, Lopez and Rattray. Tornadoes scored on kills by #11 MB Aaron King, Luna, Chapman, Roschitz and block by Roschitz. At 15-15 Tornadoes took the lead before the media timeout on a deep angle kill by Roschitz to 16-15. Both teams exchanged leads. After Rattray scored to cut the lead to 22-21, Tornadoes called a timeout. After the timeout, Tornadoes scored on a cross court kill by Chapman and kill by Luna to lead 24-21. After a Mather block to 24-22, Tornadoes won the set 25-22 on a cross court kill by Chapman.
Tornadoes took the early lead in set number four thanks to Ramblers’ net violation and service and hitting errors. At 5-5 Tornadoes returned the favor with a run of service and hitting errors and relinquished the lead to the Ramblers at 8-7. Both teams exchanged leads until Tornadoes increased their lead 17-12 from a combination of Ramblers’ service and hitting errors and kills by Chapman, Roschitz and MB King. But the Ramblers rallied back with a scoring run from a sharp angle kill and block by Lopez, Rattray joust and sharp angle kill and tied the set 17-17. Tornadoes countered with kills by Roschitz and Chapman and block by Opurum to increase their lead to 21-17. Both teams committed service and hitting errors and Tornadoes closed out the set with a service ace by Opurum.
In set number four the Tornadoes took the early 3-point lead on a Chapman kill off the block and two Ramblers’ hitting errors. Tornadoes kept a 4-point lead until the media timeout at 16-12 on points scored by Chapman, Roschitz middle blockers King and Opurum and service ace by #5 Sean Smith. Ramblers countered with kills by Rattray, Lopez, Keegan and #21 Kyle Radecki. After the media timeout, Ramblers tried to cut the lead with a series of kills by Rattray but fell short and only cut the lead by 2 points to 20-18. Tornadoes were able to counter the Ramblers’ rally with kills by Chapman. After a Chapman service ace at 22-18, Ramblers called a timeout. A kill by Rattray and two consecutive Tornadoes’ hitting errors cut the lead to 22-21. Tornadoes followed with a Chapman kill to 23-21 and Ramblers called a timeout. After the timeout Ramblers error gave Tornadoes match point 24-21. Tornadoes’ service error gave Ramblers an opportunity to launch a comeback but lost the match on a bump setting error 25-22.
Tornadoes’ Felix Chapman and Ramblers’ Brandon Rattray lead all players with 24 kills each. Ramblers’ Kevin Lopez had 11 kills and Ryan Maune 10. And Tornadoes’ Roschitz had 9 kills.
Tornadoes Defeat Matadors in 3 Sets and Keep Their Playoff Berth Alive
Matadors started the set well with kills by #17 Jacob Vander Been and #12 Mauro Issac and service ace by Issac for a 4-1 lead. Tornadoes scored their first clean point from #20 Felix Chapman. A kill by #13 MB Chike Opurum and Matadors’ hitting error tied the score at 4-4. Matadors built a 2 point lead on back-to-back kills by #15 MB Martin Petris and kill by #1 setter Jesus Serrano after a Tornadoes’ overpass to 9-7. Matadors kept their lead until 21-21. Tornadoes took their first lead of the set from a Chapman kill 22-21. Both teams side-out to 24-24. Tornadoes won the set from two consecutive Matadors’ hitting errors 26-24.
In set number two the Matadors again took the early lead from a Vander Beek kill and increased it to 4-points thanks to Matadors’ service and hitting error and kill by #6 Diego Bustos to 7-3. Tornadoes scored from an Opurum kill and block and Matadors’ service error. Matadors kept their lead until 7-7. Tornadoes took the lead on the next point on a #19 setter Michael Quinones kill after a Matadors’ overpass. After the Matadors tied the score at 17-17 from a J. Serrano ace, Chapman caught fire and scored five of the next seven Tornadoes’ points and created a 4-point lead at 24-20. The Matadors scored only three more points from a Tornadoes’ hitting error and kill by #13 Carlos Serrano. Tornadoes won the match on a kill by #5 Sean Smith 25-21.
Set number three started differently than the first two sets. It was the Tornadoes who scored the first point on an Opurum kill and the lead, which they never relinquished throughout the set. Tornadoes scored on one kill by #69 Steven Roschitz, 4 kills by Chapman and a Quinones’ dump. Matadors scored on points from Issac, Vander Beek and two blocks by #2 MB Brett Massetti. At 11-8 back-to-back kills by Chapman increased the lead to 13-8. Most of the points scored by the Matadors for the rest of the set came from Tornadoes’ error. The only clean points Matadors scored were from C. Serrano kill, Petris block and Massetti kill. Tornadoes’ setter Quinones turned to Chapman again who added 5 more kills. King and Smith added one kill each and the had a double block to make it 24-20. Tornadoes won the set and match on a Matadors’ hitting error 25-20.
Felix Chapman led all hitters with 18 kills and the only player with double digit kills. Sean Smith had 5 kills, Aaron King 4 kills and Chike Opurum 3 kills. Matadors were led by Mauro Issac with 8 kills, Jacob Vander Beek with 6 kills and Carlos Serrano and Martin Petris with 3 kills each. Tornadoes also scored on 2 service aces and 6 blocks. And Matadors on 4 service aces and 6 blocks.
Stunners Sweep and Ruin Tornadoes’ Late Run for the Playoffs
Stunners scored the first point on a kill by #15 Jair Sanches-Santiago and took a 3-0 lead after a Tornadoes’ hitting error and kill by #6 Corey Chavers. The Tornadoes scored their first point on a block by #5 Sean Smith for a 3-1 score. The Untouchables tied the score at 4-4 after a kill by #20 Felix Chapman and dump by setter #19 Michael Quinones. Stunners countered with their own mini run on kills by #3 Shayne Beamer and #7 Joey Jarvis and kept a 2-point lead. Although the Stunners sided-out well they gave free points to the Tornadoes on service and hitting errors that kept the score close. But the Stunners slowly increased their lead on back-to-back scoring runs from #12 Kevin Gear and Santiago to 8-5; Beamer and Chavers to 13-9; and Santiago and Chavers to 15-10. During this run Tornadoes scored most of their points from Stunners’ hitting and service errors. And only scored 5 clean points from a Quinones service ace and two kills by Chapman, a kill by #69 Steven Roschitz and a kill by #11 MB Aaron King. At 23-18 the Stunners closed out the set with a kill by Chavers, block by Jarvis and won the set on a kill by Jarvis 25-19.
Tornadoes scored the first point on a kill by Chapman. Stunners scored their first point on a kill by Beamer and tied the score 2-2. Tornadoes took the lead on a kill by #18 Carlos Luna. Stunners tied the score and took a 1-point lead after a Santiago kill, service ace by #27 Roberto Ramirez and Chavers’ kill to 9-8. After a Gear tied the score at 13-13 on a kill, Tornadoes regained the lead on a dump kill by setter Quinones. The Stunners retook the lead after a Tornadoes hitting error and Santiago kill to 17-15. But the Tornadoes regained the lead again from two consecutive kills by Chapman and block by Quinones to 19-18. Tornadoes kept the lead until the Stunners took it back again at 22-21 after a Chavers’ kill and Tornadoes’ hitting error. Two errors in a row by both teams led to a 22-22 tie. Chavers scored a kill on the next possession for a 23-22 Stunners’ lead. The Stunners won the set on two consecutive Tornadoes’ hitting errors 25-22.
In set number three the Stunners started it with a hitting error that gave the Tornadoes a 1-0 lead. Stunners scored their first clean point on a kill by Chavers to 1-1. The Tornadoes didn’t score a clean point until a kill from Chapman to tie the set 3-3. The Stunners kept a 1-point lead until a Chapman kill and Stunners’ hitting error relinquished the lead to the Tornadoes 7-6. After Chapman kill tied the score at 10-10. The Stunners retook the lead from back-to-back kills by Santiago to 12-10. At 14-12 the Stunners increased their lead on kills by Chavers and Gear to 16-12 and then again to 20-14 on a kill by Santiago followed by a Beamer block. The Tornadoes’ Smith sided-out on a kill to 20-15. The Tornadoes scored their last clean point on a kill by Chapman. The set closed out with back-to-back kills by Beamer, Stunners’ service error and won the set and match on a kill by Santiago 25-18 for the sweep.
Stunners’ Corey Chavers and Tornadoes’ Felix Chapman led all players with 15 kills. Jair Sanchez-Santiago had 14 kills, Shayne Beamer 6 kills and Kevin Gear and Joey Jarvis each had 5 kills. The next Tornadoes with the most kills behind Chapman were Steven Roschitz with 3 kills and Aaron King and Michael Quinones with 2 kills each. The Stunners also scored on 3 service aces and 4 blocks. And Tornadoes on 1 service ace and 3 blocks.
]]>
Game 1, Dallas Tornadoes V.S The Chicago Untouchables
Set 1
The two new teams of the NVA faceoff, the Dallas Tornadoes and the Chicago Untouchables who are both 0-3 so far in the league. The Dallas Tornadoes started off with a 4-0 lead after multiple hitting and passing errors, but eventually sided out with a kill out of the middle by Pual Bilanzic who then put Jake Milnaziak back to serve. Jake Milnaziak responded to the early run by the Tornadoes by going on a 3 point service run that included a block by Mitch Wiskerchen. The two teams exchanged sideouts until the technical timeout that had Dallas in the lead 7-8. Dallas went on another run in the middle of the game allowing them to take the lead 13-10. Jake Milnaziak goes back to serve to bring the score back to 13-12 but was stopped by Felix Chapman with a sideout swing into the angle, and a block by Aaron King allowed for a lead of 15-12 into the technical timeout. Dallas was able to maintain a three point lead the rest of the game, even with Thomas Burrel putting together a string of kills but was ultimately stopped on gamepoint, losing 25-19.
Set 2
Set two started off with Chicago putting together some miraculous plays, including a one handed set of the court by Jake Milnaziak. Jake Milnaziak then went to the endline and served up an ace, followed by three Tornadoes errors and an overpass kill by Nick Ramos, taking an early lead of 7-2. Jake Milnaziak then proceeded to serve a ball out of bounds, which resulted in a service ace by Ryan Schultheis followed by a block bringing the score up to 5-7. Chicago then took the lead of 8-5 into the technical timeout. The two teams exchanged points until a missed serve by Steven Roschitz and a block by Paul Bilanzic allowed for a four point separation of 14-10. Two errors by Jake Milnaziak and two service aces by Ryan Schultheis tied the game up late at 17-17, and Dallas then took the lead with a block by Steven Roschitz. The two teams managed to consistently tie up the games until two net violations by Aaron King and Javiar Guerrero put Chicago in the lead, and the game was ultimately ended by Ian Capp on an ace. 25-22 Chicago.
Set 3
Set 3 started off with an early lead by Chicago, with a block by Paul Bilanzic and three service aces by Ian Capp, who ended up missing his fourth serve, score 4-1 Chicago lead. Chicago maintained a lead until Ryan Schultheos blocked two balls and an error by Jake Milnaziak brought the score to 11-9 with Chicago still in the lead. Chicago then created separation again with a sideout by Paul Bilanzic, a block by Mitch Wiskerchen and a service ace by Ian Capp, with a score of 14-10. Chicago maintained a four point lead until a sideout and an ace by Felix Chapman brought them within two points with the score at 20-22. Felix Chapman then missed his serve at 20-23 and the two teams exchanged points until a block by Paul Bilanzic sealed the deal, 25-22.
Set 4
Set four started off a little more balanced, with both teams siding out consistently until a string of kills and blocks followed by an ace by Ryan Schultheis created separation with a score of 5-9, Tornadoes in the lead. Two errors by the Tornadoes brought the score back to 7-9, but the momentum was quickly stopped with a block by Javier Guerroro. Dallas then continued to maintain a lead until a shift in momentum happened again with a series of stops and kills by chicago, with a huge momentum change after a huge overpass kill by Will Ragland. Dallas then responded by setting their go to guy, Felix Chapman, to get some of their lead back. Dallas was looking primed to win this game until two kills by Mitch Wiskerchen and a block by Ian Capp gave Chicago a one point lead of 23-23. A missed serve by Felix Chapman and then a net by Javier Guerrero gave Chicago the win. Final score 25-22.
Game 1 Dallas Tornadoes V.S Southern Exposure
Set 1
To begin the first match of Day 2 in Atlantic City, the Dallas Tornadoes and Southern Exposure were shaky with service errors and attacking errors. Tied at 2-2, the two teams traded a string of kills and blocks with a battle between Felix Chapman and Tim Lourich. Southern Exposure gained the lead into the technical timeout. Taking advantage of the Tornadoe’s errors, Southern Exposure Increased their service pressure with aces from Chad Mercado and Tim Lourich, increasing their lead to 11-16. Tornadoes attempted to return from their deficit with kills from Chapman and Rivera. Still, Southern Exposure stayed strong at the net with blocks from Lourich and Kevin Rocklein. Southern Exposure won set one at 25-18
Set 2
Coming back in Set 2 ready to play, the Dallas Tornadoes gained an early lead at 5-2 with an ace by Roschitz and kills from Chapman and Colon. The game’s flow began to shift with a massive block from Derek Sullivan as Southern Exposure hoped to tie at the technical timeout before Chapman earned a kill at 8-6. Climbing back of the technical timeout, Lourich finally tied the score with an ace at 17-17, which again was met with a massive kill by Chapman and an ace by Rivera. Tornadoes gave Southern Exposure a sliver of hope with two errors at 23-23 but pushed through with two kills from Jessie Colon and Chapman to win the set 25-23.
Set 3
Rivera started Set 3 with a statement scoring an ace, while Exposure matched the energy with a big triple block. The two teams continued to trade in errors, with Exposure even being called out of rotation. An ace from Chapman put the game back on track as the tornadoes went on to take the lead at 8-6 at the technical timeout. Out of the break, Mercado led the offensive charge with two kills and tied the game at 10-10. Tornadoes gained control back with two kills from Roschitz and blocks from Chapman and Colon, gaining a sizeable lead of 16-12. The Tornadoes stayed on top as Chapman proved to be an unstoppable force adding three kills and finishing the set with an ace at 25-20.
Set 4
Southern Exposure started the set with early success with a kill and block from Uchenna Ofoha. Tied at 8-8 the momentum quickly changed in favor of Southern Exposure with impeccable defense from Kyle Dagostino. Southern Exposure rode the excitement and pushed the lead to 16-12 with kills from Rocklein and Lourich. The Tornadoes were able to trail behind Southern Exposure with a trying effort by Chapman. Still, in the end, they were unable to gather enough points themselves as Southern Exposure took the set at 25-22.
Set 5
The final set saw some fantastic offensive distribution from both sides as Dereck Sullivan and Ivan Andujar used all of their weapons to their disposal. The Tornadoes trailed behind Southern Exposure by one point until 9-8, where a kill by Rocklein and block by Mercado got the team to game point at 14-9. Two kills from Chapman and three Southern Exposure hitting errors put the score to 14-14. Just as the Tornadoes saw a chance to take the match, Lourich regained control with a kill, and Mercado shot for the stars with an ace to win the game 16-14.
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.
]]>
Day 1, Match #3
Team Freedom’s Consistent Play Trumps Tornadoes Valiant Effort
Tornadoes started strong with one kill by OH Nicholas Mueller and three kills by OH Steven Roschitz. At 6-6 Team Freedom took the lead and extended it with three mini runs that included kills by setter Matt Elias, OH Christopher Vaughn, block by MB Matt Seifert, kill by OPP Joe Norman and service ace from Elias to 13-7. Tornadoes Roschitz and MB Chike Opurum made a valiant try to spark a comeback but Team Freedom found ways to curtail their efforts. Team Freedom hung on to their six point lead with some great side outs and finished off the set with Seifert and OH Christopher Nugent and a block by Seifert for the 25-17 win.
Team Freedom took an early five point lead in the second set with a service run from Seifert’s ace; and kills from Norman and Vaughn. Roschitz stopped the bleeding with a kill. But then Team Freedom started another run with a series of kills by Roschitz and Vaughn; block by Elias and a Vaughn ace to extend the lead to 14-5. Although the Tornadoes passed well and played some good defense they just couldn’t score points thanks to Team Freedom’s defense, much of it as a result of good coverage covering, digging balls and good transition offense. Strong serving also helped Team Freedom dominate this set and win 25-10.
In set three the Tornadoes made a lineup change and took their first lead of the match at 5-4 thanks to some solid play from Roschitz who ended up with a team leading 9 kills. But Team Freedom built a lead on a run of blocks by Keith Kegerries and Seifert; and a Seifert ace to take the lead of 8-5. Both teams sided out until Team Freedom pulled away at 18-16 and won the match 25-19.
Team Freedom’s constant play coupled with Tornadoes poor hitting of 28% resulted in an easy sweep. Roschitz led the Tornadoes with 9 kills and Sequil Sanchez had 4 kills in a losing effort. Norman led Team Freedom with 12 kills and Nugent finished with 9 kills.
Day 2, Match #4
Stingers Shut Down Tornadoes In 3 Sets
While the Stingers started off well with Leo Durkin setting balls for kills by Jorge Mencia, Alex Shmelev, Cory Metcalf and Novel Romero, the Tornadoes struggled with hitting errors and fell behind early 8-4. The Tornadoes picked up their play with kills by Aaron King and an ace by Luis Vasquez to cut the lead to 11-9. The Stingers answered with kills by Paul Clark and Romero but then a series of Stinger hitting errors relinquished the lead to the Tornadoes at 16-12. After the media timeout the Stingers substituted setter Hamilton Day for Durkin. Unfortunately the Tornadoes’ hitters couldn’t find the court. They committed a slew of errors, which gave the Stingers free points to gain back the lead at 20-13. The Tornadoes only scored two more points on a Stinger hitting error and kill by King. The Stingers scored five of the last seven points from kills by Clark and Carson Henninger, and block by Shmelev. Clark scored a service ace on the last point to secure the set win for the Stingers 25-15.
In set two the Stingers started Chandler Baugh at Libero. The Tornadoes struggled to find the court and a block by Romero gave the Stingers 4-0 lead. Tornadoes scored their first point on a service error by Clark at 4-1, then followed up with the first real point from a Hernandez kill. A stinger service and hitting error gave Tornadoes two more points. During this stretch Stingers scored points on kills by Clark, Mencia and Shmelev to build an 8-4 lead. After the timeout the Tornadoes continued with their hitting errors. Clark had three consecutive kills that increased the Stingers’ lead to 12-5. The Tornadoes finally started to side out with kills by setter Brady Castillo, Eduardo Hernandez, King and block by Patrick Moscicki but a run of kills by Romero kept the Stingers’ lead at 16-11. At 22-17 the Tornadoes scored their last point of the set on an ace by Vasquez. The Stingers closed the set with three straight points on Tornadoes’ service and hitting errors and ended the set on a service ace by Stingers’ Shmelev to win 25-18.
In set three both teams scored on each other’s service or hitting errors on the first six points. Metcalf scored the first real point to give the Stingers a 4-3 lead. The Tornadoes captured their first lead of the match from a kill and block by Moscicki to 6-4 but the Stingers’ took back the lead from a Tornadoes hitting error, ace by Romero and kill by Metcalf to 8-6. Tornadoes rallied back to tie at 12-12 on hitting errors by the Stingers and kill and blocks by Eduardo Hernandez and kill by Moscicki and then took the lead back at 16-15 on a Hernandez kill. Tornadoes added to their lead on another Hernandez kill to 17-15. Stingers answered with kills by Clark and Shmelev; and back to back Shmelev blocks and tied the set at 19-19. Both teams sided out well with kills by Hernandez, block by King and Moscicki for the Tornadoes; and kills by Clark, Romero and Metcalf and block by Shmelev for the Stingers. Stingers closed out the match with the last two points on a Romero ace and a Metcalf kill for a 26-24 win.
For the Tornadoes Hernandez had 6 kills and Vasquez and King had 4 kills; and team hitting was 29%. For the Stingers Romero led all players with 11 kills, Clark with 10 kills, Metcalf 6 and Henninger 5 kills; and team hitting was 46%.
Day 3, Match #3
Blaze Rebound After First Set Loss to Tornadoes and Win Match in 4 Sets
Blaze and Tornadoes offenses started strong. Blaze scored on kills by Charles Belvin, Jordan Walley, John Rodriguez and a dump by setter Marques Buggs. For the Tornadoes middle blocker Steven Roschitz started the set with a kill, followed by two kills from Sequiel Sanchez, kill from middle blockers Patrick Moscicki and Roschitz block to lead 8-7. After the first media timeout Blaze hitting errors helped Tornadoes increase their lead to three points with an ace and kill from Eduardo Hernandez and Sanchez. During this run Blaze only had two kills from Travis O’Gorman. At 16-13 two kills by Roschitz and block by Aaron King increased the lead to 20-16. But O’Gorman caught fire and scored four of the next five points for the Blaze that cut the Tornadoes lead to 21-20. But the Tornadoes fought back and scored the last two points of the set on kills by Sanchez and won 25-22.
In set two both teams committed a total of 14 hitting and service errors. Blaze took the early lead that began with a block by middle blocker John Rodriguez, followed with two kills by Belvin, O’Gorman kill and Rodriguez service ace that gave them a three point lead at 8-5. The only two real scores for the Tornadoes came on kills from Sanchez and Moscicki. After the first media timeout Tornadoes scored on kills by King, Roschitz, Hernandez and block by Sanchez. Blaze scored on 4 kills by O’Gorman, Nieves Rodriquez and block by Rodriguez and service ace by Buggs and took a commanding 20-13 lead. Tornadoes countered with a short rally on a service ace by Roschitz and a Sanchez kill and block. Blaze won the set 25-21 on kills by Walley and O’Gorman.
Set three was a mirror image of set two that ended in the same score. Blaze and Tornadoes committed a total of l8 hitting and service errors. A Sanchez kill started the scoring for the Tornadoes, followed by a King block and kills by Roschitz and Hernandez. Blaze scored on two consecutive kills by Belvin, one by Nieves, another Belvin kill, a Walley kill and Rodriquez block to lead before the first media timeout at 8-7. Both teams had a successful spurt of side-outs in which the Tornadoes scored on a Hernandez block, Sanchez kill, Moscicki block and Sanchez service ace. Blaze scored points from a Buggs dump and kills by O’Gorman, Nieves and Walley. At 12-12 Blaze pulled ahead by two points with a kill by Belvin and a block by O’Gorman to 16-14. Only four real points were scored by both teams the rest of the set. For Tornadoes a kill by Sanchez and Roschitz; and Blaze O’Gorman and Belvin. The set ended on a Tornadoes’ hitting error that gave the Blaze a 25-21 win.
In set four Blaze cut down on their errors but not the Tornadoes, who had a total of 10 service and hitting errors. Blaze capitalized on the Tornadoes’ early errors and took a commanding 8-1 lead that they never relinquished. Bad passing contributed to most of the Tornadoes’ errors and only managed to score 6 real points on two kills and one block by Roschitz, two kills by Sanchez and one kill from King. Blaze scored on three kills by Nieves, three kills by Walley, three kills and an ace by Belvin, O’Gorman kill and block and Rodriquez kill. Blaze closed out the match with a kill and block by Joseph Cuevas and won 25-13.
Roschitz and Sanchez led Tornadoes with 10 kills each, Moscicki 4 and King and Hernandez 3. Tornadoes had 5 blocks and hit 33%. For the Blaze Belvin and O’Gorman led all players with 11 each, Jordan 8, and Nieves and Rodriguez 8. Blaze had 8 blocks and hit 50%. Tornadoes finished with an 0-3 record and Blaze 2-1.
]]>
A true Texan at heart, opposite Ben Simon, joins the Dallas Tornadoes as one of the first locally grown heroes to become a professional athlete with the NVA. Paving the way for other great talents in Texas, Ben has shown the possible pipeline for players to stay entirely in Texas from club to college and onto their professional careers. Just as he has for his own family, Ben hopes to inspire others to aim high in the sport. His siblings have all followed his lead with sisters Chloe and Regan attending Texas A&M Corpus Christi and the University of Albany and brother Peyton attending Pepperdine in the Fall.
“Being from Texas, men’s volleyball was very low on the list of sports that people wanted to play. Growing up, I knew of maybe two boys’ clubs in the state of Texas. Now, there are dozens of teams! The addition of the Texas Tyrants and the Dallas Tornadoes allows Texas to showcase the talent that is hiding here!” – Ben Simon.
Despite Texas having an impressive 23 Women’s NCAA Division I programs, there isn’t a single men’s program throughout Division I, II, III, the NAIA, or even Junior Colleges. With so many massive and successful sports organizations to come from the state, it’s sad that Texas men’s volleyball still hasn’t made it to the NCAA. The lack of local options didn’t hold Ben back as he left his mark on Texas State University’s Men’s Club team during his five-year career at the school. Ben was a four-year captain with the team and made the all-conference team in 2019, always pushing the envelope for his team, owning the role as the “Ace” for his team.
Now officially signed with the Dallas Tornadoes for the 2021 season, Ben is ready to make his dreams come true! Already he’s taken a leadership role with the team holding weekly accountability checks for his teammate’s workouts before the out-of-state players join up closer to tournament weekends. If anyone will get his team to push for that extra 1% and get them to the finals, is this Bobcat legend. Go check out Ben (@ben_c_simon) and the Dallas Tornadoes (@dallastornadoes) on Instagram to stay up to date with all their news leading up to this season. Fans can also find live streams of all the 2021 events and replays of last year’s championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. The NVA can’t wait to see what in store this year for the big man Ben Simon!
]]>The growth of the NVA this year has taken significant steps to increase its size, as professional volleyball works to reach the scale of leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB that hold 22 teams. For the core teams that helped start the NVA’s revamp back in 2019, many were grassroots teams who had been together for years before their debuts. The Stunners have been the league’s home base team in Costa Mesa, carrying over many players from their days with Blizzard Volleyball. Or groups like Team Freedom have been together since 2013 or the Utah Stinger who consists of all BYU Alumni players. The Tornadoes have instead brought volleyball to Dallas, tapping into the hidden wealth of talent and fans that the area has.
The team’s two co-owners, Andres DeJesus and Andres Quinones, moved to the Dallas Fort Worth Area in the last decade. They join the many other individuals who came to the fast-growing metropolis pursuing their careers. Jordan, a Florida Native who played club volleyball at the University of Central Florida, and Andres, who moved to Dallas from Puerto Rico in 2006, attended school at Graceland University in Lamoni, IA. The two had solid volleyball backgrounds and quickly became involved in the weekly indoor and beach volleyball, where they saw the potential of starting a legitimate championship-caliber team. After watching the 2020 NVA Championships, Jordan and Andres bid to join the NVA and went hard to work to develop a Texas powerhouse team.
Choosing their home base to be with Texas Assault Volleyball, the Dallas Tornadoes pick a volleyball hub in which to pick up young fans and their families. TAV has topped the Triple Crown National list at #1 for seven straight years and the number one girl’s club in Texas for 15 consecutive years! Partnering with such a dominant club will push the possibilities for professional careers for these young players. It will also help to grow the popularity of boys’ volleyball in Texas.
https://www.tavvolleyball.com/home
Along with gaining a home to train with at TAV, the Tornadoes have picked up their Assistant Coach, Jonathan Daclison. He is a tenured coach at TAV with a proven record of qualifying teams to USAV Nationals and producing Division 1 Athletes. He joins the team with over 25 years of playing and coaching experience with deep involvement within USA Volleyball as both a High Performance (HP) Pipeline Coach and a retired USAV National Level Official. He’s no stranger to coaching elite adult teams as he previously owned and coached Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Teams in PVL and USAV AA levels.
Paired with Jonathan is the head coach, Andres’s father, Gilberto Quinones, who will be sure to bring some of Puerto Rico’s playing style to the team. Gilberto has already had coach experience at the professional level with Chicas de San Juan and the Playeros de San Juan and an assistant for the Puerto Rican National team. Today he has continued his efforts to grow the juniors game in the North Texas region, coaching with the distinguished Tejas Volleyball Club and Excel Volleyball Club. In his career, Gilberto has developed hundreds of athletes, many of whom will play at the collegiate and professional level.
These individuals’ intense passion for the game will surely help get elite volleyball the exposure it needs. By bringing Texas’s players together, they hope to take on the best that the NVA, the United States, and the world has to offer. Make sure to stay up to date with the Tornadoes this season by following them on Instagram (@dallastornadoes) and seeing live stream coverage of all of them playing this season on the NVA’s YouTube page. Equipped with high flyers, power, and finesse, this Dallas team will battle and leave it all on the court this 2021 season!
]]>
Set #1 – Team Freedom 25, Southern Exposure 18
The first kill and block point of the day came from Team Freedom for a 2-0 lead. Team Freedom also served up the first ace of today’s matches for a 3-2 lead then followed it up with a kill from their middle blocker to add to their lead 4-2. After a Southern Exposure side-out Team Freedom scored 2 consecutive points and added in other point to their lead 6-3. Southern Exposure rallied back with two kills to a 10-10 tie. Both teams sided-out to 15-15. Team Freedom took a 2-point lead with an ace to 17-15. Southern Exposure called a timeout. Team Freedom continued its run to 18-15 with a kill. Southern Exposure countered with a kill and sided-out to 18-16. Team Freedom block point by middle blocker to 20-16. Another timeout by Southern Exposure. Team Freedom added to their lead on a Southern Exposure hitting error to 21-16. Team Freedom reaches set point on another Southern Exposure hitting error and closed out the match from another Southern Exposure hitting error.
Team Freedom – 2 Aces, 9 Kills, 1 Block Point, 13 Opponent Errors; 80% Reception and 69% Hitting.
Southern Exposure – 1 Aces, 11 Kills, 6 Opponent Errors; 88% Reception and 52% Hitting.
Set #2 – Team Freedom 25, Southern Exposure 23
Southern Exposure scored the first point 1-0 with an OH kill. A Southern Exposure hitting error hives Team Freedom the lead at 3-2. Southern Exposure takes the lead back with a side-out, ace and OH kill to 5-3. Team Freedom earns a point back to tie 6-6. Southern Exposure sided-out. Then followed it up with an ace and Team Freedom hitting error that gave Southern exposure a 3-point lead to 9-6. Team Freedom called a timeout. Southern Exposure fired another ace to 10-6. The bleeding stopped on a Southern Exposure service error. A setting error by Southern Exposure helped Team Freedom cut the deficit to 11-9. Team Freedom ace ties it at 12-12, followed by a MB block point and an ace to take the lead 14-12. A Team Freedom hitting area tied the set at 15-15. Both teams sided-out to 17-17. Souther Exposure received out of rotation call. Team Freedom took the lead to 19-17. Southern Exposure setter kill cuts the lead to 20-19. Team Freedom followed up with a block point by OH after they served to 21-20. Southern Exposure called a timeout. A side-out and two OH kills gave SE the lead to 22-21. Team Freedom took back the lead with a side-out and OH block point to 23-22. Southern Exposure called their second timeout. Southern Exposure hitting error gave Steam Freedom set point 24-22. Southern Exposure sided-out and then their service error gave Team Freedom the win.
Team Freedom – 3 Aces, 7 Kills, 5 Block Point, 10 Opponent Errors; 81% Reception and 33% Hitting.
Southern Exposure – 3 Aces, 9 Kills, 1 Blocking Point, 10 Opponent Errors; 88% Reception and 52% Hitting.
Set #3 – Southern Exposure 25, Team Freedom 22
Southern Exposure set the way they ended it with a service error. Team Freedom followed up with an OH kill and took a 2-0 lead. Team Freedom increases lead to 4-1 with and OH kill. Southern Exposure rebounds to cut the lead to 7-5 with an OH kill. Team Freedom ace to 10-07, then followed up with a side-out and MB block point to extend their lead to 12-8. Southern Exposure called a timeout. Team Freedom service error cut the lead to 12-9. Both teams sided-out to 15-12. Team Freedom scored OH kill to add to their lead 16-12. Team Freedom kept their 4-point lead to 18-14, but then relinquished another point on a hitting error to 19-16. Team Freedom bounced back with an ace to 20-16. Southern Exposure called a timeout. After timeout Southern Exposure scored two consecutive points on kills to 20-18. Team Freedom called a timeout. Southern Exposure rallied back with 2 block points for a tie to 20-20. Team Freedom took the lead with an OH kill 22-21. Southern Exposure sided-out and after a Team Freedom hitting error took the lead 23-22. A Team Freedom overpass led to a Southern Exposure point from a dump kill by the setter that gave Southern Exposure set point at 24-22. Team Freedom called their second timeout. Southern Exposure followed up with an ace to win the 3rd set and stayed alive to play a 4th set.
Southern Exposure – 1 Aces, 13 Kills, 2 Block Points, 9 Opponent Errors; 76% Reception and 76% Hitting.
Team Freedom – 2 Aces, 12 Kills, 2 Block Point, 6 Opponent Errors; 79% Reception and 55% Hitting.
Set #4 – Team Freedom 25, Southern Exposure 22
Southern Exposure took the early lead with an OH kill and ace to 3-1. Souther Exposure MB hitting error tied the score at 4-4. Team Freedom took the lead back on a kill by the setter after a Team Freedom overpass to 7-6. Southern Exposure returned the favor with a dump by their setter to 7-7. Team Freedom took the lead back again with an MB block point to 9-7. Southern Exposure bounced back with a block point from their middle to another tie at 10-10. Team Freedom broke the tie at 11-11 with a OH block point to 12-11; and received a yellow card after the play. Southern Exposure took the lead back on a OH kill and Team Freedom hitting error to 15-13. Team Freedom called a timeout. Southern Exposure added to their lead with an OH kill to 16-13. Teams sided-out to 20-17. Team Freedom earned two points back on OH kills to 20-19. After a Team Freedom service error, Southern Exposure added to their lead with a MB block point to 22-19. A Southern Exposure hitting error cut the lead to 22-20. Team Freedom scored a point on joust between their MB and Southern Exposure’s setter to cut the deficit to 22-21. Team Freedom followed up with a block point and tied the score 22-22. Southern Exposure called timeout. Team Freedom scored back-to-back block points by the OH and setter and took the lead 24-22. The next Team freedom serve led to a joust, which was dug by the Team Freedom liber and then a kill by the OH to win the set and match.
Team Freedom – 15 Kills, 4 Block Point, 6 Opponent Errors; 89% Reception and 56% Hitting.
Southern Exposure – 1 Aces, 10 Kills, 3 Blocking Point, 8 Opponent Errors; 89% Reception and 45% Hitting.
]]>
Stunners 3, Southern Exposure 0
Set #1 – Stunners 25, Southern Exposure 13
Southern Exposure took an early 2-1 lead on an ace and Stunner net call. Stunners rallied back to tie the score to 3-3. A MB block point, kill, another MB block point gave Stunners a 7-3 lead. SE OH block point cut the lead to 7-4. At 8-6 Stunners score on MB block point, setter dump, another MB block point, a OH block point, OH dump kill and took a commanding 13-6 lead. A Southern Exposure double by the setter, Stunner OH tip kill added to the Stunner lead of 16-7. At 17-8 Stunners continued another run with an OPP kill, Southern Exposure lift, OH kill to extend their lead to 19-8. At 23-13 Stunners scored with a MB block point to 24-13 and finished the set with another MB block point.
Stunners – 1 Ace, 8 Kills, 7 Block Points, 9 Opponent Errors; 67% Reception and 67% Hitting.
Southern Exposure – 1 Ace, 8 Kills, 1 Block Point, 3 Opponent Errors; 100% Reception and 33% Hitting.
Set #2 Stunners 25, Southern Exposure 14
Service errors continued to plague Southern Exposure as it did in the first set. Meanwhile Stunners started where they left off and began the set with tough serves, aces and a block to open a huge 8-1 lead. Southern Exposure earns back a point on from a Stunner error to cut the deficit to 9-3. Stunners earn a point back with a MB kill to 11-3.
A Southern Exposure mini run that included a OH kill cuts the lead to six at 13-7. But Stunners counter again with a run of their own from two OH kills; and Southern Exposure hitting error back to an eight point lead 16-7. Southern Exposure calls a timeout. After timeout Stunners add another point from a Southern Exposure double error to 17-7. Both teams trade points during a side-out run to 19-19. Stunners add another point to their lead from a Southern Exposure net to 21-9. Souther Exposure cuts the Stunner lead by one with a dump kill. Both teams sided-out to 24-14. Stunners won the set on an OH kill.
Stunners – 3 Ace, 11 Kills, 1 Block Points, 10 Opponent Errors; 90% Reception and 55% Hitting.
Southern Exposure – 6 Kills, 1 Block Point, 7 Opponent Errors; 65% Reception and 30% Hitting.
Set #3 Stunners , Southern Exposure
Southern Exposure started the set off with their first real lead of the match at 3-2. A Southern Exposure net call tied the score to 3-3. During both teams side-out run Southern Exposure improved their play with good passing, clean kills and served their second ace of the match to keep the score close at 7-7. Stunners started another run that began with a setter dump followed by a MB block point, OH kill and OH dump to an 11-7 lead. Southern Exposure called a timeout. Stunners continued their run with a OH roll kill, OH block point to 13-7. Southern Exposure stopped the hemorrhaging with an OH kill to 13-8. After a couple of side-outs Southern Exposure’s ace cut the lead to 14-11. Stunners added to their lead with a OH touch kill to 20-14. After a Stunner MB block point at 21-15 Southern Exposure called a time out. At 23-16 Stunners served up an ace to set up match point. After Southern Exposure sided-out on a Stunners’ double error, an OH kill won the match for the Stunners.
Stunners – 2 Ace, 9 Kills, 4 Block Points, 10 Opponent Errors; 75% Reception and 53% Hitting.
Southern Exposure – 2 Aces, 7 Kills, 1 Block Point, 7 Opponent Errors; 94% Reception and 29% Hitting.
]]>As the country starts to lift restrictions and begin returning daily life to some normalcy, sports fans have seen their favorite teams back on the court again. However, this reopening has only taken place for professional sports leagues, while many collegiate and high school sports are still struggling to get back fully. To provide some insight into the country’s struggle with collegiate sports, OJ Catalan (General Manager of Southern Exposure) spoke about his coaching at the University of Florida and Youth Camps. OJ has developed an impressive coaching resume at the college level with names such as the University of Florida, LIU Brooklyn, University of Oklahoma, Embry Riddle University, and Warner University.
For those who are aware of the timeline of the NCAA women’s volleyball season, it is about this time when training is in full effect after having an intense summer preseason, getting their recruits ready for the season. However, the Florida Gators have only returned to school in the last three weeks, planning to only play in 8 matches this fall with the rest of the season taking place in the spring. Compared to how the women’s season typically goes, OJ shared how much he has enjoyed the change in the format.
“Just like the men’s side, we now have a lot more time before the season starts to get our freshman up to speed where before we had to bring our players in before school starts. It may take some getting used to for some of the returning players” he went on to state, “Still, the longer seasons will be a helpful experience for players who are planning to go on to the national team or play on a professional team over in Europe.”
For the younger age groups, OJ has also had a successful history running the Florida Youth High-Performance teams as well as some top clubs such as Orlando Gold VBC and Aviator Volleyball Club. OJ discussed the current struggle for many high school seniors who have missed out on many recruiting opportunities due to postponed or canceled club tournaments. Also, the dead period for when college coaches are not able to contact players has extended, creating an awkward time for players starting to get attention. To help combat the current issue, OJ has begun to have college showcase camps to help get those players an additional opportunity to get noticed by college recruits.
As for the NVA season, things felt weird not having the chance for his team to compete, waiting for a safe time to start again. As he explained, “It’s been a long break, but I’m a firm believer in the benefits of rest for players, which means our guys will be fresh for the tourney in November. The process has been a big one getting the season and league going, but the NVA has had some great programming which has helped to keep the dream alive and the wait well worth it.”
]]>