With the 2022 NVA Season already in the works, here is a look at the rankings for the top five players for each statistical throughout the season. These rankings exclude players who competed in less than ten sets or had less than 100 attempts. Check them out to see which if your favorite players made the cut as one of the Top 5 All-Stars for each category.
Best Scorer (Points/Sets Played)
Best Server (Service Aces/Sets Played)
Best Blocker (Blocks/Sets Played)
Best Scorer (Total Points)
Best Server (Total Service Aces)
Best Blocker (Total Blocks)
Best Passer (Perfect Reception + Positive Reception/All Receptions)
Best Attacker (Kills/All Attack Attempts)
Best Defender (Total Digs)
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Summer in California is often accompanied by beautiful weather, long summer days, and for the volleyball community, a lot of tournaments on the beach. One tournament that is collectively looked forward to all year is the Charlie Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament, or unofficially known as the Manhattan Beach 6-Man.
The Manhattan Beach 6-Man was officially started over 46 years ago by Charlie Saikley, who is credited for bringing volleyball from the gym on to the beach. The tournament itself is run over the course of two days, usually a Friday and a Saturday towards the end of July or the beginning of August. The Manhattan Beach 6-Man can almost be seen as a monument standing the test of time, as it is played with old school volleyball rules. For those who do not know the old volleyball rules, the game is played with sideout scoring, which means for you to score a point, your team must serve the ball. If your team receives the ball and also terminates the play, you don’t receive a point, just a chance to serve. This version of volleyball can result in long drawn out games that really test the conditioning and willpower of those on the court. Another rule that is taken from old school volleyball rules is that the receiving team isn’t allowed to take any serves open handed, it must be taken with a platform, which is a rule that is also used on the beach. This old school form of volleyball was the norm until the early 2000s, when the game started to change to allow it to be more digestible for the casual viewer.
The Manhattan Beach 6-Man has seen a long history of elite volleyball players pooling together to win one of the most sought after medals in the volleyball community. In years past you would come down to witness greats like David Lee, an Olympic gold medalist, play with beach volleyball legends such as Matt Furbringer. The NVA also had a multitude of players competing in it this year with Stunners players Nick Amado, Matt Hilling, and Corey Chavers all playing on different teams striving for the 6-Man title.
The Manhattan Beach 6-Man is also an incredibly social event, bringing in spectators from all over California to come watch some incredible volleyball. One of the more attractive aspects of the 6-Man are the series of bars and restaurants that open up early and close late to allow the players and spectators to either celebrate their wins or celebrate their loss, as there is a saying that “Any 6-man is a good 6-man”.
-NVA Staff Writer
]]>Concluding their 2021 season in the quarter-finals of the NVA Championship event, the Matadors fought tooth and nail to try and keep their dreams alive of taking a podium finish. The team has been the grittiest in the league all season long, always putting up a fight when the odds were against them, giving even the best teams in the league a run for their money. Still, the Matadors struggled to stay consistent, having blowout performances only to stumble and fall before they could secure the win.
In their final match against the Ramblers, the Matadors entered the event missing some key pieces, with star outside hitter Mauro Isaac unable to make the first day of the event. Additionally, not even halfway through the first set of the match, the Matadors lost the glue that held them together as libero Jose Mulero was subbed off with an injury. Down 13-5, Mulero made a sprawling dig to save a roll shot from Ramblers Ryan Mather, landing on his knee hard. Sitting off the rest of the match, Mulero watched from afar and had this to say about the team.
“Obviously, we entered the finals with the significant loss of Mauro Isac. However, as a team with many ups and downs throughout the season, we weren’t able to all excel at the same time as a team when it mattered most. Without a doubt, to have a chance of beating the powerful Ramblers team, we had to compete and play at our absolute best” – Jose Mulero.
Without Mauro, the team was led by opposite Jacob Vander Beek with 13 kills and 2 blocks. While Alvaro Ascues finally got his chance to shine, getting down 12 kills himself. Then Jesus Serano had some great sets with middle blocker Gabriel Cruz while Mario Meza stepped up big, taking over for Jose. The Matadors squad came back and took a set after weathering the brutal storm of swings from Brandon Rattray and were close to taking the match to a 5th set. Sadly, they weren’t able to pull off a miracle and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, tieing for 5th.
“To win this tournament or be in the final four, you have to play consistently from the first point of the match. My experience with the NVA going up against such impressive competition has been brutal…and I love it. I think that is the attractiveness of the league. You have to play hard every single game or go home!” – Jose Mulero.
Make sure to go and watch the Matadors final match of the 2021 season by going onto the NVA USA page of Youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWV2uxAPw8k&t=2s
Be sure to also follow the Matadors (@matadorsnvausa), the NVA (@nvausa), and Jose Mulero (@josemulero11) on Instagram to get updates on your favorite team as they get ready come back again next year for the 2022 season. It’s sure to be the best one yet!
Match Statistics
#17 Jacob Vander Beek – 15 Points (13 Kills, 2 Blocks)
#4 Alvaro Ascues – 12 Points (12 Kills)
#9 Jorge Cabrera – 8 Points (8 Kills)
#18 Gabriel Cruz – 7 Points (5 Kills, 2 Blocks)
# 15 Martin Petris – 5 Points (4 Kills, 1 Block)
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The Ramblers finished with the best record in the NVA at 7-2. Despite their two losses, one of which was against the Dallas Tornadoes’ who were last place, this team is full of talent. The team is currently lead by Brandon Rattray, who has been the best transition player in the NVA, leading the league in kills since the beginning of the season. Now, at 143 kills averaging 6.5 a set, Brandon has almost a 40 point lead over the kill leader, Tyrant’s Gianluca Grasso. Ryan Manoogian and Ryan Mather have played a significant role in scoring points when Ramblers are out of the system by extending rallies in the back.
While the Ramblers rely on Rattray to score points, their setters have plenty of other hitters to feed. Having Kevin Lopez and Kyle Radecki on the pins and a deep middle roster with Antwain Aguillard, Sean Dennis, Mark Lane, and Josh Duarte, the Ramblers are favored to win the championship. This team also has a unique lineup that juggles three different setters in Michael Keegan, Tanner Maxwell, and Steven Duhoux, which has worked surprisingly well.
An example of the Ramblers’ potent offense was a match against Team Freedom, in which the Ramblers scored a total of 67 points compared to Team Freedom’s 42 points.
After the Ramblers defeated the Stingers 3-2 in May, they established themselves as a front runner to win the 2021 NVA Championship. Yes, they lost the next two against the Stunners and Tornadoes. However, the Ramblers could still bounce back to defeat Team Freedom and the Matadors to finish the regular season.
The Ramblers have also been injury-free all year, which is a plus because they don’t have a full bench like the Stunners or Stingers.
The Matadors had a disappointing season but managed to fill the last spot in the playoffs. All season the Matadors struggled to find a consistent lineup and never got into a rhythm on offense. They’re also one of the smaller team rosters in the league. Other NVA teams took advantage of them by matching their big guns with the undersized Matadors’ blockers.
Much of the Matadors scoring came from Mauro Issac and Carlos Serrano on the outside, plus Jacob Vander Beek and Jorge Cabrera, who shared time at Opposite.
The Matadors played good defense all year, but they struggled to score points in transition. Because they are not a good blocking team, they had to rely on their defense to create opportunities to score points. Three of the Matadors’ losses ended in 5-sets to Southern Exposure, Tyrants, and The Untouchables, getting as close as possible to having a winning record. But in all three matches Matadors’ hitting and service errors contributed to the losses.
Although the Matadors only won two matches all season, they did have a big win against Team Freedom 3-0, which showed that they could catch any team off guard if they’re aren’t ready.
Prediction: While the Matadors are lucky to be in the playoffs, their luck has run out by the very fact that they’re up against the Ramblers. The only saving grace for the Matadors is that this matchup is a repeat of the last match of the NVA season. Despite losing in three sets, the scores were close at 25-21, 25-21, and 25-22. Therefore, this is an opportunity for the Matadors to avenge that loss. To win this match, the Matadors will need to play almost perfect volleyball. They’ll also need to hope the Ramblers take them lightly and also surrender some free points from hitting errors. But the latter is not likely to happen, and the Ramblers should sweep the Matadors again. Ramblers – 3, Matadors – 0.
To find more articles about the Matadors’ and the Ramblers’ regular season, check out their news section at the bottom of their team websites.
“Volley On With the NVA!”
NVA Staff Writer
]]>Although the Ontario Matadors still have some time before they need to be ready for next season, the team is already preparing for significant line-up changes. After his last match of Event 3 against the Las Vegas Ramblers, Opposite Jacob Vander-Beek shared his decision to play for Team Durham team in the Volleyball England Super League.
Team Durham, which the University of Durham funds, has recently won the last English Cup Tournament in 2018/19 and has taken second the previous two years of the English Super League. It’s Jacob’s plan, like many others, to use the experience to gain his masters degree and gain more international exposure in the hopes of finding a full-time paid contract to play overseas.
“I’m most looking forward to meeting more good volleyball players around the world. Also, since my mom is from England, I’ll be seeing a lot of my family that I haven’t seen much growing up in California.” – Jacob Vander Beek.
Jacob won’t be the only Matador alum to be headed to Durham this next year as Zackary Philyaw returns to Durham to pursue a Doctorate in Social Psychology. Zackary Philyaw was a team member when Team Durham won the English Cup, and Jacob will likely have the same impact on the league this year. As excited as Jacob is to be embarking on his new journey, he has enjoyed being part of the league’s growth this season.
“I’ve liked the NVA more this season than last year as we’ve been able to play more than one event. It’s nice having more opportunity to correct your record after a bad weekend performance. To be able to play in a full season over a couple of months rather than a weekend is a great change.” – Jacob Vander Beek.
Check out the link below to watch the replay of Jacob Vander Beek’s best performance so far of the 2021 season against the LA Blaze. There, fans will also find live coverage of the Matadors quarterfinals against the Vegas Ramblers on the first day of the championship weekend, July 9th – 10th. Make sure to follow Jacob (@the_beek), Zackary (@zphilyaw), the Ontario Matadors (@matadorsnvausa), and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to stay connected with the team and catch highlight clips from Event 3.
(154) 2021 NVA CUP: LA BLAZE V. ONTARIO MATADORS – YouTube
Libero Mario Meza has been the guiding voice for the Ontario Matadors this season, especially when coaches Mark Mina and Osvaldo Vogel couldn’t make some matches. Mario has had an impressive track record with leading teams to victory as the head coach at Diamond Ranch high school and assistant coach at La Verne University. His biggest accomplishment was when Diamond Ranch went to win the 2018 Division V CIF southern section Championship.
With a trained eye for finding solutions for the team’s problems, Mario has identified what his team will need as they prepare for their first match of the postseason. With LA Blaze and the Dallas Tornadoes out of the competition, the Matadors are ranked last in the conference. They will have much work to do if they hope to pull off and upset make it past the first round of playoffs.
“The team goal moving forward should be to fine-tune our ability to have consistent energy, so we have more mitigating our errors. Our team has many ups and downs with emotional waves that we have ridden very well in the past, such as our 3-0 win over Team Freedom. Other times however it works against us as we start the match flat and are unable to mitigate our errors.” – Mario Meza
Compared to other adult leagues, such as the North American Gay Volleyball Association, Mario has been very excited for the chance to train every week with his team. As Mario said, “we need to use this opportunity to continue developing our team chemistry leading up to the championships.” But aside from his excitement for his team’s chances, Mario has looked fondly at the NVA giving Mario and other LGBTQ+ players a home this season.
“I like that our teammates have been super accepting and have made us feel comfortable by always staying lighthearted with us. That’s a big thing to have that sense of comradery across all the teams in the league. As NAGVA hasn’t been able to function under COVID, it has been great to see how the NVA has found a way through to operate once again.” – Mario Meza.
Mario is currently ranked 20th in the league for his 91% perfect passing reception on 51 attempts and has racked up 29 digs this season. Fans can catch Mario and Matadors make their push in the playoffs as they take on the first place Vegas Ramblers July 9th-11th. Make sure to give Mario (@marihoeee_), the Ontario Matadors (@matadorsnvausa), and the NVA (@nvausa) a follow-on Instagram to stay up with the team and catch highlight clips from Event 3.
Happy PRIDE Month, Everyone!
]]>Tyrants Outkill the Matadors 64 to 50 to Win In 5 Sets
In the first set the Tyrants took the early lead 8-2 on kills by MB # 2 Pasha Zakhir, two blocks by #1 Anthony Robinson, bic by #9 Gianluca Grasso, line kill by #17 Tim Johnson and MB #15 Ryan Maune. Matadors scored their two points from #12 Issac Mauro. Tyrants kept their lead up until the media timeout at 16-12. But the Matadors launched a comeback that began with points from a dump by #1 Jesus Serrano and service ace by Issac. After Tyrants countered with a Grasso kill off the block, the Matadors started another run with a double block by #6 Diego Bustos and #2 Brett Massetti, kill by #17 Jacob Vander Been and service ace by J. Serrano; and then a Bustos one-handed block tied the set at 18-18. Tyrants took the lead again and kept it until 20-20. Matadors took their first lead of the set on a kill by Mauro after a Tyrants’ overpass 21-20. Then at 23-23 the Tyrants committed a service and hitting error that gave the Matadors the 25-23 win.
The second set resulted in the same score but with the Tyrants coming out on top. Like the first set the Tyrants took the early lead 4-1 thanks to a Matadors’ net violations and kill and service ace by Grasso. The Matadors rallied back and took the lead 9-8 after a couple of short runs with a combination of Tyrants’ errors, service ace by Bustos, two kills, block and service ace by Issac. Tyrants rallied back and took the lead at 10-9 after a Matador service error and Grasso kill. Before the media timeout the Tyrants increased their lead to 19-14 with a scoring run from a sharp angle kill by Johnson, two kills by #16 Daniel Jacobs and kill by MB Maune. The Matadors attempted a rally with kills by Vander Beek, Issac and J. Serrano. But the Tyrants held on to their lead and closed the set with a sharp angle kill by Johnson and service ace by Pasha.
The Matadors dominated set number three with an early lead and never relinquished it. In the early going Matadors scored on two kills and block by Issac, kill by #18 Gabriel Cruz and block by #15 Matrin Petris. The Tyrants scored points from kills by Grasso and Maune but fell into a defensive rut and had trouble scoring points. This gave the Matadors more opportunities to score points and a 16-11 lead at the media timeout. The Matadors increased their lead to 23-13 from Tyrants’ errors and kills by #18 Gabriel Cruz, #9 Jorge Cabrera and blocks by Cruz and Petris. And then won the set after a Petris kill and Tyrants’ service error 25-16.
Set number four ended in the same score 25-16 but different result with the Tyrants taking the early lead and never relinquishing it. A combination of Matadors’ errors, better Tyrants’ defense and kills gave them an 11-4 lead. Grasso and Johnson lit up the court with series of kills and blocks. Matadors traded points with the Tyrants for the rest of the set until 23-15. Then a Jacobs’ kill off the block and Grasso cross court kill won the set for the Tyrants.
In set number five the Tyrants took the early lead 7-2 on kill and block by #22 Austen Lovett and two kills and block by Johnson. Tyrants kept their five-point lead until 12-7. At 13-8 the Matadors rallied back with better defense. Their scoring run began with a Tyrants’ service followed by a Petris block, Vander Been line kill and Tyrants’ hitting error that tied the score at 13-13. The Tyrants won the set from a Matador’s service error and double block by Lovett and Robinson 15-13.
Gianluca Grasso led all players with 22 kills followed byTim Johnson with 16 kills. For the Matadors Mauro Issac had a team high 14 kills followed by Jacob Vander Beek with 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.
Ramblers Sweep Matadors in Last Match of the 2021 NVA Regular Season
Ramblers scored the first two points in the first set from a Matador service error and kill by #20 Brandon Rattray 2-0. Matadors scored their first clean point on a kill by # 9 Jorge Cabrera 3-2. Both teams traded points but Southern Exposure scored most of their points from Ramblers’ service and hitting errors. Meanwhile the Ramblers scored on kills by #2 Sean Dennis, #15 Kevin Lopez, #14 Ryan Mather and service ace by #8 setter Michael Keegan for a 9-8 lead. After a Lopez kill that gave the Ramblers a 13-11 lead, the Ramblers relinquished the lead to the Matadors 14-13 with a net call and two hitting errors. But the Ramblers took the lead back 19-18 after a Matadors’ hitting error. #12 Mauro Issac tied the score on a cross court kill. Ramblers scored the next three points on kills by Lopez and Rattray and Matadors hitting error to 23-20. Ramblers committed a service error to 23-21. And then won the set on back-to-back kills by Rattray 25-21.
Set number two was a mirror image of set number one with the Ramblers again taking an early lead on kills by Rattray, Mather and Lopez for a 6-5 lead. Matadors scored on two Ramblers’ service errors and kills by Cabrera and Issac. After a Rattray kill at 9-9, Matadors took the lead on a kill by #13 Carlos Serrano 11-10 and then increased their lead to 15-12 after a kill by Cabrera and block by Issac and #2 MB Brett Massetti. After the media timeout at 16-14, a Dennis block cut the lead to 16-15. Matadors answered with a kill by Cabrera. Then the Ramblers tied the score 17-17 on kills by Mather and Rattray. Ramblers tied the set again at 19-19 on another Rattray kill and then took a three point lead on a block by Lopez, Matadors’ hitting error and Rattray kill 22-19. Matadors scored their last point on a kill by Issac to 24-21. And the Ramblers won the set on a kill by Dennis 25-21.
In set number three the Matadors scored the first point from #6 Diego Bustos. Ramblers countered with their first point from a Rattray kill for a 1-1 score. Matadors hung on to a 1 point lead on a block by #17 Jacob Vander Beek, kills by Vanderbeek and Issac. At 6-6 Ramblers took the lead on a dump kill by setter Keegan 7-6. Ramblers increased their lead to 15-12 on consecutive kills by Lopez, Dennis and Rattray. Then added to their lead on another mini run with kills by Mather, Dennis and Rattray to 18-13. Matadors cut the lead to 23-21 with a run of points that started with a Vander Beek kill, two C. Serrano service aces and an Issac kill. Matadors surrendered the next point to the Ramblers on a service error. On the next point Matadors scored on a block by #18 Gabriel Cruz to 24-22. Ramblers won the set and match on the next point from a Mather kill 25-22.
Brandon Rattray led all players with 18 kills, followed by Ryan Mather 10 kills and Kevin Lopez 9 kills. Ontario Matadors were led by Mauro Issac with 8 kills, Jorge Cabrera 6 kills, Carlos Serrano 5 kills and Jesus Serrano, Brett Massetti, Jacob Vander Beek and Gabriel Cruz with 2 kills each. Ramblers also scored on 2 service aces and 2 blocks. And Matadors on 4 service aces and 5 blocks.
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Game 4, Orange County Stunners V.S Ontario Matadors
Set 1
The OC Stunners, coming off a 0-3 start in the first tournament face off against the 2-1 Ontario Matadors. The Stunners started off with an ace from ST43, which was then followed up by an error from Joey Jarvis starting the game off 1-1. The Matadors and Stunners go point for point until a kill by Joey Jarvis takes the teams into the technical timeout, 8-7 Stunners. Joey Jarvis then gets an ace and back to back blocks by Corey Chavers sends the Matadors into another timeout with a score of 12-7. A kill by Alvarao Ascues and Jesus Serrano, followed by a block by Gabriel Cruz allowed the Matadors to close the gap to a score of 12-13, until Corey Chavers answered back with a sideout. The Stunners then create a significant gap led by a block and a kill by Nick Amado, 18-13. The Stunners then maintained their lead until a couple of defensive stops, ending with a kill from Mauro Isaac brought the score up to 23-20. Nick West and then Nick Amado both had kills to end the game 25-21.
Set2
Set 2 started off similar to set 1, where both teams were trading points until the technical timeout where the Stunners led 8-7. Jair Santiago then committed a block error, which was followed up by a service ace from Gabriel Cruz which tied the game up at 9-9. Three errors from the Matadors and a block from Nick West gave the Stunners a 14-9 advantage. The Matadors responded with two kills from Mauro Isaac and one from Martin Petris, but the momentum was halted after a massive block by Corey Chavers to go into the technical timeout, 16-12 Stunners. After the timeout, the Stunners picked up momentum with two aces by Joey Jarvis, and two blocks by Nick West to secure a 20-13 lead. The Stunners then cruise to an easy win with two kills by Nick Amado and three kills by Jair Santiago.
Set3
Set 3 also started off similar as the first two sets, where both teams traded points into and past the technical timeout. It wasn’t until 9-9 with the Matadors leading that the Stunners started making some plays, with a block by Nick West to grab a 10-9 lead. The Stunners then created some separation again with kills from middle blockers Nick Amado and Nick West, partnered with kills from Jair Santiago to create a five point lead at 18-13. Mauro Isaac and Martin Petris fought hard though, both notching kills to try and rally the team, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Stunners offense, final score 25-19.
Game 2: Ontario Matadors v.s Chicago Untouchables
Set 1
Set one begins with The Untouchables starting off hot, with a kill from Paul Bilanzic and Jake Milnizak, the Untouchables form an early 4-1 lead. The Matadors responded with a block and a kill from O12 and a kill from 018, they were able to snag the lead going into the technical timeout, Matadors up 8-7. Coming out of the timeout, the Matadors started to get on a roll, thanks to kills and plays from Jacob Vander Beek, they were able to push their lead up to 11-15. The Untouchables were not done fighting, as multiple kills from Paul Bilanzik and Jake Milnizak allowed the Untouchables to close the gap at 18-18. Both teams sided out consistently and took the game into extra points until a hitting error and a service error from Mauro Isaac gave the Untouchables the win. 27-25.
Set 2
Set two begins with the score consistently within one point, as the Matadors are able to consistently side out due to the efficiency of Alvaro Hildago Ascues, but were keeping the Untouchables in the game by six serves. The Untouchables lead going into the technical timeout 8-7. Coming out of the timeout, both teams were matched up very evenly, as the spread stayed within one point until the twenties. This was due to the middles of both the Matadors and Untouchables, who were going at each other. After 20-20 Mauro Isaac had two blocks, and followed by a service error from Ian Kapp, the Matadors were able to squeeze out a win. Final score 25-23 Matadors.
Set 3
Set three started off similar to set two, with both teams trading blows until the Matadors went on a little run thanks to kills from Jacob Vander Beel and Alvaro Hildago Ascues and blocks from Gabriel Cruz and Mauro Isaac, giving them a solid 9-5 lead. The Matadors were able to maintain this lead, although Kyle Schwede tried to will the Untouchables back into the game with three kills, the blocking from the Matadors was relentless as they created some solid separation as big as 17-11. The Untouchables continued to battle back as Ian Kapp, and Jake Milnizak both notched aces and Kyle Schwede got a hot hand offensively, they brought the score within two points at 19-17. The Untouchables then began to make unforced errors with an over call and a double call, while Jacob Vander Beek went three for four in the last points of the game, ending the game at 25-22 Matadors win.
Set 4
Set four started off with both teams siding out very efficiently, with the Untouchables really riding Kyle Schwede as he notches three kills in the first eight points as they lead going into the technical timeout, score 8-6 Chicago. The Untouchables were able to maintain a two point lead, riding the offensive capabilities of Kyle Schwede and Paul Bilanzic. Ontario was able to slowly close the point spread with blocks from Jacob Vander Beek and Isaac Mauro, but numerous aces from Ian Kapp drove the separation to a five point spread of 15-20. Jacob Vander Beek also started to heat up, as he had two kills late in the game, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Untouchables. Chicago wins 25-23.
Set 5
Set five started off with the Matadors gaining a small lead due to two missed serves from Jake Milnizak and Ian Kapp, while Alvaro Hildago Ascues had an ace and a kill. The lead didn’t last long as Chicago started to get in an offensive rhythm as Kyle Schwede and Paul Bilanzik counted for five kills total going into the side switch, score 8-5 Chicago is in the lead. It could be seen as smooth sailing from there as Paul Bilanzik snagged two blocks and Jake Milnizak got two kills as the Untouchables won 15-9.
Game 4: New Jersey Team Freedom V.S Ontario Matadors
Set 1
Set one begins with consistent sideouts from both teams, with Joe Norman producing three kills for Team Freedom and Jacob Vander Beek putting in most of the work for Ontario, unfortunately the Matadors have been consistently missing serves but a net from Mikhel Hoyte give the Matadors the lead going into the technical timeout, score 6-8. The Matadors were able to maintain a three point lead through most of the middle of the match, but two kills from Mikhel Hoyte and an ace from Ronald Dunn tied the game up at 16-16. Both teams continued to sideout at a high rate, taking the game into extra points until a kill from Martin Petris, an ace from Jesus Serrano and a block from Diego Bustas gave the Matadors the win. Final score 27-25.
Set 2
Set two begins with Team Freedom missing multiple serves, while kills and an ace from Jesus Serrano were able to help give the Matadors a demanding lead going into the Technical timeout, score is 8-3. The Matadors were able to hold a lead as high as 12-7, but Team Freedom started to respond with multiple kills from Joe Norman and Chris Nugent, which complimented the hitting errors performed by the Matadors, score is 16-15 Matadors in the lead. Two blocks from O18 then allowed the Matadors some separation, but relentless sideouts and kills from Mikhel Hoyte and Joe Norman were able to bring it back for Team Freedom as they tied it up at 20-20. The Matadors then had enough with kills from Jesus Serrano and Matt Siefert, and two blocks from O18 ended the game, 20-25 Matadors win.
Set 3
Set three started off a little more even keel, and forced Team Freedom to put in their starts with Matt Seifert coming back in the middle and Matt Elias coming in to set. Although Team Freedom made these changes the Matadors were able to keep the point spread close as they went up one point into the technical timeout, 8-7. A block from Gilberto Sanchez starts the run for the Matadors, as Team Freedom can’t seem to get out of their own way, making numerous hitting and service errors, the Matadors go up 18-13. The three blocks from Gabriel Cruz and two aces from Jesus Serrano drove the momentum home as the Matadors beat Team Freedom 25-15.
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Leading the way for the Matadors during the first 2021 NVA event, opposite Jacob Vander Beek scored a total of 37 points for the team and is now ranked 8th in the league for total points. Vander Beek was the spark plug for the Matadors, starting every comeback and scoring multiple game-winners throughout their three matches. Catching fire and stepping in as the team’s ace, attacking at .380%, Jacob put on streaks of consecutive kills, which helped the team pull away with the lead. Even more, Vander Beek’s defensive game played a crucial role in the Matadors’ wins, keeping them afloat against powerful offenses like the Stingers. In their win against the LA Blaze, Vander Beek racked up double-digit digs, proving to be a well-rounded opposite which is just effective in the back and frontcourt.
To catch up on all the Event 1 matches and see Vander Beek in action on the court, head on over to Youtube at NVA USA. Fans can also head on over the NVA News page to read a written recap of all three of the Matador’s matches. Don’t forget to follow Jacob (@the_beek), the Ontario Matadors (@matadorsnvausa), and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram and Facebook to get weekly updates of the team and your favorite players.
]]>Southern California is home to some of the longest-standing sports rivalries with the Dodgers vs. Angels, Lakers vs. Clippers, and UCLA vs. USC. But even further than just within Los Angeles, many teams see Los Angeles as their rivals after taking the limelight for years. The same goes for surrounding so-cal counties like San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego, who would all love to knock any team from the City of Angels off their pedestals. At the first event of the 2021 season, the Inland Empire Matadors did just that, taking down the LA Blaze in dramatic fashion as they put down their claim to the Kings of So-Cal title.
The two teams were evenly matched in attack and passing percentages, with the Matadors having 41% kill percentage and 87% perfect pass. In contrast, the LA Blaze had 43% and 92%, respectively. Blaze led the way in total points, kills, and aces, with their high flyers Charles Belvin and Travis O’gorman and Puerto Rican national middle Pedro Nieves leading the offensive charge. But as the LA team went for flashy kills and powerful serves, the team began to rack up an impressive amount of mistakes, with a collective 38 errors at the end of the match.
However, the Matadors stayed calm and efficient under pressure, letting their opponents make all the errors while their big hitters cleaned up. Making his first appearance in the league after playing a season in Brazil, outside hitter Mauro Isaac Fuentes scoring an impressive 17 kills. Opposite Jacob Vander Beek mirrored Mauro with 12 kills and secured the backcourt with double-digit digs. Jacobs and Libero Jose Mulero’s efforts helped the team weather the storm of LA Blaze’s 128 attack attempts.
The match was indeed a nail-biter, but in the end, the Inland Empire Matadors pulled through to take the win and have shown the strength of men’s volleyball in the Inland Empire. All the team needs to do now to take the So-Cal throne is take down last year’s runner up the OC Stunners. After a dismal performance at the first event, going 0-3 on the weekend, the Stunner might be prime to take out of the running during their next match-up. The Matadors will take on the Stunners on day one of the NVA’s second event in Atlantic City, May 28th.Follow the following link to read more about all three of the Matadors matches this weekend!
And be sure to catch the match live on YouTube to catch all the action with live sports commentary!
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