The NVA finished off 2021 with a bang by bringing their all-stars to the AVCA’s 40thAnniversary Convention in Columbus, Ohio! For three days, the league’s players and coaches hit the courts with some of the world’s greatest volleyball minds to help advance the sport of volleyball, educating the next generation of American coaches. The NVA had the privilege to work alongside inspirational icons such as Karch Kiraly and John Speraw as well as hosting the All-American Banquet recognizing elite players from Women’s Collegiate Volleyball.
Those who attended the All-American Banquet and the coinciding NCAA Div. 1 championship match between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Wisconsin Badgers witnessed some of the most extraordinary players in the history of NCAA. The game had historical precedence, with one player becoming the first-ever five-time AVCA First-Team All-American. Of course, it would be none other than the Division 1 player of the year, Wisconsin middle blocker Dana Rettke!
The NVA had the privilege of handing out the awards to the AVCA Players of the Year, and we are excited to share their names with you again! Readers can find the complete list of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd team selections from each division on the AVCA website. https://www.avca.org/awards/
AVCA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
NAIA AVCA Player of the Year– Nada Meawad, Park (Missouri)
Two-Year College AVCA Player of the Year– Marian Ovalle, New Mexico Military Institute
NCCAA AVCA Player of the Year– Sydney Schwitters, University of Northwestern-St. Paul
NCAA Division III AVCA Player of the Year– Heidi Westra, Calvin University
NCAA Division II AVCA Player of the Year– Alexis Cardoza, Cal State San Bernardino
NCAA Division I AVCA Player of the Year– Dana Rettke, University of Wisconsin – Madison
For many of the NVA players present for the convention, the best moment of the event came from the Athletes Unlimited Draft, which has invited nine graduating collegiate stars to join their league. Athletes Unlimited is the only pro indoor women’s volleyball league in the U.S., which premiered last year on the CBS Sports Network! Two of the draftees, Div. 1 Player of the Year, Dana Rettke, and Nebraska’s Laura Stivrins, went head-to-head, middle on middle, in the 5-Set NCAA Championship thriller. This historic draft is the first of its kind in the U.S. to provide an immediate pipeline for the nation’s most valuable volleyball players to go straight from university to the major leagues!
Inspired by AU Sports, the NVA is preparing to eventually establish their draft, looking to bring graduating student-athletes into the fold after the NCAA Men’s Final. With another successful year at the AVCA, the NVA has done well to show attending coaches just how disciplined, determined, and hungry our athletes are. We hope that the word will continue to spread from coaches to the next generation of college players that the dream of becoming a professional volleyball athlete is just on the other side of graduation! With this much talent already on display on the women’s side, the NVA and their teams are eager to see what homegrown products come from NCAA Men’s Volleyball this summer!
-NVA Staff Writer
]]>For those that have not heard, NVA Broadcast Announcer Nick England has started his own Twitch Sports Stream channel EnglandonAir during last year’s offseason. His streams include multiple breakdowns and analyses of volleyball competitions, including previous NVA events and FIVB and European Cup matches. Even better, England has begun bringing in top players from the NVA to give new insight into these matches. One player who has received a lot of attention since his involvement with the stream is Team Freedom Setter Ryan Kenny.
The New Jersey native is packed with years of volleyball experience from playing in USAV tournaments, with Team Durham in the UK, and a full-time coach with Side-Out Sports in Fairfield, NJ. His on-air insights with EnglandonAir were an instant success leading him to be invited back multiple times since his first appearance. Kenny shared, “My first stream with Nick was the first one he had done in a while, and we still managed to get the most views and subscribers from a single episode!”
The Twitch Stream platform is an excellent way for athletes to give relaxed game commentary on how they played, rather than being harshly treated at times by post-game reporters. “I’m mainly excited to get involved with as many promotional projects with the NVA as possible. I only have so long before I can keep playing at this level,” shared Kenny.
The streams have even allowed Kenny to scout the other teams and have helped plan Team Freedom’s roster for next season. Kenny went on to say, “I guess I am giving away all of my secrets in these streams, but that’s part of the fun!” Kenny is still set to play an integral role as one of the primary setters for Team Freedom again this season, alongside Matt Elias. With that said, Kenny is ready to jump into a coaching role if need be, especially with his newfound knowledge of each team’s weaknesses from his time on the stream with EnglandonAir!
Head on over to www.twitch.tv/englandonair to watch upcoming live streams and previous videos by subscribing to the channel for $4.99 a month! Fans can also follow Ryan Kenny (@ryanjkenny) and Nick England (@englandinsd) to find more NVA content and to be the first to hear when a new stream is on the way.
-NVA Staff Writer
]]>Check it out! Here’s a throwback article from 2020 posted on the NVA’s main page back when Team Freedom won the first-ever Spotlight Showdown. During the event, fans voted for the best highlight clips leading up to the Showcase Event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The NVA held its first-ever ‘NVA Spotlight Showdown’ last month, which gave fans a chance to vote for their favorite team clips in a tournament-style competition on Instagram. Team Freedom took home the gold as Mikheil Anthony Hoyte (aka The Zebra) won 53.2% of the online votes in the championship matchup against Northeast Force. This comes after almost a month of online voting from fans against 63 other team highlights, which shows how fascinating and impressive this viral volleyball clip is. This spotlight video shows the cohesion that Team Freedom has as a unit with solid three-point passing and deceptive one-hand setting while demonstrating the power and athleticism of the Zebra spike. Despite the current hold on competition with current COVID-19 guidelines, Team Freedom has still shown that they are among the league’s top teams.
Mikheil Hoyte, The Zebra, exclaimed, “I am immensely grateful to my family, friends, and loyal supporters who generously contributed their time and effort to our campaign during this NVA spotlight showdown showcase. This win is for them, honestly, but also many thanks to my team freedom teammates. I am grateful to be a part of that crazy family – Let Freedom Ring!”
Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, Mikheil is a current member of their Men’s National Team. He also just completed an impressive season with Mjølnir Volleyball Club, located in the Faroe Islands (a Danish Island territory between Iceland and Norway). There they took first place in the 2020 season of the Flogbóltssamband Føroya (Faroese Volleyball Association). As one of the first international players to play in the league, along with Australian outside hitter Phil Freere, Mikheil’s time with Mjolnir is genuinely a testament to professional volleyball’s growth around the world. We are more than excited to have international players such as Mikheil with the NVA! Make sure to follow the links below to see what Team Freedom has in store for us in the upcoming 20-21 season.
Head on over to the NVA’s (@nvausa) on Instagram and find the archived IG story called ‘Spotlight Show’ to catch see all the top submitted highlights!
– NVA Staff Writer
]]>New Jersey’s Team Freedom is arguably one of the strongest teams in the league, boasting a deep roster filled with monstrous players such as Chris Vaughn, Joe Norman and Matt Seifert. Unfortunately for Team Freedom, they caught a small case of the injury bug with the loss of Chris Vaughn from an ankle injury during the Atlantic City tournament, and prior commitments that took out both Chris Nugent and Josue Costillo, Team Freedom came in arguably down this past weekend which gave them an 0-3 record on the weekend. The first loss was to a fiery Southern Exposure team, which was lead by their newest middle Ofoha Uchenna, a Canadian who has two years of experience playing overseas. He finished the match +8 overall with 10 kills and hitting .400 on the game. Team Freedom fought hard though, forcing the game to go five but ultimately fell short in the fifth set losing 15-13.
This would end up being the story of the weekend for the seasoned Team Freedom, being down three key players, they had to continue to fight to stay alive against both the Texas Tyrants and the Las Vegas Ramblers but unfortunately came up short in both games in 5. What does this mean for New Jersey’s Team Freedom when it comes to seeding for the NVA Championship? Fortunately Team Freedom has had such an exemplary record, with only one loss to the Utah Stingers going into the June Event, they had secured themselves a spot as the third ranked team in the National Conference. Team Freedom is a strong team with a lot of well founded history and grit that they won’t allow one bad weekend get in the way of their future success. Catch Team Freedom making a strong run July 9th-11th in San Bernardino for the NVA Champiosnhips on nvausa.com or the NVA YouTube channel.
]]>Showing his impressive physical dominance that pushed Team Freedom to a 4th place finish at the 2020 NVA Championships, please welcome back to Team Freedom, Penn State Alumni, Matthew Siefert. The 6’10 Middle Blocker made easy work of running the front row defense, slowing down some of the most talented players in the nation with his huge block back in November. His performance does not solely come from his sheer size but rather his accumulated wealth of skills and knowledge from 6 years of success in some of the world’s top leagues. Athletic excellence seems to run deep in the Seifert family, as evident by the older brother, Elliot Seifert. Elliot played offensive tackle for Temple University as well as the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL and the Australian Football League. Having a powerhouse player among others in the ranks of the NVA is an excellent sign for what the future of the American pro-volleyball scene is moving towards.
A four-year starter at Penn State from 2012-2016, Matthew is part of a great line of other American legends from the college program, with Matt Anderson, Max Holt, and Aaron Russell. Among being a three-year team captain for the Penn State, Seifert led the Nittany Lions to win 4 EIVA Conference Championships and earned himself both 2nd Team all EIVA awards for 2014/2015 and a 1st team award in 2016! His triumphs then seemed to be never-ending as he went abroad to play in the Greek Volleyleague with Ethnikos Piraeus. Still proving to be a phenomenal all-star, winning a week 17 MVP award and being named the 5th best middle blocker in 2018. At the apex of his career abroad, Matt was a starter in the 1st Division of the German Bundesliga with the Volleyball Bisons in Bühl, Germany.
“I’ve been very blessed with the opportunities volleyball has given me. Volleyball has taken me to 14 different countries. I’ve played with and against current or future Olympians, and I’ve met so many great people through this sport and its community” Seifert stated.
His journey has now led him back to the US. Being home, being closer to his family, finding more opportunities to advance his career, and even growing the sport in his home town in Reading, Pennsylvania. Since joining Team Freedom, Matthew has helped coach the Alvernia University Men’s Volleyball Team while also entering the ‘real world’ working in sales and marketing. However, Matthew is nowhere near being done with volleyball, giving his all to Team Freedom as they continue to compete in the NVA, getting better with every season. Still in the game, using many of the tips he’s developed in his experiences, he hopes this can inspire others in their own pursuits!
“Physically write down the goals you want to accomplish in your sport and put it next to your bed. Constant reminder when you wake up and go to sleep of what you’re working for. Also, watch the best players in your position. There’s so much film and video available nowadays. Take advantage and watch how the best players play the game.” Seifert explained.
Make sure to tune in this season to catch all of the action as Matthew and Team Freedom in their Quest for the Cup in 2021. You can find all the matches’ live streams and even replays from the NVA 2020 Championship on our youtube page. Even more, you can follow Matt Seifert (@mattseiffert__), Team Freedom(@teamfreedomvbc), and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to get weekly media updates. Don’t miss out on all the exciting news and coverage to come from this new season!
Penn State Player Page
https://gopsusports.com/sports/mens-volleyball/roster/matt-seifert/4803
Pro Team Page Links
]]>Most notably known for his AVP career, Outside Hitter Christopher Vaughan brings a lot of experience to Team Freedom, where he has shown great prowess converting his beach skills to the court. An international professional player in his own right, Chris has competed in beach world tournaments in Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Austria, Hawaii, and Kawaii. His dynamite sand volley career has even taken him into the new world of three-man snow volleyball. Currently a USA Snow National Team player as one of the sport’s pioneers, he has become part of the movement to push Volleyball into selection for the Winter Olympics. Having a bag of tricks at his disposal from his plethora of experience in indoor, beach, and snow has made him a lethal threat for Freedom in the NVA. As one of the veteran players from Team Freedom’s conception in 2013, Vaughan has been a massive factor for his team and the NVA as a whole.
Starting his volleyball career at his alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology, Chris competed as the team’s primary libero and defensive specialist. Quickly leading the team in digs in his freshman season, (getting double-digit digs 11 times), Chris wanted to show that he could also play at the net. His next season as an Outside Hitter, Chris pushed the envelope even further, leading his team in kills with 403 on the season. His fast growth and dominance in college led him to be twice named an NCAA Division 3 All-American and a National Championship his junior season. Since leaving SIT, he has continued to rack up accolades, being awarded rookie of the year in the National Volleyball League pro beach tour in 2016 and now being ranked in the top 50 players in the AVP. With the NVA, Chris and New Jersey Team Freedom are pushing for the championships this season. Vaughan truly lives his life every day for the sole purpose of playing Volleyball in any way possible!
“Volleyball will take over the world!” as The Hottest Take podcast said it best; and Vaughan reiterated that fact, “How can baseball be a more popular sport to watch when volleyball packs tons more excitement in one point, which is less than the time between pitches” said Vaughan.
With all that being said, the NVA is lucky to have such a hardworking individual competing in the league. An eccentric and energetic teammate, Chris is always seen on the court or beach wearing his headband or neon glasses, always bringing the fire for his teammates. While he does give off the goofy persona, he’s actually extremely bright, having earned a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Systems Engineering.
You can follow Chris Vaughan (@Chrisvaughanbvb), Team Freedom(@teamfreedomvbc), and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to get weekly media updates. You can also catch Chris in action this season with live streams and even replays from the NVA 2020 Championship on our youtube page. Don’t miss out on all the exciting news and coverage to come from this new season!
Snow Volleyball
NVL Link
http://thenvl.com/portfolio/chrisvaughan/
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Now only two weeks away from the NVA Championships in Salt Lake City, we checked in with Team Freedom and their starting middle blocker Mathew Seifert about being back from his time overseas and thoughts about the league. Matt, staying true to his Pennsylvania roots, joined the ranks of American volleyball legends Matt Anderson, Max Holt, and Aaron Russell at Penn State University. After a strong collegiate career with All-EIVA Team awards, Matt continued to play professionally for Ethnikos Piraeus in Greece and the Volleyball Bisons in Bühl, Germany.
Q: What have you been up to since being back from your season with the Bisons in Bühl, Germany? How has the transition been from playing in the Bundesliga to now being back home with Team Freedom?
A: Since returning home from Germany, I’ve found my way back into the “real world,” where I’ve been working in sales and marketing. Thankfully, I’ve also been able to stay close to the game working with Alvernia University men’s volleyball program in Reading, Pennsylvania. The transition from the Bundesliga to playing back at home with Team Freedom has gone well. The Bundesliga in Germany has nothing but high-level players and teams across the league. I haven’t yet seen what all the NVA teams have on their rosters, but I’m confident that my experiences abroad have prepared me for whatever I will see in Salt Lake City. Team Freedom has a combination of veteran knowledge, skill, and grit. Everyone on the roster loves to play the game, which makes playing that much more enjoyable.
Q: What are your thoughts on the upcoming November Championships in Utah? What has been your training/preparation for the event?
A: The upcoming (tournament) is going to be very exciting. All the NVA teams have been patiently waiting for the opportunity to play and impact this league. I’m sure everyone would agree that they’re eager to demonstrate the growth of men’s volleyball in the USA. As far as preparation, I’ve been getting my reps with the Alvernia team and Team Freedom squads, both running through the basics with drills or playing 6v6.
Q: Any players or teams that you’re looking forward to playing against?
A: I am just looking forward to playing overall. Again, this is something that all the teams have been wanting to get rolling for a long time. Playing against new teams and players I haven’t seen yet is exciting to me. Some of the players I have played against in college, and some I’ve probably played against in Europe. It will be great to step on the court again with those guys, especially with everyone being so eager to show what they can do! I think it will be the teams with the most consistent play and roster depth will perform the best at the tourney.
We are excited to see what Matt and the rest of Team Freedom have to offer in the November tournament (5-8). Download the NVA app, and visit the league website: nvausa.com for live stream and stats during the tournament. Also visit Team Freedom’s website: teamfreedom.nvausa.com for more information on rosters, and other specific team items.
Penn State Player Page
https://gopsusports.com/sports/mens-volleyball/roster/matt-seifert/4803
Pro Team Page Links
]]>The NVA takes pride in its ability to provide a home-base professional league for all the Americans who have gone overseas to play. Whether it is in-between seasons or its finally time to settle down, the NVA is always appreciative of having players with international playing experience. One such player for Team Freedom is Christopher Nugent, a Pennsylvania State Alumni and previous player for VK Ostrava in the Czech Republic. He took some time to share some stories about his time abroad and the events that have led him to the NVA.
The year he graduated and finished his career at Penn State University, Chis shipped off overseas with the help of his agent Rajko Jokanovic, securing him a contract in the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, just on the eastern border with Poland. Chris described the size of the league where even him, a 6’5″ outside, was considered one of the league’s tallest players. Thus, the play’s speed was much faster, with a ‘GO ball’ being the average tempo, which meant Chris had to learn how to approach for a set that was even faster and placed more inside. He described, “I was pushed every day to run those sets, which required me to jump into the ball as I swung. I would end up getting chewed out if I ever went line since it was the coaches’ thought that there is always more angle.” He also expressed the struggle that many US players have switching to the international Mikasa balls after using Moltens in the NCAA.
Unfortunately, Chris had the obstacle of not having anyone on the team speak English, which can be difficult for anyone living abroad with no familiar faces. The only other international players on the team were two Polish players who spoke Russian as their second language. “I did my best to learn Czech, but it started tough with their word for yes being ‘Ano’ which was hard to get down being an English speaker” Nugent explained.
The team did their best to create a better sense of home for him, getting to know three of the local players’ parents and them holding a thanksgiving celebration. One huge plus was traveling while he was there, taking trips to Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Greece. He even was able to see his old teammate and USA National team player Aaron Russell while he was playing in Perugia, Italy.
In the end, though, Chris only stayed for one year, deciding that it was not the lifestyle he wanted. Chris’s experience is just another example of how diverse every team and country are and how it can be a roll of the dice to find the right fit with a club. “I don’t regret playing at all; I felt like I really needed that year for myself to do a ton of traveling and still get better at the sport I love,” he said.
Currently, Chris has enjoyed being back home. He has started to build his life here again, getting ready to buy a house and soon to have his wedding with fiancé Kara Michelle. As he put it, “I hope to be playing volleyball for the rest of my life, but it’s time to build my volleyball career around the life that I want to live!”
Follow Chris and the rest of Team Freedom on social media and the NVA app.
]]>Hailing from Manalapan, New Jersey, Doug Dzema is one of Team Freedom’s homegrown players who has tremendous amounts of positive energy and passion for Team Freedom and the game of volleyball in general. Doug took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about his life and volleyball.
Q: When/where did you start playing volleyball?
Doug: My brother Mike started playing volleyball in high school as a middle. He talked me into setting him in the backyard on a net that had a real heavy sag. After seeing him murdering these balls (on this droopy net), I thought, ‘Woah, I’m way better than his setter; he doesn’t look like this in his matches!’
Q: Where did you play in high school?
Doug: I played for Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey. The most memorable experiences came through Warren Sixpack’s club team. I was surrounded by the best players and coaches to come from the east coast. I was getting my arse kicked on the court by teammates and older guys in the club, but I wouldn’t change a thing. The exposure I got from getting wiped by more senior and better players molded me into the dynamic player I am today.
Q: What was your college experience like? What was your major?
Doug: My sophomore year was pivotal at Sacred Heart because I took everything I learned growing up as a setter, threw it in the trash…and became a middle. The backward transitions were full of new and exciting challenges. Like having to make a blocking movement to the left? How in the hell does that even work?! Do I ever miss setting? Yea sure, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
I majored in Exercise Science and got my BS. Now I have one year left of graduate school pursuing my Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
Q: Have you played elsewhere overseas?
Doug: I never pursued the overseas career, BUT I did play with Team Freedom in Iceland and rolled my ankle in the first set of the tournament’s first match. So that was neat. Iceland is absolutely beautiful! Especially when you’re getting a piggyback ride everywhere on the John Eddins train. I have played a lot of grass this summer with my ‘Main Squeeze’ and Warzone Partner, Josh Ayzenberg. Won a few big ones, gained some Instagram followers…well worth the lost toenails.
Q: What do you currently do for work?
Doug: All of my jobs and volunteer experience have been around physical therapy clinics doing grunt work, laundry, and mopping the floors trying to be a fly on the wall absorbing all the information I could.
Q: What have you been up to during quarantine?
Doug: My roommate and I watched the entire Marvel series in chronological order, made some pillow forts, bought nerf guns, and had some silent discos. I perfected my fish stick cook time (the flip midway through is necessary for the crisp). If you haven’t watched Avatar the Last Airbender yet, do so…enlighten yourself. I also started studying for my board exam and getting ready for my clinical rotations.
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