The NVA is proud to announce more exciting news regarding the 2022 season, including a new league structure with divisions and an all-star match! The National and American Conferences have been split into four divisions with three teams each, totaling twelve teams. The regular-season matches will feature interdivisional, interconference, and cross-conference play spreading across five-season events (two more than the year before). The new layout opens the door for a more competitive rankings system that utilizes your overall record and accumulated ‘NVA Points’ to determine qualification and seeding for the playoffs.

The four divisions are set as follows:

During the regular season, each team will play:

–       Two teams in their division twice

–       Three matches against the opposing division in their conference, and then

–       Three more matches against one of the divisions from the opposite conference

Altogether, each team will play ten matches, competing for the best overall record of their divisions. The team with the top record in their respective division will automatically qualify for the playoffs. The following two teams within that conference with the best overall record will also qualify for the playoffs regardless of division. Four teams from each conference will be represented in the playoffs, similar to 2021.

On top of the extended regular season, the NVA is also planning its first-ever All-Star Game! During Event 5, the NVA will bring together the top performers of the regular season to compete for an exhibition featuring some of the top talents in the world in one match!

Make sure to get all the NVA’s scheduled events down in your calendars so you don’t miss any action this season! With new team rivalries established from last year’s competition, fans can expect big show-outs for match-ups such as Freedom vs. Stingers, Stunners vs. Tyrants, Blaze vs. Matadors, Sasquatch vs. Kraken, and Untouchables vs. Exposure. Come back to the news page and follow the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to find more info on the teams this coming season in the following weeks. Fans

should also check out the next two episodes of the Quest for the Cup series and get a first look at our two new teams, the Colorado Kraken and the Seattle Sasquatch.

–       NVA Staff Writer

The National Volleyball Association is now bigger than ever before, moving into the upcoming 2022 season, bringing you: more games, larger events, new teams, a new league structure, and even greater volleyball action! The American and National Conferences have each split into two divisions during the off-season. You will now see a Coastal and Central division within each conference. In addition, each conference has inducted a new franchise, bringing the league to a total of 12 teams, which has opened the door to a full regular-season schedule. From April to July, fans will be able to watch 60 matches with teams grinding their way through the rankings to solidify a spot in the 2022 NVA Championships! Here is the release for this year’s NVA Regular Season Event Schedule without further ado.

2022 NVA Regular Season Schedule

Event 1: April 8th – 10th

Event 2: May 6th – 8th

Event 3: May 28th – 30th

Event 4: June 17th – 19th

Event 5: July 8th – 10th

NVA Championship: August 5th-7th

Each event will feature twelve matches over three days with four games a day. Each team competes in two matches per event weekend, totaling ten matches throughout the season. The teams will be fighting each game to bolster their overall record and rack up NVA Points to win their respective division. Winning your division will automatically advance you to the playoffs.

Some of the highlight matches include…

– Saturday 04/09 @ 12:00 PM PST: Dallas Tornadoes vs. Colorado Kraken, the Tornadoes grudge match against their previous head coach and his new team, the Colorado Kraken.

– Friday 05/06 @ 9:00 AM PST: Las Vegas Ramblers vs. Utah Stingers, both of last year’s top regular-season teams who have both made the final podium two years running, will face off in this newly-formed rivalry.

– Friday 05/06 @ 12:00 PM PST: OC Stunners vs. Texas Tyrants, a rematch of their five-set, quarterfinals thriller, which is regarded as the best match of the 2021 playoffs.

– Sunday 05/30 @ 9 AM PST: Chicago Untouchables vs. Southern Exposure, a rematch of a highly gritty quarterfinal matchup from last season that ended in a five-set Exposure win.

– Sunday 06/19 @ 6 PM PST: LA Blaze vs. Inland Empire Matadors, as they battle for dominance in this cross-town rivalry.

– Sunday 06/30 @ 9 AM PST: New Jersey Freedom vs. Seattle Sasquatch, the first matchup between the Northwest and Northeast Coast teams.

Next week, be sure to check back in to delve into the ranking system that includes divisional and cross-conference play. Also, stay tuned for more information on the league’s two new teams, the Colorado Kraken and the Seattle Sasquatch! Follow the NVA on Instagram and Facebook to get weekly media updates on league developments and player stories if you haven’t already. Fans can also jump back in and watch all of last year’s matches on YouTube and get a taste of what is to come!

Follow the link below to get a breakdown of the 2022 season and conference divisions!

https://www.nvausa.com/news/detail?id=158

-NVA Staff Writer

Team Freedom had high expectations for the 2021 season as the tight-knit group of players has been together for some time. They started the season 5-0. But after their win over last year’s NVA Champions, the Stingers, Team Freedom has been missing key players Christopher Nugent, Christopher Vaughn, and Josue Castillo.

Coach Justin Beaumont had no choice but to turn to his deep bench of players with very little playing since being brought on to the team. However, still fighting with veterans like Matt Seifert, Joe Norman, and Jonathon Lutz to rely on, Team Freedom lost their last four matches. 

Of the four losses, however, the last three were hard-fought, each going to five sets. The extended matches gave Team Freedoms’ less played outside hitters like Besmir Arslani, Jefferey Nelson, and Jake Rosener more time to build chemistry with the rest of the starting lineup. 

The Stingers, by far, are the most talented and experienced NVA team coming off with a strong start at the start of the season, going 3-0. Leo Durkin and Hamilton Day have shared their setting duties running an efficient offense. So far, the apparent offensive starters for the team will be Jake Langlois, Jorge Mencia, Inovel Romero, Rusty Lavaja, and Alex Shmelev. But the team still has some solid supporting cast members with libero Kai Dugquem, Carson Henninger, Cory Metcalf, Paul Clark, and Storm Tufuga-Fa’gata. But other groups like the Ramblers, Team Freedom and Southern Exposure have been prepared for what the Utah Squad had to offer. 

The Stingers suffered back-to-back losses to the Ramblers and Team Freedom, with the matches going to five sets. Looking like they could bounce back in their season, beating the Stunners and Blaze; Southern Exposure took another blow to the Stingers’ record in a 5 set marathon match. The Stingers ended their season with a win against the Untouchables and a 6-3 record. However, that winning record was only good enough for a third-place finish in the American Conference behind the Ramblers and Tyrants, each with a record of 7-2.

Prediction: While Team Freedom is happy to be in the playoffs, there are some big questions that they’ll need to answer come game time. Will Nugent, Vaughn, and Castillo be well enough to play? If they do, how long will it take for them and their teammates to find the winning rhythm they had earlier in the year? Another is if Nugent, Vaughn, or Castillo don’t perform well, will Coach Beaumont pull the trigger and turn to his bench to replace them during the match? Either way beating the Stingers will not be an easy task. 

One advantage Team Freedom may have is that the Stingers tend to start slow. That could give Team Freedom the time they’ll need to recapture the winning chemistry and confidence they had earlier in the year.  

Team Freedom’s best chance of winning is with a healthy Nugent and Vaughan. Hopefully, that will be the case because it will be a better playoff match with both teams at full strength.

Although the Stingers finished in 3rd place, they received a good seed that placed them against the imbalanced Team Freedom, ending the season with a four-game losing streak. The Stingers have two more substantial incentives to defeat Team Freedom. One is payback for an earlier loss this season and a chance to repeat as NVA Champions. Therefore, it’s hard to bet against the Stingers.

The unanswered questions about Team Freedom’s lineup have given the Stingers the edge. Stingers 3, Team Freedom 0. 

Next up is the last playoff match between the Ramblers #1 Seed in American Conference versus the Matadors #4 Seed in National Conference at 7:00 pm. To find more articles about Team Freedom’s and the Utah Stinger’s regular season, check out their news section at the bottom of their team websites. 

https://teamfreedom.nvausa.com/

https://stingers.nvausa.com 

“Volley On With the NVA!”

• By 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.

Southern Exposure’s Defense Big Factor in Victory Over Team Freedom

Southern Exposure’s 39 attack points enough to overcome Team Freedom’s 53 attack points thanks to good defensive. 

Middle blocker #12 Matt Seifert delivered a monster kill that led to a Team Freedom mini run to take an early lead. Team Freedom’s middle blocker #6 Doug Dzema scored three consecutive points on a kill off the block and two blocks in a row for a 6-2 lead. Southern Exposure started slow and committed three service errors and one hitting error that helped Southern Exposure increase their lead to eight points 16-8 at the media timeout. Team Freedom scored their points on kills by Seifert, #4 Matt Elias, #18 Jonathon Lutz and #8 Besmir Arsiani. Southern Exposure scored points from 6 of their 8 points from Team Freedom’s service and hitting errors and two kills from #2 Eddie Moushikhian and #11 Kevin Rocklein. Southern Exposure rallied back with three mini runs to cut the deficit to two at 22-20. Their points came from kills by Moushikhian, #13 Chad Mercado, middle blocker #12 Uchenna Ofoha and blocks by #8 middle blocker Tim Lourich and #15 setter Derrick Sullivan. Southern Exposure eventually tied the set at 23-23. After a Team Freedom timeout, Southern Exposure scored the last two points from back-to-back service aces by Mercado. 

Both teams sided out well for most of set number two. Team Freedom took an early 2-point lead at 8-6. But Southern Exposure rallied back and took a 3-point lead at 11-8. Team Freedom scored their points on kills by #19 Jeffery Nelson, Lutz and Arsiani and Southern Exposure from kills by Rocklein and Moushikhian. Team Freedom rallied back at to tie the set at 16-16 on service ace by Dzema, kill by Nelson and kill and block by Seifert. After a media timeout a kill by Moushikhian gave Team Freedom a 1-point lead to 17-16 which they never relinquished. Team Freedom increased their lead and closed out the set with kills by Moushikhian, Lutz and Nelson. Seifert score the last point on a block for a 25-18 win. 

Southern Exposure dominated set number three that started with a 5-0 run from two Team Freedom hitting errors and kills by Mercado and #8 middle blocker Tim Lourich and block by Lourich. At 9-4 Southern Exposure increased their lead to 7 points at the media timeout with a combination of Team Freedom hitting errors and kills by Seifert, Dzema, Arsiani and Mercado for a 16-9 lead. The only offense Teams Freedom mustered was from Lutz who had 5 consecutive kills. For the rest of the set the only other scores for Team Freedom came on kills by #2 Jake Rosner, Dzema and Nelson. Southern Exposure closed out the set with two consecutive service aces by Rocklein, one kill and one service ace by Ofoha. The set ended on a service error by Team Freedom at 25-15. 

Southern Exposure continued their scoring run in set number four with a 4-0 run on a line kill by Moushikhian back-to-back blocks by Lourich and kill by Lourich. But Team Freedom turned quickly rebounded and tied the score at 4-4 on two Southern Exposure hitting errors and Seifert kill and block. Southern Exposure countered back and took a one point lead until Team Freedom tied the set at 10-10. Team Freedom took the lead thanks to two consecutive Southern Exposure hitting errors, Lutz block, Nelson deep angle kill and kill off the block for a 16-12 score at the media timeout. Team Freedom increased their lead to 6 points at 23-17 and won the set on a Seifert kill 25-19. 

Team Freedom captured the early lead in set number five 3-1 from a Southern Exposure hitting error and Seifert block. Team Freedom kept their lead on kills by Dzema and Rosner until 9-9. A Team Freedom hitting error during transition gave Southern the lead at 10-9. A lead they never relinquished. After Team Freedom called a timeout at 11-9, Southern Exposure scored two consecutive points and took a 13-10 lead on a kill by #1 Tyler-Neil Hubbard and block by Lourich. Southern Exposure won the set and match on a Team Freedom hitting error 15-12. 

Team Freedom’s Jonathon Lutz led all players with 20 kills and his teammates Joe Norman 9 kills and Doug Dzema 7 kills. Southern Exposure’s Uchenna Ofoha led his team with 10 kills followed by Kevin Rocklin with 8 kills and Eddie Moushikhian and Chad Mercado with 6 kills. 

Ramblers Out Shoot Team Freedom in 5 Sets

Both teams started off sluggish and struggled to find a rhythm in their offense. Eight of the early points were scored on hitting and service errors. Team Freedom took the early lead on kills by #12 Matt Seifert, #20 Joe Norman, and double block by #11 MB Mikheil Hoyte and Norman. Ramblers scored points on kills by #14 Ryan Mather, #15 Kevin Lopez, #24 MB Mark Lane and #20 Brandon Rattray. At 19-17 two Ramblers’ service errors and one hitting error increased Team Freedom’s lead to 4 points at 22-18. Ramblers cut the lead back to 2 points on kills by #2 MB Sean Dennis and Lopez to 22-20. At 24-21 Mather scored on a service ace to 24-22. After Team Freedom called a timeout, Norman scored on a line kill for a 25-22 Team Freedom win. 

In set number two Ramblers quickly found their stride and took a 6-1 lead that started with a double block by Rattray and Lane. Followed with kills by Rattray, Lane and Mather. After Team Freedom called a timeout, Ramblers added to their lead from a Rattray bic and service ace to 9-1. Team Freedom finally scored their first clean point at 11-3 after a Norman cross court kill. For the rest of the match Team Freedom only scored 5 clean points on kills by #8 Besmir Arslani, #2 Jake Rosner, Seifert and Hoyte. Their other points came from Ramblers  hitting and service errors. Ramblers cruised the rest of the set and scored on kills by Mather, Dennis, #8 Setter Michael Keegan dump, Rattray and Lopez. The set ended on a service error by Team Freedom that gave the Ramblers a 25-17 win. 

Ramblers started off strong in set number three and took an early 2-0 lead on two consecutive kills by Mather. One cross court and the other a swipe off the block. Ramblers kept their two point lead until Team Freedom tied the score at 8-8 on kills from Norman, Seifert and Rosner. As the teams exchanged points, Ramblers held on to a 1-point lead until Team Freedom took the lead at 14-13 on a Norman swipe kill off the block. Team Freedom increased their lead before the media timeout on a Rosner block to 16-13. Ramblers attempted a rally on kills by Dennis, Rattray, and Lopez but never caught up withTeam Freedom. Team Freedom finished the set with 4 kills by Norman and a block by Seifert. The set ended on a Ramblers hitting error for a 25-19 Team Freedom win. 

The Ramblers and Team Freedom’s hitters struggled to find the court in the beginning of set number four. Each time committed four hitting and service errors. Team Freedoms other points came on kills by Seifert, Hoyte, Arslani and block by Seifert. Ramblers scored on kills by Rattray, Lopez and Mather service ace. After an 8-8 tie consecutive scores by Mather and Rattray and then Lane and Lopez gave the Ramblers a 4-point lead at 14-10. After the media timeout at 16-12 the only Team Freedom players who scored points were Rosner and Hoyte. The rest of Team Freedom’s points were scored from Ramblers’ service and hitting errors. Throughout the set Rattray was the go-to-guy for the Ramblers. Before the media timeout he had 5 kills. After the media timeout he collected 5 more kills. The other points for the Ramblers came from Mather and Dennis, who had the final kill to end the set at 25-21. 

A Ramblers’ service error gave Team Freedom the 1-0 lead. After a kill by Ramblers MB Dennis the teams exchanged points to a 4-4 tie. A Rattray kill, service ace and Team Freedom hitting error gave the Ramblers a 3-point lead. Team Freedom finally sided out on a Norman kill to 7-5. At 9-7 Ramblers scored three straight points from two Rattray kills and double block by Rattray and Dennis to increase the lead to 12-7. Team Freedom fought back and scored three straight points from Hoyte and back-to-back service aces by Norman to cut the lead to 12-10. But Norman hit his next serve out and then a Team Freedom hitting error gave the Ramblers set and match point at 14-10. Ramblers won the match on a Dennis service ace 15-10. 

For the Ramblers Brandon Rattray led all players with 24 kills, followed by Ryan Mather with 15 kills and Kevin Lopez with 14 kills. Joe Norman had 21 kills for Team Freedom. Followed by Besmir Arslani with 7 kills, Miheil Hoyte with 5 kills and Matt Seifert with 4 kills. Ramblers had 6 service aces and 8 blocks. And Team Freedom 3 service aces and 6 blocks. Ramblers scored a total of 67 points to Team Freedom’s 42 points. 

Tyrants Tenacious Play Conquers Team Freedom in 5 Sets

Tyrants’ #9 Gianluca Grasso scored the first clean point of  the match on a tool. Both teams came out swinging and only committed three hitting errors and two service errors in the beginning of the set. Tyrants scored points on kills by #17 Tim Johnson, #15 Ryan Maune and Grasso. Team Freedom scored on kills by #11 Mikheil Hoyte, #18 Jonathon Lutz, #17 Keith Kegerreis and a double block by  Hoyte and #4 setter Matt Elias. After a Team Freedom hitting error at 8-8, Tyrants increased their lead by 3 points on a Grasso kill, another Team Freedom hitting error and kill by #15 Ryan Maune at 14-11. Team Freedom made an effort to rally back with kills from a dump by setter Elias, kill by #2 Jake Rosner, Elias service ace, Hoyte kill and #19 Jeffrey Nelson. Tyrants scored on points by Maune, Grasso, 3 consecutive kills by #22 MB Austen Lovett and closed out the set on kills by #1 Anthony Robinson and #16 Daniel Jacobs 25-20. 

In set number two turned Team Freedom’s #20 Joe Norman and MB Hoyte scored for most of their points. It started with a Hoyte block that gave Team Freedom a 3-1 lead. Norman scored a kill to 4-2. At 5-3 Maune scored the next two Tyrants’ points. But a Rosner kill and block by setter Elias increased Team Freedom’s lead to 9-5. After Grasso scored on a line kill at 12-8, Team Freedom increased their lead on three consecutive kills. The first by Hoyte, Nelson and Hoyte again to 15-8. After the media timeout Norman scored on back-to-back kiss for an 18-10 lead. Team Freedom kept this lead until Tyrants scored a mini run from a Team Freedom hitting error and block and kill by Lovett to 18-15. However, Team Freedom was able to establish the middle again on consecutive kills by Hoyte to keep a 4-point lead 21-17. At 21-18 Norman scored back-to-back kills and Hoyte followed with a service ace to increase their lead to 24-18. Tyrants scored on two consecutive kills by Robinson and then Team Freedom won the set on a kill by #17 Keith Kegerries 25-20. 

Isaiah Acfalle #11 replaced #10 Gabriel Quinones at setter in set number three. Team Freedom scored the first point on a Hoyte block. Tyrants scored the next 3 points on kills by Grasso, Robinson and Jacobs to 3-0. Team Freedom struggled to find the court that gave the Tyrants free points. After a Team Freedom hitting error, the Tyrants scored 4 consecutive points on two kills by Jacobs and Robinson, a block by Maune and service ace by Jacobs to 11-4. Team Freedom hit a dry spell and only scored points on Tyrants’ hitting errors. But at 15-8 Team Freedom scored a clean point on a block by Hoyte to 15-9. Two possessions late Grasso scored back-to-back points on a kill and service ace to 18-10. After a net by the Tyrants, Team Freedom scored two consecutive points by Hoyte from a kill and block. At 21-15 Tyrants increased their lead to 24-15 on Grasso kill and back-to-back blocks by Lovett. Rosner scored the last clean point for Team Freedom and then Tyrants won the set on a Grasso kill 25-20. 

In set number four Joe Norman scored Team Freedom’s first four clean points that helped his team take a 2 point lead at 5-3. Tyrants countered with kills by Grasso, Robinson and Jacobs to a 6-6 tie. On the next possession Tyrants took the lead on a Maune kill. A Grasso kill and kill by Acfalle after a Team Freedom overpass gave Tyrants a 10-6 lead. At 11-8 Grasso and Lovett scored back-to-back kills for a 13-8 lead. Team Freedom tied the score after consecutive scores by setters Elias from a dump and service ace, two consecutive Tyrants hitting errors and Seifert block. A Rosner kill after a Tyrants’ overpass gave Team Freedom the lead 14-13. Seifert followed up with kill to 15-13. Tyrants rallied back to tie the score again on a kill and service ace by Grasso and block by Robinson to 16-16. Team Freedom kept their lead from a Norman kill to 17-16. But Tyrants retook the lead at 20-19 after a Jacobs kill and service ace. At 22-22 Team Freedom took the lead back on a Elias block 23-22. After Grasso scored on a kill to 24-23, Team Freedom won the match on a block by Rosner 25-23. 

Team Freedom took the early lead in set number five on a kill by Rosner, Tyrants’ hitting error and two kills by Norman to 4-3, while Tyrants scored on a kill by Jacobs and two kills by Robinson. After Maune scored skill that tied the score 4-4, Tyrants started a mini run with another Maune kill, Robinson kill, service ace by Jacobs, double block by Robinson and Maune and Robinson kill for a 9-4 lead. While the Tyrants sided-out, Team Freedom committed hitting errors that kept them from launching a rally. At 13-9 Tyrants scored on a kill by Jacobs to 14-9. Teams Freedom sided-out on a Norman kill and then Jacobs scored set and match point on a line kill off the block 15-10. 

Gianluca Grasso led all players with 24 kills. His teammates Anthony Robinson and Daniel Jacobs scored 14 and 13 kills. Joe Norman led Team Freedom with 16 kills, followed by Mikheil Hoyte 10 kills and Jefferey Nelson 9 kills. Tyrants also score on 6 aces and 9 blocks. And Team Freedom on 4 aces and 9 blocks.  

L.A Blaze V.S New Jersey Team Freedom

Set 1

The match started off with both teams going pound for pound with heavy swings from Travis O’Gorman and Matt Seifert and craftier tips from Pedro Nieves. LA Blaze managed to get some early separation with consecutive blocks from Edison Zhou and Pablo Guzman, digs from Ricardo Massanet, and a fast back-row attack from O’Gorman. After a controversial double wasn’t called on LA Blaze, the team went on a seven-point service run giving Blaze a 20-12 lead. Team freedom still managed to fight hard with long rallies and impressive saves from Jordan Robinson. Steven Morales put in the final daggers of the set with a kill and service ace to end the set 25-16.

Set 2

Set had a similar start with both teams going kill for kill, with Morales leading the charge with three early kills for LA Blaze. Where one team excelled, the other responded with Keith Kegerreis scoring a colossal ace to only have Guzman returning with a massive cross-court shot. However, after tying at 8-8, LA Blaze seemed to break down after a momentum-changing overpass kill by Arslan Besmir. Team Freedom pushed hard on a five-point service run, allowing them to gain a seven-point lead at 18-11. Blaze made a heroic effort to return from their deficit by making it to 25-19.

Set 3

Travis O’gorman continued to be the kill leader for LA Blaze, scoring three of four Blaze’s first points. At the same time, Christopher Nugent and Besmir gained the first points of set three for Team Freedom. As the set developed, neither team could solidify a lead with errors at every other point, including nets and foot-faults on top of numerous hitting and service errors. Guzman helped to break away with a massive block at 16-16 and collect 4 digs in the set to help give LA Blaze more opportunities to score in the late game. Three service errors by Besmir, Kegerreis, and Seifert put Team Freedom in the grave as LA Blaze took the set 25-22.

Set 4

Early on, Blaze took a 6-1 lead with kills from O’Gorman and a block and kill from Greg Faulkner while Team Freedom continued to make errors. LA Blaze held onto their five-point lead until O’Gorman made a string of three errors which allowed Team Freedom to get up to two points behind at 16-14 and force Blaze to take a timeout. From the timeout, Team Freedom’s Kegerreis and Seifert both put up blocks which finally tied the set at 18-18. Team Freedom then held a slight lead until Christopher Vaughan tragically sprained his ankle during a block and is subbed from the game. Rallying together for their fallen comrade, Team Freedom fought neck and neck with LA Blaze until a hitting error by Morales gave Freedom the winning point at 26-24.

Set 5

 The fifth set was an exhilarating deathmatch as both teams, now 2-2, desperately fought to get the upper hand on the other. No team could take the lead until after two blocks by Matt Seifert put Team Freedom at 11-9. Joe Norman came in clutch at the end to get two kills at 13-11 and 14-12 and the final point taken by Besmir to end the match 15-13.

Game 5: Utah Stingers v.s Team Freedom

Set 1

To start the match, the Utah Stingers came out to a decisive lead of 7-0, with kills from Jorge Mencia, Cory Metcalf, and Storm Fa’agata-Tufuga. A kill from Christopher Nugent finally stopped the bleeding. Still, the damage was already deep enough that it seemed impossible for Team Freedom to make it back in the set. A late string of points was started with a block and ace by Joe Norman and intense defensive pressure at the net, bringing Team Freedom from being down 17-10 to 18-15. However, the Stingers came back harder with an ace from Alex Shmelev and a block by Fa’agata-Tufuga, which helped to end the set 25-18.

Set 2

Team Freedom came back strong with setter Matt Elias taking the reigns with a deep tip to the corner and a block on Fa’agata-Tufuga, gaining a lead of 8-4 at the technical timeout. Unfazed by being blocked, Fa’agata-Tufuga returned the favor by gaining four kills and two aces to bring the Stingers within one at 12-11. Team Freedom desperately tried to stay in the lead as the Stingers trailed by one until 19-18. With a kill by Nugent, an ace from Elias, and a kill by Matthew Seifert, Team Freedom finally pulled away to 22-18. The team effort allowed Freedom to coast to the end and win the set 25-22.

Set 3

Team Freedom got an early lead of 7-3 with a pair of blocks from middle blockers Seifert and Mikheil Hoyte. After a few Team Freedom hitting and serving errors and two consecutive kills by Mencia, the Stingers got back in the game at 10-10. The two teams were only two points apart for the rest of the set as Team Freedom’s errors continued to allow the Stingers in the game. The Stingers eventually pulled away as Fa’agata-Tufuga, Mencia, and Shmelev dominated at the net. At the same time, libero Chandler Baugh’s five digs secured the backcourt. Stingers take the set with a strong lead of 25-20.

Set 4

Team Freedom brought out the block party with two from Elias and one from Seifert, which squashed any Stingers’ energy from their last set win. A strong float from Seifert gave Josue Castillo a perfect overpass to kill the ball and put Team Freedom up 8-3 into the technical timeout. Freedom continued to go on a field day without any resistance from the Stinger’s side. Winning the set 25-15, Team Freedom developed the most significant point differentials of the entire weekend event against the top two teams of the American conference.

Set 5

Team Freedom continued to carry the energy of their last set with a kill from Nugent and another block from the big man Seifert. Stinger’s points came from Team Freedom errors as the Utah team struggled to stay together as a cohesive unit, not scoring a point of their own until they were already down seven points as Freedom led 12-5. The late kills by Mencia and Paul Clark weren’t enough to bring the team from the grave as Castillo and Norman’s kills put the nail in the coffin to give Team Freedom the set at 15-6 and the match at 3-2.

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.

Sports are back in New Jersey and Team Freedom is ready to dominate in their home state! The NVA is bringing volleyball to New Jersey during the dates of May 27th-30th for the second portion of their tournament schedule. The tournament will be held in the famous city of Atlantic City, which is equivalent to the Las Vegas of the East Coast. Atlantic City is home to numerous casinos and hotels and is known for its exorbitant nightlife and as a place to risk it all at the poker tables. The tournament itself will be held at Harrah’s resort and casino. Harrah’s is connected to a convention center that will allow for seamless travel for the players and the spectators. What does all of this mean for our Team Freedom? Ultimately it gives them an advantage as Atlantic City is only two hours and fifteen minutes away from Sideout Sports Facility, which is where Team Freedom practices. It also allows for Team Freedom to dominate the arena with fans and support, which is something they missed out on in California, but didn’t affect their 3-0 record. Lastly, the home advantage allows Team Freedom to avoid the notorious jet lag that could potentially affect teams from the West Coast and Midwest. In conclusion, we would like to say thank you to Harrah’s and Atlantic City for being such big supporters of volleyball and the NVA and can’t wait to bring volleyball to New Jersey.

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 blocked 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 #3

Team Freedom’s Defense and Covering Instrumental in Defeat of Untouchables In 4 Sets

Team Freedom’s MB Milkhail Hoyt started the set with a clean kill and then followed up with a block and Jake Modetow added a kill. The Untouchables got off to a slow start with several hitting errors and fell behind 6-2. A Jose Castillo kill and Seirfert block along with two more Untouchable hitting errors increased Team Freedoms lead to 11-5. With kills and an ace from Christopher Nugent and kids from Jonathon Lutz, Team Freedom kept their lead at 16-10. After the time outTeam Freedom’s hitting errors gave the Untouchables opportunities to catch up with three kills by Nick Ramos, two kills by Will Ragland and one kill each by David Holiday and Paul Bilanzic to cut the lead to 24-22. But Team Freedom pulled off the first set win with a kill from Modetow. 

In set two the Untouchables quickly established the middle with the first three points on a kill by Thomas Burrell and a kill and block from Bilanzic. Will Ragland also added two kills. Although Nugent and Lutz had a kill each, hitting errors gave the Untouchables an early lead of 8-4. Team Freedom struggled with their passing, in part due good serves by the Untouchables. A series of Team Freedom’s free and down balls gave the Untouchables plenty of opportunities to score points. They built a 16-6 lead on blocks by Bilanzic and Burrell, aces by Ragland and Lopez and kills by Ragland and Burrell. Team Freedom did have a short rally with kills by Nugent and Lutz and a block by Hoyt but fell short. Untouchables ended the set with kills by Bilanzic and Burrell for the win at 25-18. 

In set three Team Freedom started Matt Seifert at MB. Both teams started off well. The Untouchables established the middle attacks again with kills by Bilanzic and Burrell; and Holiday added one kill. For Team Freedom, kills by Lutz and Nugent; dump by setter Ryan Kenney and blocks by Seifert and Hoyt gave them the lead at the first media timeout at 8-7. After the timeout the Untouchables’ hitters were unable to find the court. Team Freedom took advantage and built a seven point lead on a series of kills by Siefert and Nugent and a block by Nugent to 20-13. Untouchables sided out with kills from Bilanzic, Lutz, Ramos and Holiday. But two Untouchable hitting errors gave Team Freedom a 25-18 win. 

Set four started out with the same intensity and good play as set three. For Team Freedom Hoyt, Lutz and Seifert provided the offense and Untouchables Burrell, Holiday and Ragland, who also had an ace. At 8-7 Team Freedom’s defense forced Untouchables into a couple of errors and down balls. During this stretch, kills by Nugent and Lutz, block by Hoyt and ace by Siefert gave Team Freedom a five point lead at 13-8. The Untouchables rallied back with an ace by Burrell and kills by Raglan and Bilanzic to cut the lead to 16-15. But Team Freedom bounced back with good defense and kills by Siefert, Nugent, Castillo, Lutz and block by Kenney to increase their lead to 24-18. Team Freedom won the match on a service ace by Kenney. 

Despite the loss the Untouchables led by setter Kenney ran a balanced offense. Ramos led with 11 kills, Bilanzic 9, Ragland and Holiday 8 and Burrell 7. Untouchables also had 11 blocks, 4 by Holiday. For Team Freedom Lutz carried the load with 14 kills, Nugent 10 and Castillo 9; and 7 blocks.

Day 3, Match #2

Team Freedom’s Consistent Play Trumps Stunners’ Creative Lineup Change

Stunners’ setter Spencer Andrews injured his groin on the last point of the match against the Tyrants on Saturday so Matt Hilling, one of the rare versatile volleyball players played setter. It was the third different position Hilling played in this weekend’s NVA Event. In the other two matches he played Libero and OH. The Stunners also started four middle blockers, two of whom played different positions. Nick Amado at OH and Nick West OPP. Antonio Anguizola played the other OH and Shayne Beamer and Kevin Gear at middle blockers. The strategy behind this creative lineup was to rely mostly on big hitters and blocks rather than digging and covering defense. 

The Stunners’ creative big men line up claimed an early lead with a kill by West and one block each by Gear and Beamer and a dump by Hilling to 8-7. Team Freedoms’ points came from kills by Joe Norman, Christopher Nugent and Christoper Vaughn. At 12-12 Amado sprained his ankle and Stunners substituted him with Joey Jarvis. The Stunners hitters struggled to find the court and Team Freedom took the lead on a Norman and Matt Seifert block to 16-13. A string of Team Freedom errors and kills by Stunners’ Jarvis, West, Beamer and Anguizola tied the set at 20-20. But the Stunners’ hitters again struggled to hit balls inside the lines and Team Freedom closed out the set with kills by Vaughn and Norman and won 25-23. 

In set two five Stunners’ hitting errors gave Team Freedom an early 8-4 lead. During this run, Stunner’s only two scores were a kill and block by Jarvis. For Team Freedom Seifert and Norman each had one kill. At 11-5 Stunners substituted Chris Chapell’e for Anguizola. Errors continued to plague the Stunners and Team Freedom added to their lead with kills by Norman, Nugent and Seifert; and Vaughn with an ace and Seifert a block to 16-8. At 18-11 Stunners substituted Dillion Emery for West. Despite a kill by Jarvis and a Hilling block, Team Freedom added two more points to their lead at 22-12 on kills by middle blocker Mikheil Hoyte and Norman. But the Stunners didn’t give up. Emery scored four of the next five kills, Jarvis added and kill and Chapell’e’s kill and service ace cut the lead to 24-20. But Team Freedom sided-out on a Seifert kill and won the set 25-20. 

While Stunners started off hot in the third set with kills by Emery and two service aces by Chapell’e and West, Team Freedom struggled to pass the ball. But Stunners’s errors and two kills by Vaughn before the first media timeout gave Team Freedom a two point lead before the first media timeout at 8-6. Stunners bounced back with consecutive kills by Jarvis, kill by Chapell’e and block by West to tie the set at 10-10. Team Freedom took a two point lead after a Nugent and Norman kill to 12-10. Both teams sided out with kills by West and Jarvis for Stunners; and Norman, Seifert, Vaughn kills and two blocks by Vaughn and Hoyte for Team Freedom. At 18-17 a dig by Libero Jake Hurwitz forced a hitting error by Team Freedom and tied the set at 18-18. Then a set dump by Norman found a hole in the Stunners’ defense that deflated their efforts for a comeback. Team Freedom followed with a block from Hoyte and a kill by Norman and took a 21-18 lead. After Stunners called a timeout, Jarvis scored on a kill to 21-19. Stunners struggled to side-out and Team Freedom scored the next three points with kills by Hoyte, Norman and Nugent to 24-19. After Stunners called their second timeout, Emery hit the ball out that gave Team Freedom a 25-19 win for the match.

Jarvis led the Stunners with 8 kills, West 6, Anguizola 5 and Emery 4. Stunners had 9 blocks and hit 32%. For Team Freedom Joe Norman had 17 kills, Vaughn 9, Nugent 8 and Hoyte and Seifert 4 each. Team Freedom had 7 blocks and hit 49%. 

Team Freedom finished the weekend with a 3-0 record and Stunners 0-3. 

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 

https://www.volleyball.world/en/snowvolleyball/worldtour/2019/mwag2019/men/teams/1145-united%20states%20wc/chris_vaughan?id=2467

NVL Link

http://thenvl.com/portfolio/chrisvaughan/

Set #1 – Team Freedom 27, Stunners 25

Team Freedom’s service area gave Stunners the 1-0 lead. Stunners add to their lead with a setter kill to 2-0. Team Freedom sided-out on a OH kill to 2-1. At 6-4 Stunners increased their lead to 7-4 on a Team Freedom net violation. Team Freedom and Stunners sided-out to 8-6 on a Team Freedom MB dump and OH kill and Stunners’ OH kill to 8-6. Referee called a media timeout. Team Freedom tied the score at 10-10 and then took the lead from a Stunners’ OH error to 11-10. After a Team Freedom service error tied the score, Stunners retook the lead from a Team Freedom hitting error to 16-15. Stunners added another point on a MB kill to 17-15. Team Freedom called a timeout. Team Freedom sided out to 17-16 on an OH kill, then tied the score on a OPP kill to 17-17 and retook the lead on an OH kill to 18-17. Team Freedom’s net violation tied the score to 18-18. But Team Freedom bounced back and increased their lead with a service run of a MB kill and OPP kill to 20-18. After a Team Freedom net violation cut the lead 24-23, they called a timeout. Stunners scored on a MB kill to 24-24. Both teams sided-out to 25-25. On the next possession Team Freedom scored on a OH kill and then won the set on a MB block point to 27-25.

Team Freedom  – 18 Kills, 4 Block Point, 5 Opponent Errors; 87% Reception and 55% Hitting.

Stunners – 1 Ace, 13 Kills, 11 Opponent Errors; 90% Reception and 32% Hitting.

Set #2 – Stunners 27, Team Freedom 25

Stunners took the lead at 1-0 from a Team Freedom net violation to 1-0, then added another point on a OH block point to 2-0. Team Freedom sided-out to 3-1 on a OH kill. After Stunners sided-out on an OH kill, a Stunners’ service and hitting error tied the score 3-3. Hitting error by Stunners gave Team Freedom the lead to 4-3. A Team Freedom net violation tied the score again at 4-4. Next possession Team Freedom scored on an OPP kill to 5-4. On that play Stunners’ OH Matt Hilling hurt his hip and Coach Francis substituted him with OPP Dillon Emery. Hilling’s injury made it unable for him to return to the court. Team Freedom increased their lead by one point on a Stunners’ net violation to 6-4. Both teams sided-out to 8-7 and referee called media timeout. Team Freedom added to their lead with a service run after a MB kill, Stunners’ OH error and Team Freedom ace to 12-9. Stunners rallied back from a Team Freedom net violation, MB kill and ace to 14-13. Team Freedom called a timeout. Team Freedom sided-out from a Stunners’ service error to 15-13. After Stunners tied the score at 17-17 on a OH kill, they retook the lead an OPP kill to 18-17. Stunners increased their lead to 20-18 after two consecutive points on a OH kill and setter dump kill. Two possessions late Stunners added to their lead again on two MB kills to 22-19. Team freedom called their second timeout. Team Freedom sided-out on a Stunners’ service error and cut the lead to one point from a Stunners’ service error and OH error to 22-21, then tied the score 22-22 from another Stunners’ OH error. Stunners sided out with a MB kill and kept their lead to 23-22. After both teams sided-out to 25-25 the Stunners won the next two points from Team Freedom’s service error and hitting error to close out the set at 27-25.

Stunners – 2 Ace, 11 Kills, 2 Block Point, 12 Opponent Errors; 87% Reception and 34% Hitting.

Team Freedom  – 1 Ace, 12 Kills, 1 Block Point, 11 Opponent Errors; 88% Reception and 36% Hitting.

Set #3 – Stunners 26, Team Freedom 24

In this set Team Freedom took the first lead with two MB block points to start at 2-0. Stunners sided-out from a Team Freedom net violation to 2-1, then took the lead 3-2 after an OPP kill and Team Freedom hitting error. After side-out runs by both teams, Team Freedom retook the lead at 6-5 from two MB block points. Stunners sided-out to 8-7. Referee called a media timeout. Stunners sided-out to tie at 8-8, then retook the lead on an OPP kill, MB block point and Team Freedom hitting error to 11-10. Team Freedom answered with a service run from an OH kill and Stunners’ hitting error to 11-10; then added to their lead on a OH kill to 13-11. Stunners tied the score on an OPP kill and MB block point to 15-15. Both teams sided-out to 19-19. Stunners took the lead back again from a Team Freedom service error and Stunners’ MB block point to 20-19, then added to their lead on MB kill to 22-20. Team Freedom called a timeout. Team Freedom scored the next two points that tied the match on an OH kill and ace at 22-22. Stunners called a timeout. Stunners scored on a Team Freedom hitting error to 23-22. Team Freedom sided-out an OH kill to 23-23. Stunners sided-out on a MB kill to 24-23. Team Freedom tied the score again on a OH kill to 24-24. Stunners scored the last two points of the set on a setter dump kill and MB block point and won 26-24.

Stunners – 12 Kills, 3 Block Point, 11 Opponent Errors; 95% Reception and 36% Hitting.

Team Freedom  – 1 Ace, 13 Kills, 4 Block Point, 6 Opponent Errors; 100% Reception and 42%

Set #4- Team Freedom 25, Stunners 15

Team Freedom scored the first point with a MB kill to 1-0. At 3-2 a Stunners’ service error and Team Freedom OH kill and ace increased Team Freedom’s lead to 5-2. Stunners sided-out on an OPP kill to 5-3. Both teams sided-out to a 8-5. Referee called a media timeout. Team Freedom added to their lead again on OPP kill, Stunners’ OH error and net violation; and Team Freedom OH kill to 13-6. Stunners sided-out on a MB kill. Stunners reduced the lead to 14-9 on an MB kill and Team Freedom net violation. At 16-11 Team Freedom started a three point service run on a Stunner’ setter dump, MB block point, Stunners’ double to 19-11. Team Freedom increased their lead again to 10 points on Stunners’ net violation and OPP kill to 23-13. Stunners sided-out to 23-14 on a setter dump kill. Stunners’ service error gave Team Freedom set point to 24-14. Team Freedom surrendered a point back to the Stunners with a service error. On the next possession Team Freedom won the set point on a OPP kill to 25-15.

Team Freedom  – 2 Ace, 8 Kills, 2 Block Point, 13 Opponent Errors; 100% Reception and 40% Hitting.

Stunners – 5 Kills, 2 Block Point, 8 Opponent Errors; 83% Reception and 20% Hitting.

Set #5 – Stunners 15, Team Freedom 9

Stunners started this fifth set from a Team Freedom hitting error and MB block point to 2-0. Team Freedom sided-out on a MB kill to 2-1, then tied the score on a OH kill to 2-2. After both teams sided-out to a 4-4 score, Stunners started a service run from a Team Freedom net violation, Stunners’ setter dump kill and setter kill and increased their lead to 7-4. Team Freedom called a timeout. Team Freedom sided-out with a OH kill, then followed up with an ace to cut the lead to 7-6. At 9-7 Stunners added to their lead with an OPP kill, MB kill and OH kill to 11-7. Team Freedom called their second timeout. Stunners scored another point on a Team Freedom hitting error to 12-7. Team Freedom sided-out on a OH kill to 12-8. On the following possession Team Freedom served an ace to 12-9. Stunners called a timeout. Stunners scored the next three points from a Team Freedom service and two hitting errors and won the match 25-19.

Stunners – 5 Kills, 3 Block Point, 7 Opponent Errors; 75% Reception and 56% Hitting.

Team Freedom  – 2 Aces, 7 Kills; 87% Reception and 47%