Digs – Spring 2016
CHRVA Junior earns #3 National Ranking in Beach Volleyball
For only the second time, a CHRVA player has been
ranked nationally for beach. CHRVA Junior Jordan
McKinney (on the right in the photo) became our region’s
first year-round beach volleyball player in 2015 and
earned a USAV Beach National Ranking of #3 in U16
events and #17 playing up in U18.
Jordan has been a member of the CHRVA Regional High
Performance Beach Team for two years. During this time,
she has trained and competed extensively in juniors and
adult divisions including o-ed doubles and overnight
indoor co-ed reverse-4’s. She was selected initially as one
of the region’s best defensive players with exceptional
ball control. Coaches suggested developing an offensive
game to develop all-around skills. Jordan can now side-out at will, and can play at an adult
Open division level. In 2016 she has won Open division events including co-ed and men’s AA
and Open division tournaments at Virginia Beach with partners Christian Phung (CH) and
Courtland Scharenborg (OD). Training year-round and playing co-ed has helped her prepare for
a beach game of any speed or power.
The following is an example of her competitive efforts in 2015 alone.
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First Place- 16U ESPL Winter Classic, Hickory Point Beach, FL
Second Place- 18U Ohio Valley Beach Tournament, Grand Sands Volleyball, Ohio
Third Place- 18U Southern Sands Tournament, Apex, NC
First Place- 16U Southern Sands Junior Olympic Qualifier, Apex, NC
First Place- Co-Ed A First Rites, Rehoboth, DE
First Place- Women’s A KOG Tournament, MD
First Place- Juniors 16U Junior Beach Tour Chesapeake Region Beach Bonanza, Ocean
City, MD
Third Place- Juniors 16U Pottstown Rumble Grass Tournament, Pottstown, PA (Out of 82
Teams)
First Place- Co-Ed BB Pottstown Rumble Grass Tournament, Pottstown, PA (Out of 132
Teams)
First Place- Juniors 16U AAU/Rox Volleyball July 4th Joust, Ocean City, MD
First Place- Juniors 16U Rox Volleyball Mid-Atlantic Championships, Ocean City, MD
Second Place- CBVA 16U Dockweiler Beach Tournament, Dockweiler Beach, CA
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Second Place- 16U Get Noticed Beach Volleyball Tournament, Long Beach, CA
First Place- Co-Ed A East Coast Surfing Championships, Virginia Beach, VA
Second Place- Dulles Sand Invitational 18U, Dulles, VA
First Place- Co-Ed AA Neptune Warm-Up Festival, Virginia Beach, VA
Congratulations, Jordan, on these outstanding accomplishments and good luck as you continue
on your volleyball path!
Digs – Spring 2016
NVVA Boys Are on “Fire” with Third-in-the-Nation Ranking
The NVVA 18s Fire Boys’ team has won the Nittany Ninvitational and the Northeast
Championship to earn a #3 national ranking, according to AES. This team has been considered
one of the top five teams in the east coast since its 14s year. At the East Coast Championships
held in Richmond, Virginia, the team won second place in 2012, was champions in 2013 and
2014, and placed fifth in 2015. The team won a bid to Nationals for the last six years with a
ninth place finish (highest ranking) in its 15s year. The Fire is hoping to break that record this
year.
One reason for this team’s success is because the team members have been together for so
long and they consider each other family. Six of the players have been together since their 15s
year (4 years). For three of the players (Nick and Lucas Rodrigues and Jacob Brantley), this is
their seventh year together. There is no varsity volleyball for boys in Loudoun County, so these
boys were very lucky to have found each other to form this one strong team. It’s a tight knit
group, truly a volleyball family. They travel together, go on vacations together, and they have
an annual trip to Rehoboth, Delaware for Mid-Atlantic Volleyball’s First Rites tournament and
Mayor’s Cup where they rent a house with six families and usually around 15 kids.
These boys live and breathe volleyball. When not competing, they also coach and ref. Saying
these boys love volleyball is an understatement. All these boys have coached girls’ teams,
NVVA’s Galaxy League and regular club volleyball teams. They worked as referees in the
Loudoun Youth Volleyball League and one of the biggest volleyball tournaments in the country,
the Capital Hill Classics. They all have played beach volleyball and won numerous beach
tournaments. They’ve also managed the varsity volleyball teams at Briarwoods, Stone Bridge
and Broad Run.
Many of the players have made the USAV Junior High Performance camps and tournaments.
Bobby Wilden was invited to the USAV Junior Nationals team training camp. Many of the
players have also made the USAV Junior Beach camps and tournaments and won at different
levels. Bobby Wilden will be playing for Penn State and Austin Quinn will be playing for Belmont
Abbey.
Their coaches this year are all former George Mason University players: head coach Lance
Rogers; assistant coach Joseph Norton (currently assistant coach for GMU Men’s Volleyball);
and assistant coach Javier Perez Navarrete. They are setting their sights on their next big
tournament, the East Coast Championships, in Richmond, Virginia and then Nationals in July in
Dallas, Texas
Back row: Coach Joe Norton, Bobby Wilden #51, Will Webb #18, Jacob Brantley #7, Dalton
Bunde #9, Lucas Rodrigues #8, Austin Quinn #12, Coach Lance Rogers.
Front row: Christopher Unger, Jr #2, Derek Tangorra #13, Nicholas Rodrigues #4
Digs – Spring 2016
CHRVA Players Win NCAA Matches
Shannon Williams (University of South Carolina) and
Samantha Harris (Stetson University) recently won their first
NCAA matches for their respective collegiate programs.
Congratulation to two of our CHRVA freshman for making an
immediate impact! Go ladies! Keep up the good work!
Digs – Spring 2016
CHRVA Junior Wins Bid to Represent Team USA (U21) in the FIVB World Championship
Cameron Rodrigues of Arlington, Virginia will represent the USA and CHRVA region when he
competes in the FIVB World Championship in Lucerne, Switzerland in May 11-16.
Cameron began playing volleyball at the age of 9. He played regularly with his father and
father’s friends during the summer at the Lincoln Courts in Washington DC and at Dewey
Beach, Delaware. After winning several Mid-Atlantic Volleyball juniors tournaments, Cameron
was invited to participate in the USAV Beach High Performance program’s Florida Holiday Camp
in December 2011. As the youngest player at the camp at age 14, Cameron struggled against
boys from across the nation at a U19 level. The high level of competition excited him and
motivated him to develop his skills.
In 2012 USAV Beach HP came to Rehoboth Beach, and Cameron was selected for the USAV
Beach HP A2 program at Hermosa Beach California. Due to schedule conflicts with the USAV
Indoor HP A2 program, Cameron was unable to participate in the Beach A2 program. Instead,
he downgraded to the A3 camp at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in San Diego,
California. At the Chula A3 camp he was able to compete with and against the U19 Russian
National team.
In 2013, Cameron chose beach volleyball as his primary sport. In the summer of 2013, Cameron
distinguished himself from other members of the beach A2 summer program in Hermosa,
California. He was invited to train with the U17 A1 team as well as promoted to participate
above his age group in the U19 Beach HP tournament. Cameron’s performance during the
summer of 2013 won him an invitation to the U19 A1 Holiday camp at the Chula Vista OTC.
Being that Cameron was unable to train on the sand in the off season due to winter weather, he
played Open-level Indoor Coed Reverse 4’s through the winter to hone his skills.
In the summer of 2014, Cameron was selected for the U19 Beach National team. Teamed with
Kaleb Denmark from California, the team finished fourth overall at the Beach National
Championship with close finishes against top teams.
Cameron continued in the Beach A1 program in 2015. Although attending college at Grand
Canyon University, he was able to maintain his skills and train at the sand courts on campus.
Doing 24m sprints in the sand, the star drill, and various jumping exercises at the courts, he
strived for the chance to travel for the U.S. Cameron asked Kyle Skinner to play with him in the
USA U21 trials for the 2016 World Championships. Cameron and Kyle were unable to train
together before competing at the tournament; however, they managed to take second place at
the trials, winning their bid to compete in “qualifying round” at the FIVB World Championship
in Lucerne, Switzerland. Trial winners Vought/Vander Meer are seeded in the events “Main
Draw.” The two teams will be training at the Chula Vista OTC before leaving to compete in
Lucerne, Switzerland May 11-16.
Winners of the USA Team (U21) Trials will be the country's main draw entry: Nathanael Vander
Meer/Ben Vaught and Sarah Sponcil/Torrey Van Winden. The second place finishers from the
Trials will be at the World Championship as qualification entries: Cam Rodrigues /Kyle Skinner
and Abril Bustamante/Zana Muno.