standings

The Icemen entered the 2023 Opening Day Event as a heavy preseason favorite in the Central Division. Day 1, they looked to live up to the hype, winning a convincing 5 setter against Team Pineapple and completely destroying Sweed 3-0 in the subsequent match.  Then Day 2 rolled around and the Icemen played 2 very hot and cold matches, going to 5 in both and unable to close out either. Griffin Shields showed flashes of brilliance. Kyle Overby dominated when he was on the court but Icemen needed a bit more from Grant Kocher and Louis Richard when Overby wasn't on the floor. 

Interesting Stat: Icemen scored more total points than their opponents in the 5 sets combined in both losses to Pineapple and Sweed.

Key Players: Setter Sanil Thomas - Middle Blocker Dave Hancock - Libero Collin Merk - Outside Hitter Kyle Overby

Next Event: Central Division Cup - March 4-5th

Rising Tide was some analyst's choice to win the title.  Claiming the West Division Championship and finally finding their stride, they looked poised to make a solid run at the VLA Championships.  Unfortunately, they were plagued with consistent and some times uninspired play against teams they were more talented than.  Rising Tide still looks to be the favorite out of the West Division, but does that mean much as far as a title run goes?

Interesting Stat: Rising Tide was 5-5 against Division Rivals Phoenix Ascension and SportConX for the 2022 season. 

Key Players: Middle Blocker Kris Johnson - Opposite Davis Cannon - Outside Hitter John Predney - Outside Hitter Miles Evans

Next Event: 2023 Season

Team LVC won their first VLA title in 2022!  Featuring a remarkable regular season, their depth kept them on top of the rankings all season giving them just enough time to get their full ideal roster together by the championships.  

Interesting Stat:  Team LVC only dropped 2 sets in 4 matches to claim the title at the 2022 VLA Championship

Key Players: Opposite Jordan Varee - Middle Blocker Blake Leeson - Outside Hitter/Libero Dave Evans - Middle Blocker Lansana Rogers

Next Event: 2023 Season

Force is still suffering from the 1st year learning curve that was expected of them this season.  Regardless, Force still appears to be on the cusp of a solid outing and it very well could come from their performance at the VLA Cup.  They may be the lowest seed in the VLA Rankings but they are plenty capable of putting together an end of the season run to put them in position to claim a playoff spot.

Interesting Stat:  Force is 1-8 against their East Division Rivals. They are most likely looking forward to the opportunity of competing against a few teams outside of their division at the VLA Cup.

Key Players: Outside Hitter Brad Borsay - Opposite Clay Paulin - Setter Kevin Goncalves - Libero Tim McIntosh

Next Event: 2023 Season

'Imi Ola had a sprinkle of youth to add in with their veteran core of Srdjan Nadazdin and CJ Suarez.  The result was a VLA Cup title.  Hardly an underdog, the squad came in as the 5th seed in their Pool to storm through Team Pineapple in their first match, taking down NE Force in QuarterFinals and finally on Championships Sunday, on ESPN took down both SoCal Rukkus and Milwaukee Dive.  An exciting display of dominace from the youth and experience that made the team successful. 'Imi Ola elected not to compete in the Tier 2 Championships so we will see in 2023 if 'Imi Ola will pick up where they left off? Or will they continue to be an average performing Tier 2 team like they were prior to the cup.

Interesting Stat: The victory over Rukkus in the Semi Finals of the VLA Cup was their first win over them in 3 attempts.

Next Event: 2022-23 Season

Slunkers were able to sneak into the Tier 2 Championships after a few higher ranked teams elected not to play.  Once they were there, they definitely made the most of it, grabbing a 3rd place finish and two 5 set wins over Team ECV.  The 2022 season was a successful one overall as they established themselves as a consistent and formidable competitor throughout the year.  A little more fire power and size will help the Slunkers in 2023, the question is, will they get what they need in time to compete with Milwaukee Dive to be the next Central Division Team to earn promotion?

Interesting Stat: Slunkers are absolutely deadly in 5 set matches going 4-1 for the season in them.

Next Event: 2022-23 Season

Brigade has had various ups this season but they definitely came across a few tough times as the season went on.  A heart breaking 5 set loss to Madison Inferno to start off tthe VLA Cup set the tone for the weekend.  Though, unlike a few of their Tier 2 counterparts, Brigade was able to grab a few points and a victory of MICA in their consolation bracket match.  Brigade was able to learn a lot in the 2022 season, expect them to continue to grow as they build their foundations in the Southern California volleyball scene.

Interesting Stat: Brigade has played the most matches in the VLA this season at 18

Next Event: 2022-23 Season

Inferno started off exactly how they wanted to at the VLA Cup, taking the first match in 5 against West Coast Brigade. Taking Team LVC to 4 was another solid performance and something to be proud of. Unfortunately, that was the end of the good fortune.  Inferno matched up against Force who almost allowed Inferno to make it to a 5 setter, but they were no match for Sweed who had just been upset in their first round matchup.   Inferno put up a good fight as they tested the waters in the 2022 season.  The group from Madison, Wisconsin continues to be highly motivated and they building a solid consistent product to compete against anyone in the VLA.  Time and experience is the most valuable thing for them as they move into the 2023 season.

Interesting Stat: Inferno has a higher point ratio than their Tier 2 Rival 630 Slunkers, the key for them is simply getting more matches played if they want to be considered for Tier 1 in the future.

Next Event: 2022/23 Season