Our third team preview goes out to Moveo. A returning team from a year ago, they took to the league’s innovative format like bosses, and were rewarded justly, by getting their names placed on the Championship trophy. All eyes will be on them to start this season, to see if they can repeat the magic from the Inaugural Season
Staff
The team is headed by an all female staff, that deserves much of the credit behind building last year’s winning team. Dr. Sarah Jung is a team Owner, and representative of Moveo Sport & Rehab centre, which is where the team name comes from. The other team Owners are Felicia Culham, Lisa Tam, and Jana Weir. Lisa will be the team’s operating GM for the second year in a row, and Jana has retired on top as a player, but remains on the team as a coach.
ALY MCKAY – RETURNING PLAYER
McKay is the only returning player to Moveo from their championship season. She led the league in the Inaugural Season with a ridiculous 90 digs in 7 matches (12.9/match), and was awarded a 1st team all-star for her efforts. Last year, she played with a savvy veteran in Jana Weir, but this year Aly will need to take a leadership role to give Moveo their 2nd title shot in as many years.
jonny wiskar – 6th Overall
The men’s team will have the benefit of the ultimate veteran in Jonny Wiskar, winningest player of all time on the KBVA tour. Moveo managed to pull both the men’s and women’s dig leaders from last season, as Wiskar paced all men with 60 in his 6 matches, and finished tied for 3rd in the Inaugural Season with Volleyball BC. Jonny was also awarded a 1st team All-Star last season, he and McKay should go a long way in bringing their NBVL rookie teammates up to speed.
brina derksen-bergen – 7th overall
Derksen-Bergen may be new to the NBVL, but she is by no means new to volleyball in Vancouver. A 5 time CIS National Champion with UBC, she now shoots for titles on the sand, where this past year she won the KWVC season opener, and hit the semi finals in a few events on the VBC beach tour. Brina will be a great addition to the team, and should fit perfectly with McKay in the back court.
justin faester – 18th overall
Faester isn’t a stranger to the NBVL. As a free agent, he was called upon by Moveo to play in one matchup last season (vs. Jonny Wiskar and Volleyball BC), where he excelled with 25 kills and only 6 hitting errors, resulting in victory for the team. This makes Faester the only player from the Inaugural Season who has yet to lose a matchup. A perfect 1-0. Can he keep that intact now that he’s earned himself a feature role on the Moveo team?
ann richards – 19th overall
Richards is fairly new to the beach, and will look to teammates McKay and Derksen-Bergen to help her build up her beach toolbox. She has excelled in the indoor game, playing with an NCAA div 1 conference Championship team at UCF, then spending 2 years as team Captain and MVP with UBCO. At 6’2.5″ and with the highest block touch out of all women in the NBVL, she’ll be an imposing net presence any time she takes the court.
jake hagen – 30th overall
As an NBVL rookie, Hagen will be looking to prove himself in the 2020 Season. The last two summers he’s been a regular in the top side of playoffs on the VBC Beach tour and KBVA, and has demonstrated his ability to play under pressure by qualifying for the Vancouver Open Main Draw in 2018. He’s also a member of the Pacific Elite Beach Training group, alonside Moveo teammate Justin Faester, as the group looks to elevate their game to become competitive at an international level.
Team Summary
Moveo’s women look as though they could among the strongest in the NBVL Vancouver this season, McKay will bring a strong defensive foundation behind the strong blocking tandem of either Derksen-Bergen or Richards. The men’s group on the other hand is slightly less balanced. All 3 are defensive specialists, so lots of digs will be expected, but they’ll need to find ways to circumvent their lack of size by excelling in the other facets of the game if they want to succeed this season.
