Tyler indeed came into his own, even outperforming US National team player, Jake Langlois, showing just how far Tyler has come as a player. Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, where the wasn’t a boys volleyball team, Tyler learned how to play volleyball by practicing with his sisters. After having had a successful career in the NAIA while attending Sienna Heights University, the Hubbard-Neil family is continuing their volleyball legacy in the NVA. 

“As the baby of the family, I was always going to follow the suit of my older sisters. I love being part of a team sport, and that’s been my motivation to keep improving my game to keep competing on organized teams. Now I see the chance of playing professionally overseas as a real possibility! The more chances I get to play against such high caliber individuals in the NVA, the more that will become a possibility.”  

Tyler is currently one of many who have shown just how dominant the LGTBQ+ players of the NVA are. When it comes to his ability to excel on the court, Tyler had this to say to help other younger players on how they can better connect with their teammates. 

“When you’re a player on the court, you need to be comfortable in your skin first before everyone else can treat you with the same comfortability. I always push myself to be a better individual who can provide the team with anything they need.”

Make sure to catch Tyler Hubbard-Neil in action as Southern Exposure makes their push into the playoffs! They will take on the Chicago Untouchables for the first elimination match of the NVA Championship come July 9th. Go ahead and give Tyler (@ty_hubbardneil), Southern Exposure (@southernexposurenva), and the NVA (@nvausa) a follow on Instagram to stay up with the team and catch highlight clips from Event 3.  

Happy PRIDE Month, Everyone!

As a first-generation American son of two Polish parents, Bozena and Rafal Ciesla, Jakub has had the rare experience of having grown up watching two of the world’s best men’s national team programs, both Team Poland and Team USA. The two teams are currently ranked 2nd (USA) and 3rd (Poland) in the FIVB. They have inspired the next generations of volleyball players, as evidenced by Ciesla’s favorite player, Polish opposite Bartosz Kurek.

His excellence on the court is from his dual nation’s volleyball upbringing and from being raised by two parents in sports education with his parents attending the Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland. Jakub was a sports prodigy from a young age, seamlessly competing in three separate team seasons. In high school, Jakub was a first-team all-county outside hitter/middle blocker and starter for the soccer team. He also competed as a high-jumper and hurdler, just like his father, who competed for the Polish National Track & Field team. But in the end, Volleyball became his number one passion and has been the driving catalyst for his life ever since.

“Volleyball allowed me to grow as a person, meet new people and got me to where I am today. By being able to play D1 in college, I pursued a college major that now has become my career and provides for me financially. It’s been a great bridge for me to get to know people from all over the country and travel to numerous places.” – Jakub Ciesla.

Having Jakub playing for Southern Exposure and the NVA has genuinely been a mutually beneficial experience, both for Jakub’s career and for the NVA’s push to establish themselves as the predominant professional league in the United States. On top of growing up watching the Polish National Team, Jakub was also an avid follower of the polish club Jastrzebski Wegiel, competing in the Plus Liga and the CEV Champions League. Poland’s Plus Liga shares the same caliber of competition as the Russian and Italian leagues, which are the equivalent of the NBA of Volleyball. Jakub brings with him an awareness of what is needed for the NVA to reach the same level of notoriety and prestige, committing himself to the same work ethic as athletes in the Champions League.

“I love the mission that the NVA is on, bringing elite level volleyball players with the professional infrastructure to make it viable in the states. Excited to be a part of the movement and continue to grow the game in the US.!” – Jakub Ciesla.

You can expect to see and hear a lot more from Ciesla this 2021 season as Southern Exposure is ready to make an impressive run for the finals this year. You can follow Jakub on Instagram (@jakubciesla) to see him dabble in some of his other interests with the outdoors, camping, and hiking. Also, make sure to follow the NVA (@nvausa) and Southern Exposure (@southernexposurenva) to get weekly media updates. As always, you can also catch Jakub 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!

“We thought of someone that is a high-level intelligent coach and trainer, someone that represents what we are about, and that is being loyal to our process. We also wanted someone who will do whatever it takes to help evolve the world of men’s volleyball. With that in mind, it was an easy choice to pick Corey Marks as the head coach of Southern Exposure.”

Corey Marks is one of the coaches at FIU for beach and indoor. He is also the owner of the boy’s youth club MVP Academy in FL, where he coaches the 18’s and 17’s age groups. His experience will be a huge factor for success as he leads the charge with a few top players from Southern Exposure.

Catalan and Glessner went on to talk about some of those top players headed to Utah:

“Our confirmed starters for the Utah Showcase have some impressive hitting options with blocking being our most vital assets along with a fast tempo transition offense.

Libero – Eddie Moushikhian will be one of the most athletic players on the court. A high IQ player with lots of range.

Middle Hitter – Kevin Vaz, a multiple purpose player who is a dynamic hitter in every position.

Opposite – Joe Norman, a big and physical player who is a threat on the right pin and back row with an aggressive top-spin serve. 

Outside Hitter – Jakub Ciesla, a great transition hitter on the outside pin who can make any shot when needed.” 

Make sure to tune in on November 5th to watch Southern Exposure in action in real-time on NVA Live TV https://www.nvausa.com/video/live. Also, follow Southern Exposure (@southernexposurenva) and the NVA (@nvausa) on Instagram to get updates leading up to the weekend!

Q: When/where did you start playing volleyball?

Jack: I started playing when I was 11 because my sister was always playing. I was also competitive in freediving and spearfishing. 

Q: What high school did you play at? 

Jack: Seminole Ridge High School. I made countless friends and even met my wife through volleyball there.

Q: What was your college experience like? 

Jack: I wouldn’t change my college experience for anything! It was a smaller school, so the sense of community between the men’s and women’s teams made us all close friends, making it so there was never a dull moment. I double-majored in advertising and Public relations. 

Q: Have you played elsewhere overseas? 

Jack: I played in the 1st league in Prague, Czech Republic. There weren’t a ton of English speakers on the team, so that was a huge adjustment. Even my coach didn’t speak any English, so I always had to use google translate. The culture was excellent, very different than in the US. The experiences I got changed my life forever, in the best ways possible! 

Q: Any tournaments and leagues you play in at home?

Jack: I’ve played for the Florida Wave back in the day, and still play at adult nationals and grass tournaments when I can. 

Q: What do you currently do for work, and what have you been up to during quarantine?

Jack: I’m a PE teacher, volleyball coach, and make spearfishing and freediving YouTube videos. Other than that, I’ve been working out, playing volleyball, and diving in the ocean.

On the Outside, the team has outstanding depth starting with Cal State Northridge Alumni Jakub Ciesla. In addition to the former Matadors standout, they boast; Derek Craig, Michigan-native Tyler Hubbard-Neil, and two-time second-team All-EIVA,  TJ Jurko. To round out the outside position, is the highly efficient Michael Michelau who is just returning from his season with SVG Lunenberg in Germany, an NCAA record breaker and conference champion Eddie Moushikhian, Limestone University Alumni Kevin Rocklein, and Sean Snyder.

At the setter position, Southern Exposure will be led by; Will Cornell, assistant coach for the TCU Women’s Volleyball Team, and Women’s Assistant Coach for Montverde Academy Jordan Kiniry. Both have high volleyball IQ, and both the knowledge and ability to effectively run their offense.

Liberos Tony Glessner and John Kalugar both have a wealth of veteran experience to add stability to the team’s serve reception and back row defense. 

In the middle, they are led by the big man Aaron King, Warner University Alumni Skylar Lopas, Tim Lourich, and the explosive high flyer Langston Payne who just returned from his first season abroad in Greece. Seemingly topping the depth chart is French native Kevin Vaz, who had an impressive college career at Cal Baptist University and Pepperdine.

Lastly, at the Opposite position, Exposure have Austin Lovett and veteran Jack Mitchell, who has played abroad in the Czech Republic. They also have the 6’10 powerhouse Joseph Norman, who is an NCAA Div. 3 champion, and Relyea Speller, with an impressive 12-foot reach approach that just won the Championship Cup in Mongolia.

The team is led by Head Coach Corey Marks, who is the owner and director of MVP Academy, and has dominated club volleyball in Florida. General Manager, OJ Catalan will provide excellent leadership for the team with 13 years of coaching experience, now being the technical director for Florida Gators women’s program. 

Follow along with Southern Exposure this season!