Welcome to the MSVBA website!

We'd like MSVBA.org to serve as a comprehensive online resource for the volleyball community in and around Maine. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about how this site can better serve your needs, please contact us.

The MSVBA organization was created to promote volleyball in Maine for individuals and teams, and to foster the growth of volleyball by competition, training and education.

MSVBA was started in 1985 as an organization to provide structure to activities pertaining to volleyball in the state of Maine. Prior to that there was, at best, a loosely knit group of individuals, clubs and organizations throughout the state that used different rules and structures. This made it very difficult to compete with each other, or outside of the state, and presented a lot of other issues with regard to insurance, liability, training, and growth. The organization got started from a core group of individuals who wanted to improve on that situation. It provided common structure and rules under one umbrella organization and has evolved to encompass many improvements over the past seventeen years.

MSVBA conducted State High School Championships for volleyball as a one day event for six years to expose new players to the sport and to gain attention in the secondary school systems to Volleyball as a Varsity sport. As a result of those and other programs, and considerable lobbying by our members, three or four years ago volleyball was recognized by the Maine Principals Association as an official varsity sport. Maine was the 49th of 50 states to recognize volleyball. It is now gaining in popularity in schools throughout the state as a Varsity interscholastic sport.

In 1995 we aligned our organization with New England Region Volleyball Association and with USAVolleyball to become part of the larger organization. Our organization is modeled after, and parallels, Yankee Volleyball in greater Boston, although we have some dramatic differences because of the comparably large area and lower population density in Maine, with the unique opportunities and challenges that these qualities pose. We also work with the Maine Volleyball Officials Board (MVOB) to help train and certify referees for volleyball throughout the state, so that leagues and tournaments have access to trained, certified officials for their games. MSVBA is now the sanctioning body for all USAV tournaments in the state of Maine. We also run Referee, Player and Coaching clinics in this state for the improvement of the sport and its players. MSVBA helps, through its membership and funding, to run two Junior Olympic Volleyball teams for younger players aged 14 to 18 who compete throughout New England with JO teams from other communities.

With your support, MSVBA strives to continue to build membership and to provide value to that membership by providing well-run, quality events.

 

Meet our esteemed Board members:

Andrea Jandebeur - Avid Volleyball player and an administrator for The Alliance for Maine Excellence, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of quality initiatives in the State of Maine, and the administrator for the Margaret Chase Smith Quality Award. Andrea is MSVBA's registrar, an active player in several leagues and tournaments every year, runs several tournaments and fund raisers every year for good causes.

Bob Wooten - a retired Systems Software Engineer and computer nerd is a certified USAV Referee, active player in several volleyball leagues, a board member for over 10 years, past treasurer, member of the board of directors for NERVA (New England Region Volleyball Association), and current President of MSVBA running for re-election to a second term of office.

Brenda Swett - is the newest Board member, an accomplished volleyball player from the Lewiston-Auburn area, and is off fishing for bass when not playing volleyball.

Don Simms - volleyball player, high school volleyball coach at Yarmouth, MSVBA board member for several years, and has helped run Coaching Accreditation Program clinics for New England. Don is and has been involved in many other high school sports and was instrumental in getting the Maine Principles Association to recognize volleyball as a High School Varsity Sport.

Earl Bunting - a new Board member this year, certified USAV referee, avid player in the Portland area and throughout New England. Earl is heading up the Men's player rating committee and runs apple orchards in southern Maine in his spare time.

George "Buzz" Gautreau - past president, board member for over ten years, very involved in Maine adult volleyball for over twenty years, and has helped to run JO tournaments, adult tournaments, leagues, high school championships, clinics and fund raiser events. Buzz is still an active setter in a men's league and prefers to run a five hitter-one setter system.

John Razsa - a life long enthusiastic volleyball player since college days, high school volleyball coach, Junior Olympic Volleyball girls coach for southern Maine, teacher, former college coach, and one of the most involved people in Maine volleyball. John organizes and runs leagues and tournaments throughout the year indoors and outdoors for all levels of play. John's family has their own outdoor court with lights for late night spring, summer and fall play!

Kris Caterina - fairly new to the board, current MSVBA Secretary, stepped in and took over the reins of the Tournament Coordinator position to organize running of the MSVBA sanctioned tournaments this season. She is an accomplished volleyball player in tournaments throughout New England. Her team, "Fire In The Hole", is going to the Nationals this year to compete in the women's 'B' tournament.

Roland Gagne - is our Webmaster, an active volleyball player for several decades helping us to webify MSVBA for the 21st century. Roland works at a Portland Area hospital.

Zip Weeman - recently joined the board to head up the women's player rating committee for the coming season. She is another accomplished player both indoors and out. She and her husband have their own outdoor court.

Rosanne Ely Curneil - current MSVBA Treasurer, is a CPA working in her family's business, a long time volleyball player both indoors and outdoors, involved in volleyball in Greater Portland for many years and previously in the Washington DC area.

Cliff Thurston is a brand new board member that isn’t sure what he’s getting into, but is willing to step up and give it a try. He started playing volleyball in a JO club (the Highlanders) his sophomore year in high school(92) and hasn’t been able to stop playing since. He played 4 years in college at CMTC, and is co-captain of the Flying Tigers. He is active in leagues in Farmington, Lewiston, and Portland, plays both indoors and outdoors. He has coached at CMTC and currently helping coach the JO girls Highlander Club. Cliff is a educational technician in Building Trades at Region 9 Vocational School.

 

Click here to open the latest MSVBA Board Meeting Minutes (Word format)