EAST LANSING, Mich. – IM Sports West in the MSU Invite:
GVSU: 4-0
CMU: 3-1
MSU: 2-2
DePaul: 1-3
WKU: 0-4
Author: Kevin Bailey
Current NCDA Chief of Content.
Former Captain for Grand Valley State University (#4).
MSU Invite Preview
The annual MSU Invite will take place this Sunday, Nov. 2nd at IM Sports West on Michigan State University’s campus. There will be a bit of a different flavor at this year’s event with two uncommon attendees making an appearance. Central Michigan and Grand Valley State will join host school Michigan State to give the MSU Invite three Michigan teams in attendance along with Western Kentucky, and DePaul.
An event known to have majority non-Michigan teams in attendance, the MSU Invite will give three Michigan teams the chance to compete thanks to MSU captain Colin O’Brien’s belief that several Michigan Teams participating in this event will only help the competition level. Here is my preview of what is turning into a very intriguing tournament.
BGSU Invite Recap
This past weekend Bowling Green State University hosted their annual fall tournament: The BGSU Invite. The results from this tournament are as follows: GVSU: 3-0, CMU: 3-1, OSU: 1-2, Kent: 1-2, BGSU: 0-3. Looking past the records for each team, it was an impressive showing for most teams in attendance, especially the three Ohio squads. Here is my recap on the tournament (listing teams in order of how I would rank them after this weekend):
BGSU Invite
BOWLING GREEN, Oh. – Perry Field House in the BGSU Invite
GVSU: 3-0
CMU: 3-1
OSU: 1-2
Kent: 1-2
BGSU: 0-3
Rivalry Renewed: WKU vs. UK
Only one NCDA match was played this weekend, and it was a great one. Western Kentucky played host to in-state rival Kentucky on Saturday. This was the second meeting between the two schools this season, with Kentucky taking the first meeting 3-0 in the opening match of the 2014-15 NCDA regular season. Continue reading “Rivalry Renewed: WKU vs. UK”
AJP: GVSU Edition #3
GVSU Captain Kevin Bailey, Assistant Captains Dylan Fettig and Aaron Terenzi, along with teammate Austin Morley, recap the matches that have taken place so far this season, and preview a the BGSu Invite and Beltway Bash 2.0.
Published under the Average Joes’ Podcast Umbrella.
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GVSU Invite #2 Recap
Grand Valley State University’s dodgeball team hosted the second of their two fall tournaments this past weekend, and it turned out to be a very interesting day of dodgeball. In attendance were four Michigan teams: Grand Valley State, Michigan State, Central Michigan, and Davenport (Kent State was scheduled to attend but was unable to make the trip, therefor they forfeited each game they were scheduled to play).
This event did not particularly go as most would have expected. The records for each team at this tournament are as follows (remember each team earned a win by forfeit against Kent): GVSU: 4-0, CMU: 3-1, MSU: 1-3, DU: 1-1, Kent, 0-4 [F]. Here is my recap of each game played at this tournament which unquestionably proved that the NCDA (especially the Michigan region) is WIDE OPEN this season! Continue reading “GVSU Invite #2 Recap”
GVSU vs. CMU: an “Instant Classic”
Grand Valley hosted their second tournament of the year this past weekend. Arguably the most surprising result from this event was the game between GVSU and in-state opponent Central Michigan. The final score was GVSU-2 CMU-1 in Overtime!
No, you don’t need to refresh this webpage, or restart your computer or anything like that, because you read the score correctly: GVSU vs. CMU went to overtime. This game was certainly an “instant classic”, and in my opinion is the game people will look back on as the restoration of Central Michigan Dodgeball as one of the elite college dodgeball teams nationally. Here is a recap of what is to this point in the year, one of the best games of the NCDA’s 2014-15 season: Continue reading “GVSU vs. CMU: an “Instant Classic””
GVSU Dodgeball Invite #2
ALLENDALE – Fieldhouse: In the GVSU Invite #2
GVSU: 4-0
CMU: 3-1
MSU: 1-3
DU: 1-1
Kent: 0-4 [F]
BOTM: September
This Month’s Baller of the Month goes to Michigan State Captain Colin O’Brien. Colin has led his team to a 6-3 start to the season with solid performances both at the CMU Invite and GVSU Invite.At CMU on Sept. 20th, O’Brien rallied his team back as the last player standing in a game vs. Central. He was able to make a few clutch catches at the end of that point to help tie the game 1-1 when it looked like it would go 2-0 in favor of the Chippewas.
At the GVSU Invite MSU ended up losing two games, but both of them were close matches against elite teams. The Spartans relied heavily on Colin’s accurate throw as they competed very well that weekend.
Overall, O’Brien had a fairly productive first month of the season. He has emerged as one of the most dangerous catchers in the league, and has taken on a leadership role for MSU while continuing to improve as an individual.
I was able to talk with Colin on his early season success, and hear what he had to say about himself, his teammates, and his predictions for this NCDA season.
Kevin Bailey – First off, congratulations on being selected as Baller of the Month. It’s still very early in the season, but MSU looks to be a national title contender this year. What have you done in your first year as captain that has helped improve the overall performance for your team?
GVSU Invite #1
ALLENDALE – Fieldhouse: GVSU: 3-0, SVSU 2-1, MSU: 2-2, CMU: 1-2, Kent: 1-3, and DU goes 0-1 in the GVSU Dodgeball Invite #1.
Game by game results after the jump:
CMU Dodgeball Invite Recap
This past weekend, Central Michigan University’s dodgeball team hosted the first tournament of the 2014-15 college dodgeball season. (The Opening Match was last week at UK against WKU) In attendance were six well established NCDA member teams: Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Western Kentucky, and Kentucky.
The competition was strong for a tournament so early in the season. Here are my thoughts on what took place over the weekend at CMU.
Season Preview: James Madison
Location: Harrisonburg, Va.
NCDA Region: East Coast
2013-14 Record: 19-6
National Tournament Finish: Lost to GVSU in the Semifinals
2014-15 Captains: Ben Sizemore – C, Brent Gromer – A, Taylor Wilhelm – A
Returning Varsity Players: 18
Players to Watch: In the words of Captain Ben Sizemore: “All of us.”
Overview: What can I say about JMU that has not already been said? Yes, they are arguably the most talented team in the College Dodgeball. Continue reading “Season Preview: James Madison”
Season Preview: Towson
Location: Towson, MD
NCDA Region: East Coast
2013-14 Record: 9-8
National Tournament Finish: Lost to UMD in the first round
2014-15 Captains: President – Sean Smith, Chris Thomas – C, Joe Tobin – A, and Jon Shaw – A
Returning Varsity Players: 14
Players to Watch: Chris Thomas, Joe Tobin, Todd Givens Jr. and Nick Coates
Overview: Towson enters their fourth year as a member of the NCDA with a bit of optimism. Continue reading “Season Preview: Towson”
Season Preview: Bowling Green State
Location: Bowling Green, Oh
NCDA Region: Ohio
2013-14 Record: 3-13
National Tournament Finish: Lost to JMU in the first round
2014-15 Captains: Tyler Broyles, Adam Hynes, Brad Masters, Jake Tripplet, as well as Presidents-Tyrell Smith and Joel Hunter.
Returning Starters: 15
Players to Watch: Joel Hunter, Tyler Broyles, and Jake Tripplet
Overview: Bowling Green will come into the new season of NCDA dodgeball as the lowest ranked team from the Ohio region. Continue reading “Season Preview: Bowling Green State”