Kevin Bailey – Page 9

2018 All-Michigan Team

The 2017-18 season was another dominant one for the Michigan Region. All four Michigan schools advanced to the Quarterfinals at Nationals, with three making the Final Four. With so many great teams in the region, it is no surprise the All-Region team was a difficult one to earn a spot on. As you will see below, there is plenty of talent on this list.

Here is your 2018 All-Michigan Team:

MVP: Mike Riley (CMU)

Mike Riley capped off his career at Central Michigan with his best season yet. The veteran captain for CMU led them to a #1 ranking in the fall, and they held that spot for the majority of the season. Riley is a great player, with many strengths. His release is as quick as anyone’s in the game, making his already fast throw that much more dangerous. On top of that, Riley has an incredible knack for making catches. His overall agility makes him very difficult to hit even when he doesn’t have a ball in his hands. Any time Riley was still on the court this year, CMU had a legitimate chance to win the point. All in all, Mike Riley is one of the most well rounded players in the NCDA, and he showed it off all season. His talent and leadership is irreplaceable. After the season he had in 2017-18, Riley is now at the top of my list of CMU players worthy of a spot in the (yet to be created) College Dodgeball Hall of Fame.

-Written by Kevin Bailey

2. Brandon Meisel (GVSU)

Brandon has been an elite player for many moons now but this season he showed that he is also an elite captain. He has a knack for learning from prior losses and putting all of the pieces together to win when it matters the most. Brandon’s energy on the court is what drives GV to success. Every game he plays he gives it his all on the court by running people down like a madman, blowing people up with a ball or by making clutch catches. Even when he gets out he is immediately talking to his team from the sidelines and making sure everyone is staying motivated. Next year he returns for one last year as captain of the Lakers and looks to improve on his already wildly successful career at GV.

-Written by Dylan Fettig

3. Nick Hazergian (SVSU)

Nick has had quite the career at SVSU. He burst onto the scene back in 2015-16 thanks to his powerful throw, but over the last two years he has made an impressive transition into being more than just a power arm. Nick is a great all-around player, with a strong arm and solid catching skills. Beyond his skills, he was also a crucial leader for an SVSU team that made significant improvement over the course of the season. His leadership is a big reason why the Cardinals were able to once again reach the Final Four. His competitive on the court, and character off it will be sorely missed next year by SVSU.

-Written by Kevin Bailey Continue reading “2018 All-Michigan Team”

Power Rankings: Postseason 2018

Another year of College Dodgeball has come and gone. Nationals 2018 held at Virginia Commonwealth was a huge success, and with it came plenty of upsets. For that reason, the power rankings saw plenty of changes since last month as you will see.

Below is the official 2018 Postseason Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention), and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). For this Post-Nationals Power Rankings list, we included Hunter Ford (Director of Nationals) , along with Content Writer Colby Briceland. Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings. And for those curious, yes the “way-too-early” 2018-19 rankings are coming soon… Continue reading “Power Rankings: Postseason 2018”

Nationals 2018 Reaction

It’s been several days since teams returned home from NCDA Nationals 2018. The season’s final tournament did not disappoint this year, with a record number of teams in attendance and plenty of unforgettable games. The Content Team has plenty in store for you over the next few weeks, but to start, here are my initial thoughts from this past weekend’s tournament: Continue reading “Nationals 2018 Reaction”

If Grand Valley Didn’t Exist…

Grand Valley State University won their 10th NCDA National Title over the weekend. It was also their 6th-straight. Incredible accomplishments, to say the least.

The unbelievable dominance of collegiate dodgeball by one school got us thinking: what if GVSU didn’t exist? What if Grand Valley wasn’t around to scoop up nearly every National Title the league has handed out? Who would be the National Champions then? Which NCDA schools would be the most decorated?

Below is my list of National Champions if Grand Valley was simply not around to win them:

Here is some quick commentary on the choices listed above: Continue reading “If Grand Valley Didn’t Exist…”

Nationals 2018 Saturday Schedule and Predictions

This piece was written by: Adam Pfeifer (Akron)

Queue 1:

UWP v VCU- VCU will dominate this game and control the pace. They will win the match by working together. VCU 4-0. Yellow Card Potential

SVSU v Kent- This will be a back and forth game but I think Kent will win with their catching and talent from 9-12 beating SVSU’s bottom of the roster. Kent with the win over SVSU 3-2. (If Tyler doesn’t get hurt this time around) Yellow Card Probable, Red Card Potential

UCF v NSU- I think this will be a very high scoring game, with both being newer teams. UCF will win with the roster advantage but NSU will score in this game due to a few players having more game experience. The score will probably end up being 4-2 UCF with their first win. Continue reading “Nationals 2018 Saturday Schedule and Predictions”

Which NCDA Region Was Best in 2017-18?

As the 2017-18 College Dodgeball season comes to a close, we have an opportunity to reflect on everything that happened during the year. One of the most intriguing questions in our sport right now is in regards to how regions stack up against one another. Some will argue the Michigan Region is clearly the best, but when looking at the Power Rankings produced throughout the season, it is a closer race than some may assume.

This season, we produced a Monthly Power Rankings following each month that teams were active, starting with a Preseason list, leading all the way up to April 2018. While the Post-Nationals Power Rankings is yet to be determined, there is plenty of data to analyze from the other lists.

Before we dig in, the first question that needs to be answered is: what are the NCDA’s regions? To be clear, the league does not have set “regions” or “conferences” just yet, but for content/organizational purposes we assign each team to a certain region. Here are the 6 regions I used for this analysis:

Michigan
East Coast
Ohio
The South (includes Kentucky schools)
Midway (formerly known as the Illinois Region)
Pacific Northwest

Below is a breakdown of College Dodgeball’s Regional Hierarchy throughout the 2017-18 season: Continue reading “Which NCDA Region Was Best in 2017-18?”

Who Will End ‘The Streak’?

The state of Michigan’s 11-year national title run will come to an end eventually (maybe even this year). Here’s a look at the teams who came closest to ending ‘The Streak’ in the past, and those best positioned to do so this year:

The state of Michigan has had an unprecedented amount of success in collegiate dodgeball over the past decade or so. In fact, a team from Michigan has won each of the last 11 NCDA Nationals Titles. This 11-year-run has been incredible, but there have certainly been a few close calls along the way.

Here we are, less than a week away from crowning yet another College Dodgeball National Champion, and ‘The Streak’ is still alive and well. Before I dive into which teams have the best shot to end this steak in 2018, here is a quick history lesson on the closest misses that have occurred during the 11-year stretch:

Continue reading “Who Will End ‘The Streak’?”

Rectification Tournament Preview

Yes, Wisconsin Platteville’s name was left off this tournament banner. Picture Credit: GVSU Club Sports

The following article was co-authored by Chief of Content Kevin Bailey and Erik Zander (UWP Captain).

This Sunday, Grand Valley State University will host one of the most anticipated late season tourneys prior to Nationals. In attendance will be some of the top dodgeball teams in the country. GVSU will obviously be there to protect their home court. Central Michigan will also be in attendance, looking to avenge their most recent loss to the Lakers. Along with these two top teams, Michigan State will make the trip to Allendale as they look to make some improvements heading into Nationals. Wisconsin Platteville will travel around the coast of Lake Michigan up to GVSU’s campus after competing in Chicago just last weekend. And lastly, Saginaw Valley State will be in attendance, with an opportunity to play against GVSU and CMU for the first time since the fall. Along with these five NCDA teams, there will also be a Grand Valley Alumni Team participating in the tournament, with exhibition games scheduled vs. CMU, MSU, and GVSU.

Below, Erik Zander and Kevin Bailey will discuss each official matchup at Rectification, and will provide predictions as well:

Continue reading “Rectification Tournament Preview”

Future Stars of the Michigan Region

The Michigan Region has historically been the best in college dodgeball, and this year looks to be no different. In the past, the state of Michigan has earned up to 9 of the 15 1st-Team All-American spots, showing how good the top level of talent is in the region. But unfortunately, as is often the case, the veterans on these teams seem to steal the headlines, making it difficult to learn enough about the up-and-coming talent in the region. Well, time to give some of those young players the recognition they deserve. I had the chance to ask a captain on each team who their young star are. Below are the responses I received: Continue reading “Future Stars of the Michigan Region”

Women’s March Madness Baller of the Month Bracket

We are happy to announce that this month, along with our Men’s Baller of the Month bracket, we have put together a bracket with 8 of the top female ballers in college dodgeball for you to vote on.

The voting will take place on Twitter, and will begin later this week (Thursday afternoon) following the conclusion of the men’s bracket. Below is the list of finalists, along with the official bracket showing each first round matchup. Check our Twitter later this week for the first poll! Continue reading “Women’s March Madness Baller of the Month Bracket”

March Madness Baller of the Month Bracket

Happy March everyone. As we have done in the past, the Baller of the Month for March will be determined through a “March Madness” bracket. We have narrowed our list of candidates for BOTM down to the 8 most deserving, and will now leave it up to you to determine the winner! Before we get into the matchups and voting procedure, here are your 8 finalists:

Nick Hazergian (SVSU)
Evan Eschenburg (JMU)
Jordan Watt (Towson)
Tyler Paalman (Kent)
Wayne Shortt (VCU)
Reid Manger (BGSU)
Alex Jonauskas (GVSU)
Ethan Kraus (UCF)

Continue reading “March Madness Baller of the Month Bracket”

Nationals 2018 – Hypothetical Brackets

The following article was co-authored by Kevin Bailey and Hunter Ford.

Below, Chief of Content Kevin Bailey and Director of Nationals Hunter Ford take a stab at what the bracket will look like for Nationals. The two will dive into this discussion from two different angles. Kevin will take a look at what the bracket would look like if Nationals happened today, while Hunter is giving a projection on what the bracket will look like on the day of Nationals. Take a look below for the two brackets, and feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts or predictions:

*To be clear, neither of these brackets are official, people. This is just our projection. The official Nationals Bracket is determined after pool-play on day one of the event…

Continue reading “Nationals 2018 – Hypothetical Brackets”

BOTM: 2018 February

Akron’s Colby Briceland is your February BOTM.

Sorry for the delay, but I am happy to finally announce that our Baller of the Month for February is Colby Briceland from University of Akron. Colby had a very eventful month of February. Here’s a quick recap:

On Feb. 10, Colby hosted the largest collegiate tournament of the season at his school, Akron University. “The War” lived up to the hype as one of the most significant tournaments of the NCDA’s regular season and Colby played a major role in making sure this two-day event took place.

Just one week later, Colby put together a team of college dodgeballers from various teams throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan to travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the GR Open. They played under the team name “Ohio Legacy” despite only a few of the players being regulars on that team. Colby did a great job introducing these players to a new format of dodgeball with a new community of players.

The following week Colby was again in action on the dodgeball court as he led his Akron team to a very solid showing at the annual Ohio Dodgeball Cup. Continue reading “BOTM: 2018 February”

Power Rankings: March 2018

Less than two months left in the 2017-18 College Dodgeball season, and things are really starting to heat up. The month of February was the most chaotic of the season, and teams continue to jostle for positions in the rankings.

Below is the official Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention), and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Along with giving our opinions on each team, this month we have added some extra team info to provide readers with a better idea of how each school fared over the course of the last month. Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings.

1) Grand Valley State

Kevin Bailey: After an underwhelming first half to the season, GVSU finally showed us a glimpse of what they’re capable of at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup, where they dismantled previously unbeaten Central Michigan to take home the title. They then traveled to JMU to win the BEAST (thanks to some late-game heroics by Alex Jonauskas). This team is the hottest in the country at the moment, but will be tested a lot over the final two months of the season. They will host CMU, SVSU, MSU, and many more top-level teams on March 25th. That will be a great preview for Nationals.

Jacob Leski: I highly doubt KB or myself was surprised to see GVSU come back in style as they seem to always do after winter break. They deserve the #1 spot in this month’s power rankings without question. Does that mean they deserve to be the #1 team in the nation? I am not yet convinced, but I am sure that will be answered very soon. Shout-out to Coach Dylan Fettig for instilling an incredible work ethic for this program, which is why I believe they are playing so well. Continue reading “Power Rankings: March 2018”

Gold Rush Tournament Preview

This Saturday, North Georgia will play host to Georgia Southern and Central Florida in a South Region clash that will have a major impact on the region moving forward. Below is the schedule for the event (all times listed are Eastern Standard Time)

10:00 a.m. – GSU vs. UCF

11:15 a.m. – UCF vs. UNG

12:30 p.m. – Lunch Break

1:30 p.m. – UNG vs. GSU

2:45 p.m. – GSU vs. UCF

4:00 p.m. – UCF vs. UNG

Continue reading “Gold Rush Tournament Preview”