3-26. My career record against Grand Valley State University is 3-26. So I know pretty well how easy it is to lose to GVSU. And I also know just how hard it is to beat them. That’s why I am so impressed with what Towson was able to accomplish last Sunday. To beat GV is no small feat. To beat a previously undefeated GV in the National Championship on their home court is almost unfathomable. Towson was able to take home the championship trophy with an outstanding gameplan, incredible execution, and a little bit of luck.
Continue reading “How Towson Did It”Category: Opinions
Matchups That Deserve Your Attention
With pool play of nationals right around the corner, everybody’s looking forward to the matchups of the high seeds, the rematch, or the potential upset. Instead, I’d like to focus on matchups that may fly under the radar, may not get the most attention, but have the potential to be close and exciting games. This has nothing to do with Gonzalez Rankings, it’s just my personal opinion. I’ll go in order of queue, so without further explanation, here are some games that have potential for excitement.
Continue reading “Matchups That Deserve Your Attention”Power Rankings: April 2019
What a fantastic regular season! With Nationals right around the corner, it is time to take a look at where each team stands heading into the season’s final tournament. Grand Valley State University will host Nationals 2019 on April 13-14 in Allendale, Michigan. Keep an eye out this week for more previews of this event!
Below is the official April 2019 Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention) and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings.
Continue reading “Power Rankings: April 2019”
10 Ways To Become An NCDA All-Star
It has been another exciting season of dodgeball within the NCDA, with a lot of close matches, crazy upsets, amazing plays, and standout players. But what truly makes a player stand out in the league enough to be considered one of the best? Every sports league has its “all-star” players, and the NCDA is no different. After Nationals, every serious player in the league will be looking for their name on the “All-Region” or “All-American” rosters. Whether you’re a rookie or a multi-year veteran, there is always a new way to take your game and notoriety to another level. I spoke to just a few of the league’s most memorable players from over the years to get their thoughts on what it took to take their dodgeball career to the next level, and this is what I learned. Here are 10 ways to become one of collegiate dodgeball’s top players:
1. PRACTICE LIKE A PRO
Continue reading “10 Ways To Become An NCDA All-Star”Power Rankings: March 2019
What a month! February 2019 was arguably one of the most entertaining months in the history of collegiate dodgeball. From the absolutely chaotic WAR III tournament, to the always telling MDC, to the wild finish at ODC, and everything in between, February was special. With all the crazy games we saw this past month come some shakeups in the monthly power rankings. Below is the official March 2019 Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention) and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings.
Continue reading “Power Rankings: March 2019”
WAR III All-Tournament Team
There were plenty of outstanding performers over the weekend at Akron’s WAR III tournament. Many of the players that made noise at the tournament were little known players nationally prior to last weekend. It is only fitting that after one of the best tourneys ever, we provide a list of the best performers at the event. Listed below are the top 24 standouts from WAR III:
1st Team
Tom Morand (Miami) – MVP
Helped Miami force overtime against Towson thanks to an improbable comeback win in the final full point of regulation. He nearly did the same thing in overtime. Tom made double-digit catches in the final 20-ish minutes of the game. Unreal performance. WAR III vaulted him right into the thick of the 2019 NCDA MVP race.
Josh Lyons (Akron)
One of the most underrated players in the country, Josh Lyons had yet another strong performance this semester. He was a big reason why Akron nearly pulled an upset over SVSU. He also made a wild 1 v 8 comeback against Ohio State! Continue reading “WAR III All-Tournament Team”
Power Rankings: February 2019
Happy New Year College Dodgeballers! After taking a month off the power rankings during the mid-season winter break, we are finally back for the second half of the season, with the February Power Rankings. Not many matches have been played yet in 2019, but this is just the calm before the storm. The month of February promises to be the most exciting month yet this season with huge tournament taking place each of the next three weekends:
Feb. 9-10: The WAR
Feb. 16: Michigan Dodgeball Cup
Feb. 23: BEAST / Ohio Dodgeball Cup
Below is the official February 2019 Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention) and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings.
Mid-Season Check-in
It’s almost time to kick off another semester of college dodgeball. Before we get the second half of the season underway, lets check out the results from the recent polls posted on the NCDA Twitter Account:
2019 New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year college dodgeballers! It’s that time of year when the NCDA season really starts to ramp up. We are only about 4 months away from Nationals 2019, and teams are preparing for the always crucial second half of the regular season.
As we break in the new year, and get set for another winter of dodgeball, it seems like a great time to take a look at what some teams should have as their ‘New Year’s Resolutions’.
Power Rankings: December 2018
We have reached the half-way point in the 2018-19 National Collegiate Dodgeball Association season. There have certainly been some unexpected results so far this season, along with many teams living up to their pre-season hype. Overall, it was another exciting fall of collegiate dodgeball. As we set for the winter semester, now is a great time to take a look at where each team stands through half the season with our December Power Rankings. The College Dodgeball season always seems to heat up once the temperatures start to drop, so don’t be surprised if many of these rankings change in the coming months.
Below is the official December 2018 Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention), Hunter Ford (Director), and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings.
Power Rankings: November 2018
The month of October had plenty of shakeups in the NCDA. With tournaments in many different regions, teams started to get their legs under them as we now head into month #3 of the new season.
Below is the official November 2018 Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention), and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings.
Bye-Week Review of the NCDA
The first month of the 2018-19 NCDA season is off to a hot start. We have seen 19 different teams make their season debut over 6 different tournaments across the Michigan, Ohio, East Coast, and South regions. There were some early predictions on how some thought the season would play out, some of which are shaping up to follow through while others seem like nothing more than speculation. Additionally, the power structure of the league seems to be shifting in a way that maybe even veterans of the game could not have predicted. It is still early in the year and a lot can change, there are some interesting takeaways from this first month that should be discussed. Grades are listed at the bottom of the article.
Power Rankings: October 2018
One month into the season and we already have seen quite a few surprises. The Preseason Power Rankings were clearly not as exact as some may have expected, and the changes are obvious heading into the month of October. Plenty of teams have moved up and down, as we enter the second month of College Dodgeball.
Below is the official October 2018 Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention), and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings. Continue reading “Power Rankings: October 2018”
Power Rankings: Preseason 2018
The National Collegiate Dodgeball Association’s 2018-19 season kicks off this weekend with events happening in several different regions. As we prepare for the new season, it’s only right to take a look at the college dodgeball landscape right now.
Below is the official 2018 Preseason Power Rankings list produced by NCDA Executive Board members Jacob Leski (Director of Recruitment and Retention), and Kevin Bailey (Chief of Content). Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings. Continue reading “Power Rankings: Preseason 2018”
2018-19 Season Predictions
It’s almost that time of year again. As schools get back in session all across the country, the anticipation continues to build for another season of collegiate dodgeball! As we approach the new season, a few members of the content team have provided their predictions for how this year will play out in the NCDA. Take a look at their predictions below: