Category: Opinions

2018-19 Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25

We still have several months before the 2018-19 College Dodgeball season kicks off, but it’s always nice to start speculating for the coming year.  Listed below is my way-too-early top 25 for next season:

1) Grand Valley State

Six straight national titles and counting.  GVSU returns all but two starters in 2018-19, making them a very easy choice as the preseason #1 team in College Dodgeball.  The Lakers’ roster is absolutely loaded with talented veterans heading into this season.  I have a hard time envisioning this team losing too many games this year, as the gap between them and the second best school seems wider than in recent years.  In fact, the last time a team was this big of a favorite heading into the season was probably GVSU back in 2009?

2) James Madison

I’m buying into the hype for JMU this year.  They have a deep roster filled with athletic players.  The missing piece last year was just that they lacked coordination and strategy in some big games.  Now that this team has more experience under their belt, I expect them to be a much improved group in 2018-19.  Don’t be surprised when James Madison goes undefeated against East Coast opponents all of next year, and challenges for a national title in the spring.

Continue reading “2018-19 Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25”

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 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?”

Power Rankings: April 2018

Nationals 2018 is right around the corner!  As we get prepped for College Dodgeball’s 2017-18 ‘season finale’, let’s take a look at the new Power Rankings for the month of April.

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).  For this Pre-Nationals Power Rankings list, we included Hunter Ford (Director of Nationals) to give his thoughts on the top 20 teams in the country.  Please keep in mind: these power rankings have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings. Continue reading “Power Rankings: April 2018”

Bold Nationals 2018 Predictions

In the spirit of March Madness, and with Nationals 2018 approaching soon, myself and other members of the content team have decided to put together some of our bold predictions for Nationals 2018.  While Nationals has traditionally been dominated by a select few teams, there is a lot of reason to believe this year could be different with one of the largest and most talented fields in league history.  I’ve provided each member’s predictions, as well as my personal brief summary of their predictions.  Some predictions are bold, some are not, and others are just downright foolish…or so it seems.  Let’s have a look.

Continue reading “Bold Nationals 2018 Predictions”

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”

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”

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”

Reacting to College Dodgeball’s “Upset Weekend”

This past weekend featured two highly anticipated tournaments that were bound to have a massive impact on the college dodgeball landscape this season.  On both Saturday and Sunday, Akron University hosted “The War”, bringing in teams from three different regions to play in a two day tournament filled with exciting matchups.  Also last weekend (on Sunday), Michigan State University hosted the Michigan Dodgeball Cup, a historic tournament that always has a huge effect on the league’s standings.

This weekend did not disappoint! There were a number of very surprising results from the two tournaments, which is why I am dubbing it “Upset Weekend”.

A few crazy stats from this past weekend’s events, before we dive into the results:

  • All 10 teams in the top 10 of the current Power Rankings were in action at one of the two tournaments!
  • There were 9 total upsets on the weekend, out of 24 total games.  9 upsets is the most for any weekend in at least the past four seasons, and a 37.5% upset rate for the weekend is absolutely staggering.

Here are the results from this weekend’s events: Continue reading “Reacting to College Dodgeball’s “Upset Weekend””

Power Rankings: February 2018

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone.  While the NFL crowns a champion later today, College Dodgeball still has a few months before they do the same.  It has been an exciting season so far, and things are really starting to heat up as we head into the late winter / early spring.  Listed below are the power rankings for the month of February.  Please note, these power rankings (produced by Jacob Leski and myself) have no impact on the actual NCDA Standings.  These are strictly opinion based rankings.  Enjoy:

1) Central Michigan

The Chippewas keep rolling! Hard to find any glaring problems with this team. Even after losing Kris Kohler, and Tyler Prill to graduation, this team has not skipped a beat. Their most dominant performance to me was their match this past weekend against Kent State. Kent went up 1-0 on CMU, but the Chips won 5-1. This has happened more than once for this squad this year, which tells me that if they get down they have little trouble coming back, a strong sign of a championship caliber team. Their only real weakness is their lack in numbers. This squad often travels with the exact amount needed to fill a roster. However, look to see this change soon, leaders are working with myself and CMU’s club sports department to get their numbers back to what they used to be. – Jacob Leski

Easy choice for the number spot here.  Central Michigan is having an unbelievable season so far.  The Chips, sitting at 18-0, have a chance to be the first team since 2009 GVSU to win a national title with an undefeated record!  I am very excited to see this team in action next weekend at the highly anticipated Michigan Dodgeball Cup.  They are the clear favorites at the moment, but certainly will be tested by Grand Valley and Michigan State.  We all know Mike Riley is on of the best players in the country, but in my opinion, the x-factor for CMU the rest of this season will be the production from players like Grant Webber, Bryce Belen, and Casey Bielec.  All three have the skills to earn All-American status this year.  And all three will need to play their best dodgeball down the stretch for Central to preserve their undefeated season. – Kevin Bailey

Continue reading “Power Rankings: February 2018”

Alumni Appreciation- UWP Players

It is January and alumni appreciation month for the NCDA. So I thought it fitting to highlight some of the former players of the Platteville Dodgeball players that helped to make what the club is today.   These individuals were broken up by category comprised of different skills we utilize in the sport of Dodgeball.

With the help of Scott Skelly and Matt Bautch, I was able to come up with the following top players for each skill. Thanks to these two for helping do the writes ups for these alumni. Continue reading “Alumni Appreciation- UWP Players”

Observing the MVP Race at Midseason

We are just over halfway through the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association’s 2017-18 season.  In the fall we were lucky enough to see some very impressive individual performances from various players spanning across many different NCDA regions.  I gave my input on who might be MVP candidates at the start of the year, and now I would like to revisit that topic.  There is still a long way to go before the NCDA All-American Team is voted upon, but at this point in the year, I have narrowed the list of players remaining in the race to finish #1 on that list.  Here are my finalists for NCDA MVP (please note these players are grouped into a few different sections, and listed in alphabetical order within each section).

The Front Runners:

Continue reading “Observing the MVP Race at Midseason”

Midterm Report Cards: Michigan Region

We have hit the mid-season mark in the 2017-18 NCDA season.  Just as was done with a few other regions, we have report cards to hand out for each team in the Michigan Region in what has been an interesting first half to the season.

Central Michigan: A

Easiest grade to give out would have to be CMU.  The Chippewas are sitting pretty at 15-0 right now.  That’s the best first semester record they have ever had if I’m not mistaken.  I would have given Central Michigan an A+, but their last few tournaments of the fall revealed the Chips are beatable.  Continue reading “Midterm Report Cards: Michigan Region”

Midway Conference Report Cards

It is the end of the semester and it is time to grade the teams of the Midway Conference.  This is at the request of Anthony Goetz of Midland University, ask and you shall receive, I just hope it is to your liking. The grading will be done by the yours truly, your favorite content writer.  For this semester, some of the teams were very active and others were still trying to put a team together.  This makes it challenging to grade these crews as I have yet to see them play.  Let’s take a look at each team and the grade I feel they earned. Continue reading “Midway Conference Report Cards”