Season Preview: Kentucky

Kentucky-LogoLocation: Lexington, Ky.

NCDA Region: Kentucky

2013-14 Record: 6-7

National Tournament Finish: Lost to SVSU in the Quarterfinals

2014-15 Captains: Brandon Engelman – C

Returning Starters: 8

Players to Watch: Zac Brown #13, Brandon Engelman #23, Drew Greenawalt #37

Overview: The NCDA’s National Tournament will make it’s way back to the state of Kentucky for the second time in three seasons in 2015 when it is hosted by Western Kentcuky. Continue reading “Season Preview: Kentucky”

Season Preview: Maryland

Location: College Park, MDumd-logo

NCDA Region: East Coast

2013-14 Record: 9-10

National Tournament Finish: Lost to GVSU in the Quarterfinals

2014-15 Captains: Dylan Allred – C, Tyler Wieland – A, Steve Via -A, Cody Hance -A

Returning Varsity Players: 15

Players to Watch: Rohan Mittal, Mike Cariello, Tyler Wieland, Curtis Reybold

Overview:  Maryland will enter the season with higher expectations than ever before. Continue reading “Season Preview: Maryland”

Season Preview: Michigan State

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MSU Sophomore Noe Galaviz will be expected to lead the Spartans to another Final Four appearance and maybe more this season. Photo Credit – Nicole Bailey

msu-logo

Location: East Lansing, Mich.

NCDA Region: Michigan

2013-14 Record: 10-13

National Tournament Finish: Lost to SVSU in the Semifinals

2014-15 Captains: Colin O’Brien #18 – C, Andy Lieblich #20 – A, Alex Zajac #27 – A

Returning Varsity Players: 20 (18 from Nationals)

Players to Watch: Colin O’Brien #18 – C, Andy Lieblich #20 – A, Alex Zajac #27 – A, Noe Galaviz, & Charlie Wilshire

Overview: For a team that has never won an NCDA National Championship, the Michigan State Dodgeball program has built up quite the resume. Continue reading “Season Preview: Michigan State”

Season Preview: Western Kentucky

Location: Bowling Green, Ky.wku-logo

NCDA Region: Kentucky

2013-14 Record: 4-10

National Tournament Finish: Lost to JMU in the Quarterfinals

2014-15 Captains: Nick Johnson – C, & Hunter Dickison – C

Returning Varsity Players: 8

Players to Watch: Josh Hicks, Dexter Banks, & Nick Johnson

Overview:  Western Kentucky comes into the 2014-15 campaign with quite a bit of momentum.   Continue reading “Season Preview: Western Kentucky”

Season Preview: Virginia Commonwealth

Location: Richmond, Va.

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NCDA Region: East Coast

2013-14 Record: 0-6

National Tournament Finish: Did not attend

2014-15 Captains: Adam Hallers – C, & Matt Bosco – C

Returning Varsity Players: 5

Players to Watch: Unknown due to the majority of the team being newcomers

Overview: Virginia Commonwealth has historically been the weakest team from the East Coast region.   Continue reading “Season Preview: Virginia Commonwealth”

Season Preview: Central Michigan

Location: Mount Pleasant, Mich.cmu-logo

NCDA Region: Michigan

2013-14 Record: 8-13

National Tournament Finish: Lost to Kentucky in the first round

2014-15 Captains: Wes Peters-C, Brett Hadwin-C, Scott La Valley-A, and Zach Bachner-A

Returning Varsity Players: Every player returns for CMU

Players to Watch: Wes Peters-C, Brett Hadwin-C, Scott La Valley-A, Zach Bachner-A, Michael Heller #77 , Tyler Prill #21, Shane Willette #69, and Ian Ryan #14.

Captain Wes Peters will look to lead CMU this year as they look to rebound from a first round exit at Nationals last season.
Captain Wes Peters will look to lead CMU this year as they look to rebound from a first round exit at Nationals last season.

Overview:  Central Michigan comes into the 2014-15 season in an interesting position. Continue reading “Season Preview: Central Michigan”

“Way-Too-Early Top 20” for the 2014-15 Season

ncda_logoThe 2014-15 College Dodgeball season is still many months away, but if you are like me, you are already looking forward to the coming season.  Much like espn.com makes annual “Way-Too-Early Top 25” lists for college football and basketball; I will be giving my list of the top 20 teams in the NCDA for next year.

I know for a fact that not everyone will agree with my rankings, so feel free to post your own opinions in the comment section below.  Here is my Way-Too-Early Top 20 for the NCDA’s 2014-15 season: Continue reading ““Way-Too-Early Top 20” for the 2014-15 Season”

The 2014 Chicago Dodgeball Open

We all know what time of the year it is. It’s time to go back to school and get back in the books. More importantly, it’s time to get rid of that Holiday season fat and get ready for the second half of the season. There’s still three months of quality dodgeball to be played before everyone heads to Ohio State for Nationals. A week in to the semester and we already have one of the league’s classic tournaments going down this Sunday, the Chicago Dodgeball Open.
Continue reading “The 2014 Chicago Dodgeball Open”

Mark Your Calendars For November 9th

The Miami RedHawks will be hosting a tournament, their third hosting event in the last three years. In 2011-12, Miami had a match against Kentucky and in 2012-13 they hosted Kentucky, Ohio State, and Kent State. This year, they will be hosting the likely biggest tournament of the Fall.

Continue reading “Mark Your Calendars For November 9th”

Three New Teams Set to Join

Three teams are prepared to join the NCDA this weekend, which is as many as joined last year total. It will also be the most in one weekend since the East Coast expansion happened, which added JMU, Towson, and Maryland. The teams that are set to join are Saint Ambrose from Iowa, Siena Heights from Southeastern Michigan, and Davenport in Grand Rapids. Continue reading “Three New Teams Set to Join”

Many Storylines to Follow in GVSU Invite

This Sunday, the Grand Valley Dodgeball Club will host Central Michigan, Bowling Green State, Siena Heights, and Davenport in the first ever “GVSU Invite”.  While the teams in attendance vary from the defending national champions (GVSU) to a few teams (Siena Heights and Davenport) who are yet to play in their first NCDA match, each team competing in this event will have something to prove as it looks to be a very telling weekend of college dodgeball.  Here are a few storylines to keep an eye on:
Continue reading “Many Storylines to Follow in GVSU Invite”

JMU Pumpkin Smash Preview From Chris Hess

PUMPKIN SMASH PREVIEW

As the air gets a little cooler in the Appalachians this time of year, the 2013-2014 NCDA season is heating up as James Madison hosts an East Coast slate of teams this weekend at Pumpkin Smash 2K13. The Dukes play host to Maryland, Towson, VCU, and Penn State to clear up where these teams stand amongst themselves.

Continue reading “JMU Pumpkin Smash Preview From Chris Hess”

Saginaw Valley Hosts Rivals Grand Valley and Central Michigan

Sunday, October 13th, will feature a huge early season showdown in Saginaw, as the Cards will welcome the Lakers and Chippewas. One of the best venues in dodgeball will be the scene, as the Cardinal Gym will be filled with the SV faithful. The gym itself can be daunting, especially for less experienced players, but it can also be an exhilarating experience for those who like a challenge. The tournament will feature the three last National Champions, as well as some of the best players in the sport.

Continue reading “Saginaw Valley Hosts Rivals Grand Valley and Central Michigan”