The Clifton Heights Classic IV brought just over half of the Ohio teams together with the addition of NKU on September 27th. For most of these teams, this was their first tournament of the season, so we got a fresh look at the new rookie class for each team. Nearly every matchup in this tournament went the distance for an exciting weekend of matches. Let’s dive in to see how each team did in Clifton.
BGSU
Bowling Green made the trip down 75 to Cincinnati after only a week’s rest from the Buckeye Opener. Their first matchup of the day didn’t start off too hot as they went down 3-0 against Ohio. The Falcons eventually clawed their way back and took 2 points before coming up short and running out of time. Next up was the Bearcats, and unlike the Ohio game, BG came out swinging. They took the momentum they had from the Ohio game and managed to take the first point against UC in their match. It was back and forth points in the first half but after the 2-2 half, UC took the next 2 points to defeat Bowling Green 4-2. Last up was Northern Kentucky and BG could do no wrong. Bowling Green looked like the best version of themselves and turned their 2-0 lead in the first half into a clean 6-0 victory against NKU to end 1-2 on the day. While they ended 1-2 on the day, they fought in every match
Miami
The undisputed winners of the tournament and reigning national champions, Miami silenced any critics with a resilient 3-0 performance. The Redhawks faced rivals Ohio in their opening contest and controlled the pace of the game while minimizing mistakes, ultimately earning a 2-1 slugfest victory. Despite a late comeback attempt by the feisty Norse, Miami held on to a 3-2 lead to beat Northern Kentucky and improve to 2-0 on the day. After a long break between games, the Redhawks and Bearcats faced off in the day’s finale, and Miami sent a message to the league by besting the Bearcats 3-1 in a rematch of last season’s legendary National Championship game in Cleveland.
NKU
Northern Kentucky University had come into the Clifton Heights Classic with a young roster. With nearly half of their roster being Freshman, they looked to gain valuable experience against some of the best teams in the league. They started off the day against Ohio State and NKU very quickly found themselves at 5-0 deficit at halftime. This would eventually lead into an 8-0 loss to the Buckeyes. But they regathered themselves as they knew they had the defending champs to play next. The Norse managed to take a 1-0 lead against Miami, but the Redhawks eventually found their footing and took 3 unanswered points to end the half. After nearly a 20 minute point NKU pulled within 1 point of tying Miami. Unfortunately, they did not leave enough time and Miami took control for the last few minutes to run out the clock. Finally, they played Bowling Green and you can tell they were running out of gas. They went down 2-0 to BGSU and then gave up another 4 points in the second to lose 6-0. While they went 0-3 on the day, they gained very valuable experience and seem to have a promising future.
Ohio
The Bobcats had a successful weekend as they continued to search for their identity early in the new campaign. With a roster that lost six starters from last year’s Clifton Heights Classic, Ohio scraped together a 2-1 record on the afternoon and proved it still has the horsepower needed to compete with the cream of the crop. They came out of the gates firing, jumping to a 3-0 lead over Bowling Green State, and played well enough in the second half to secure a 3-2 victory to open their day. They then played a back-and-forth tilt with reigning national champions Miami but ultimately fell 2-1. To cap off the day, the green and white picked up a huge win over a short-staffed Ohio State squad in one of the tournament’s most exciting contests, finishing 3-2.
OSU
After hosting the Buckeye Opener last weekend and with the National Dodgeball Association Nationals on the horizon, Ohio State traveled to Cincinnati without much of its cavalry, bringing only 11 players for the day. Despite the disadvantage, the Buckeyes fought tooth and nail against some of the league’s best and finished with a 1-2 record. The scarlet and gray started with an old-fashioned thumping of Northern Kentucky, winning 8-0, but ran into trouble against Cincinnati. After going up 2-0 on the hosts, the Buckeyes ran out of steam within the last 25 minutes, giving up three unanswered points, dropping their first match of the season. Immediately after, they engaged in battle with Ohio and fell for the second time this season, losing 3-2 to an energized Bobcats squad.
UC
The University of Cincinnati came in looking to get their rookies some experience and to find the players to help fill the holes that were created by the graduating class. With a shaky start against Bowling Green, they went down 2-1 to BGSU in the first half of their first game, only to come out in the second half and take 3 unanswered points to win 4-2. Next up was OSU and it was looking bad for the Bearcats as they went down 2-0 to the Buckeyes. But just like the game against Bowling Green, Cincinnati bounced back to take 3 points to take the lead. OSU tried to even the game up to take it to OT but ran out of time, keeping the belt in Clifton. Finally, the matchup that they had been looking for all day. Just like the previous two games, they went into the second half down 2-0 to Miami. Miami got a crucial balls over in the first point of the second half all but solidified a 3-0 deficit for Cincinnati. UC bounced back to take their first point of the match but it was all they would get as Miami would control the pace and stalled out the rest of the clock to give Cincinnati their first loss of the season. While they couldn’t get their revenge on Miami from the National Championship game, the Bearcats ended the day with an impressive 2-1 record.