EAST LANSING- IM West: After a great tournament by all teams playing, the #2 Michigan State Spartans (7-1-0) went 4-0, #1 Kent State (10-3-0) went 3-1, #7 CMU (3-3-0) went 1-2, #13 BGSU (1-6-0) went 1-3, and #9 Depaul (1-4-0) went 0-3.
Michigan State got a good team effort out of all their players and took out Bowling Green in quick fashion, and then got tested by Kent State in their second game of the day. The Flashes were looking for revenge for an earlier loss to MSU, but despite the best efforts of Camden Fullmer and the rest of Kent State, the Spartans were able to prevail in a hard fought game 2-0. They then played CMU who took the first point quickly, but MSU came back and took eight straight points to win. Finally for State they played Depaul, in a game that was canceled early in the second half after an injury to a Depaul player. It was a good showing for MSU, as they moved into second place in the NCDA and first in the “Michigan” region.
Kent State also had a good showing, as they’re starting to prove to teams that they can hang with the big dogs and kept their #1 ranking. Camden Fullmer is definitely one of the best players in the NCDA and the team is a feisty one with a lot of heart. They were able to beat instate rival BGSU (3-0 in a game called at halftime) along with Depaul and CMU. With their next tournament being next weekend at the UK Invite, Kent will get their chance to show their among the NCDA elite by possibly knocking off Kentucky and WKU. They certainly have the teamwork, talent, and desire to do it, they just need to play a full game and they could possibly knock off the Wildcats and Hilltoppers.
Central Michigan went 1-2 and took the first point from Michigan State, with a ten man roster. That makes them 3-3-0 on the season with only using 10 players, which is fairly impressive. Despite an off day throwing-wise from #00 Bryce Corrion, the Chippewas still were competitive mainly due to great catching by #27 Wes Peters and #4 Brett Hadwin. With so few players it was hard to see them winning matches, especially if they didn’t have ball possession, but they were able to play hard and get a crucial 2 points in the rankings for the weekend.
BGSU had a little bit of a disappointing showing, but still played overall fairly well. Brady Etzler had a good day, as he was lighting up the competition, but he lacked the production from other players. They almost took a point going into the half from Kent State, and did take points from MSU and CMU, which along with a win over Depaul meant a good job for Bowling Green. The Falcons though seem to be about level from last season, but with plenty of time to improve before Nationals, maybe they can start climbing the rankings a little bit.
Depaul, who is as always still undefeated, played well and took a point from BGSU and almost took a point from MSU. They had some strong players on their team, to go along with a few lady dodgeballers, a couple of guys who were at least 6’5″, and the group of jesters of the NCDA. This looked like a team who was having a lot of fun, but they could also compete if they wanted to. They next play at the Chicago Dodgeball Open, in which they will play host to a slew of teams.
Way to go Kent State! I’m so proud of the Golden Flashes. Keep it up! I’m so proud of my son Camden:) Love the Blue and Gold!
Camden’s Mom